Achilles as a Classical Hero

Achilles as a Classical Hero Introduction Under classical mythology, one can define a hero as a courageous individual with great strength, widely known and celebrated by his society for his actions which portray exceptional boldness.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Achilles as a Classical Hero specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More In literature, a hero simply means a person with a character that people need to admire or emulate. S/he therefore possesses all the ideals celebrated, valued and articulated by his/her culture. Heroes exist in all fields; for example, in politics, sports, and struggle for freedom among others. Be it in classical mythology, ordinary literature, or any other field, a hero must possess ordinary characteristics that no other person possesses. Since the judgment of heroic deeds lies in the culture that shapes an individual, different cultures value different traits in their heroes. In literature circles, heroism emanat es from both the culture of the author and the culture to which the hero belongs. Heroism not only focuses on the actions of an individual, but also the reasons behind their actions. According to the Greek culture, a hero must be a man with exceptional warrior characteristics; he should stand above other warriors in the society in all aspects; he must not only show warrior characteristics, but should also be intelligent and good in speech; he should endeavor to shun anything that intends to spoil his repute as a good warrior and finally he should have greater strength and courage than his fellow warriors who should freely acknowledge that he is the best warrior amongst them. These exceptional qualities make him legible for crowning as a leader. In the Greek history, a story is told of a man, Achilles, who possessed characteristics that the Greek culture reserved to heroes. A study of the Greek culture and its comparison to Achilles gives an important revelation: Achilles is a classi cal hero. This essay focuses on Achilles’ deeds and how they contributed towards his heroism. Achilles Heroic Characteristics Achilles is a swift runner. According to Lowrey, this character of swiftness comes out when â€Å"epithets referred to him as a man who was swift footed† (2). Swiftness is an important characteristic for individuals with the desire to excel in war or any other form of physical confrontation. With swiftness, one is able to easily capture or flee from an enemy during war. Besides, such people are able to perform better during competitions aimed at searching for true heroes of a given society. As a result, warriors all over the world cherish this trait and it is through it that Achilles gets crowned as a hero.Advertising Looking for research paper on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Besides swiftness, Achilles possesses the characteristics of courage. Courage, as a trait enables an individual to do what the ordinary person cannot do on the grounds that, it has negative possible consequences or evokes fear of injury or death (Anderson, 12). As a result, one can take up any challenge regardless of any negative impeding consequences of such actions. The spirit of courageousness enabled Achilles to fight his enemies without fear of possible injury or death. This character trait as a courageous man also enabled him to storm out twelve cities of men both by sea through his ships and by land. Honestly, this is not an easy task! No wonder some of his people describe him as a lion-hearted man. According to Redfield, it is Achilles’ courage â€Å"that made him face any body in battle without fear† (39). In some instances, it is evident that people knew him as a man who ruthlessly and courageously tore his opponents in battle. This task cannot be possible for a timid individual; therefore, because of his courageous nature, Achilles pas ses for a hero. Achilles’ heroic deeds made people revere him so much that they gave him godly characteristics. They regarded him as a man who commanded fear all over because his actions evoked feelings of fear and terror (Jaeger, 35). This attitude of people towards Achilles portrays him as a special man deserving a special kind of treatment. His ability to break his opponents when at war and his physical superiority over all other warriors paints a picture of someone who elicits fear at his appearance. The fact that all other warriors fear and consider him as the best warrior explains why the society treats him with much reverence; he is a classical hero. Besides the reverence that people have towards him, Achilles has always been a source of fear before his enemies. This trait has always made him scary before his opponents. One of the goddesses in the Greek culture, goddess Hera reveals that the Trojans, who are rivals to Achilles’ community, tremble at the mention of Achilles. In yet another instance Patrocus refers to Achilles as a man â€Å"who is by far greater than the Achileans† (Lowrey, 2). As such, Patrocus says that none of the Achileans can surmount any kind of physical challenge to him. Such a statement not only cements the godly character of Achilles, but also confirms people’s belief in him as a man with significant superiority over his peers and opponents where it really matters. Based on these two instances it is quite clear that Achilles is a hero.Advertising We will write a custom research paper sample on Achilles as a Classical Hero specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More The experience that Achilles undergoes while in Combat clearly brings out his heroic characteristics. As Achilles describes his combat experiences, the audience feels how he was â€Å"devoted to his people, fighting on their behalf to ensure that they enjoy their lives† (Lowrey, 3). In his expla nation, it is evident that Achilles spent so many sleepless nights throughout the time of war. He even loses his own blood during the war on behalf of his people; however, this damaging event or his weariness could not discourage him from fighting for the wellbeing of his people; a true character of a hero. He instead, continues to fight on without any fear of injury or death till the end of the war. From these actions, it is vivid that Achilles was a man with exceptional character and deserved to be honored as a hero. While in Combat, Achilles also reveals that all his selflessness and determination in war have seen him through difficulties. Selfness as a character trait refers to the ability of an individual to care not only about his own welfare, but also the welfare of others who are bound to benefit from his/her efforts no matter how small they may be. From the way Achilles describes his life during the war, one can tell that he possessed a selfless character. This selfless cha racter clearly comes out during the war period. Referring to this period, Achilles says that he put â€Å"everything aside and struggled with other warriors during the battle only for the sake of the women of his fellow men† (Seamus, 1883). The move by Achilles to consider the wellbeing of women belonging to other men exposes him as somebody who does not think of self gain out of his struggle. In addition, the fact that he is not married at the time of battle further proves that indeed, he is a selfless character. According to the Greek culture, selflessness is a trait of heroes; therefore, Achilles’ selflessness qualifies him to be a classical hero. Besides selflessness, Achilles possesses an enduring character. Endurance refers to the ability of an individual to persevere pain or suffering with the hope of achieving success in the end of the struggle. Achilles’ ability to endure comes out when he talks about the experience he had in Combat during the war time. During this trying period, he says that he spent sleepless nights for many days. This was because of his alertness against potential attack by their opponents and only endurance can help an individual to ward off sleep. Besides his sleeplessness, Achilles lost his own blood, not mentioning the pain he underwent through when he sustained the bloody injuries.Advertising Looking for research paper on literature languages? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Despite these sufferings in sleeplessness and loss of blood through injury, Achilles continued to fight on for the welfare of his people and in the end, he won the battle. It is this relentless spirit that enabled Achilles to emerge victorious in many wars against their enemies and therefore, his perseverance during war portrays him as a classical hero. Finally, the case of Achilles and Agamemnon also proves Achilles’ heroic characteristics. Achilles’ acts of heroism had earlier won him a much coveted prize. It however emerges that Agamemnon tried to take this prize away from Achilles in exchange of expensive gifts; seven strongholds and a daughter of as wife. Conventionally, these attractive offers by Agamemnon would obviously compel Achilles to consider taking the gifts in lieu of the coveted prize. However, to the surprise of many, Achilles handles this situation in the most rational manner; using his intelligence, he discovers that accepting these gifts would serve to show his acceptance of Agamemnon’s superior status; therefore, he refuses to take the gifts and the bride offer and instead decides to protect his higher status of heroism. To Achilles, heroism consists not in the abundance of material things or wives per se, but in character; enduring character. Very few people can readily make such an informed decision. This intelligent move by Achilles is in line with what the Greece culture expects from heroes like him. Consequently, these adherences to the Greek cultural values that govern heroism help bring out Achilles status as a genuine hero. Conclusion Heroism is a highly coveted trait in all the cultures across the continents. Before the relevant authorities crown an individual as a hero, they consider his/her achievements which should be extraordinary. In one such culture, the Greek, heroism is a function of an individual’s intelligence, physical appearances, physical capability and his contribution as a warrior in the battlefield. The Greek culture also requires that as a hero, one should always be ready to guard his superior status no matter the consequences or benefits that one would gain by conceding his superiority. Achilles is a classical hero according to the Greek culture mainly because he possesses all the characteristics needed to qualify an individual as a true hero. Achilles has physical superiority, has outstanding warrior characteristics that his fellow warriors readily acknowledge and he is not ready to relinquish his superior status; not even with a promise of expensive gifts and a bewitching bride. Anderson, William S. The Art of the Aeneid. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice-Hall Inc., 1969. Jaeger, Werner. Paideia: The Ideals of Greek Culture. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1939. Lowrey, Belen. â€Å"The Hero as a Reflection of Culture.† Journal of Ancient Spartan and  Greek History 23.9 (2005): 1-12. Redfield, James. Nature and Culture in the Iliad. Chicago: The Unive rsity of Chicago Press, 1975. Seamus, Heaney. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. New York: W. W. Norton and Company, 2006. 1880- 1903.

An Incident You Will Never Forget free essay sample

Certain incidents so impress us that they leave an indelible mark on our memory. I was once involved in an incident of which I shall always have vivid recollections. The incident occurred when I visited a village in India together with my parents, sometime during my holidays last year. Early in the morning on the day the incident occurred, I was talking with a few of my new friends in that village. All of a sudden, a boy of my age came rushing towards us to break the news that violence had broken out in the neighborhood. Alarmed at this news, we began to protect ourselves, and before long the violence spread like wild fire throughout our area. I was a little confused at first for I had no idea about the cause of the outbreak of violence there. One of my friends told me that the area had been notorious for such occurrence owing to rivalry between two parties. We will write a custom essay sample on An Incident You Will Never Forget or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Each party tried to destroy the influence of the other in that area, and the bad blood that existed between them had caused several deaths and great misery to innocent people for a long time. Official influence could not be exercised effectively in this area owing to its remoteness from the centers of authority. The members of the rival parties therefore enjoyed almost complete freedom of action. The police arrived only when there was news of violence, and often long after the damage has been done. While I was listening to this account of facts and events, the situation suddenly took an ugly turn. A man who had been standing a short distance away from us ran into his house most unexpectedly, and within minutes his house was ablaze. My friends and I then ran towards his house to put out the fire; but we were stopped by a few burly men who were holding lethal weapons in their hands. They threatened to kill if we offered any help to anyone. One of them had even struck me on my head with a stick. We realized instantly that we were no match for them and that discretion was the better part of valor. We therefore decided to proceed no further. Soon the fire from that house began to spread and several houses were burning. There were frantic cries for help. Men, women, and children were running in all directions in their desperate attempts to save whatever they could from the fire, in spite of the interference of the gangsters. A few of the unfortunate ones were burned to death, including the man who had set fire to his own house. We then concluded that the man must have been so disgusted with what we had seen for so long that he had no more desire to live, and this was his way of putting an end to himself. It was indeed a pathetic sight. Then, after several hours, the police arrived when more than a quarter of the village had already been burned to ashes. They asked us several questions to find out if we had ourselves participated in the violence. As I was foreigner who would be leaving that village the following day, I had the courage to answer all their questions and to point out the men who had threatened to kill us. Those men were then arrested together with other suspects. Early next morning, my parents and I left the village with no more desire to re-visit this place; but my memory of this incident will remain fresh forever.

Thomas Edison Speech essays

Thomas Edison Speech essays You get in your car on a Saturday night. You turn on the light in your car so that you can read the directions to the movie theater. Once you find out where to go you enter the theater and watch a movie. Following the movie, you get into your car and listen to your favorite album as you leave the theater. Now imagine a world without these things, and many more too. This is a world without Thomas Edison, one of the greatest inventors of all time. Thomas Edison was the man who brought light to the shadows. He was the man that made pictures move and talk. He was the man that brought music all over the world. He was the man that made the impossible possible. He was the man that made dreams realities. Thomas Edison was always a bright individual. He received his education from his mother until the age of twelve and exhibited extremely innovative behavior at a very young age. This innovative behavior led Thomas Edison to become one of the true geniuses of our time and it was apparent even in his young teens that Edison would change the world forever. The true marvel of Thomas Edison's brilliance was his keen understanding of complex mathematics and science, despite the fact that he stopped his schooling at the age of twelve. Despite this, Edison had a keen understanding of calculus and physics. Ask yourself this, what kind of math were you doing in sixth grade? However, his understanding of complex subjects such as these came second to his incredibly innovative mind. Edison is quoted saying, "I never pick up an item without thinking of how I might improve it." However, it takes a lot more then an idea to be a great inventor like Thomas Edison. No matter how smart a person may be, it means nothing without the perseverance and determination to meet their full potential. Edison is a shining example of this, no one worked as hard to reach their goals as Thomas Edison. Thomas Edison was born into a life or hardships. ...

Free Essays on Henryk Sienkiewicz And Chinese Labor In California, 1880

Henryk Sienkiewicz and Chinese Labor in California, 1880 Immigrating from Poland in 1876 â€Å"to establish a utopian community in Anaheim† (p164), Henryk Sienkiewicz observed and recorded many Chinese workers. In one of his documents, Henryk Sienkiewicz Appraises Chinese Labor in California, 1880, Sienkiewicz discusses how the Chinese contribute to capital and why their presence was so opposed by white workers. The author appears to be stating facts about the Chinese workers, explaining their pros and cons working in California, and discussing the attitudes of California residents in regards to their presence. Everything costs less because of their low cost of labor, yet is it the wealthy class that benefit from this low cost of labor and not the white working class? Ever since the immigration of the Chinese workers, prices for everything became lower. The Chinese worked for lower rates, and in turn, the prices for the public became lower. The Chinese were in most every field of work in California. They worked in the fruit orchards, hop-gardens, factories, private homes, restaurants, railroads, and vineyards. The Chinese workers immigrated as single men, leaving family back home. Upon collecting their earnings while working for lower rates, these men save. Not often will they go out into society to spend what they have made, but rather keep what they have to take back with them to China. Based on observing this, the goal of the Chinese seems to be personal and not community based. They are working to better their own lives not the societies they are working in. This is where the argument begins. Because they work for lower income rates are they contributing to society when it comes to outcome? These single men are controlling many of the work-related fields in California and are often preferred versus the white worker who usually has a family, kids, and a wife. The white workers are often in greater labored posit... Free Essays on Henryk Sienkiewicz And Chinese Labor In California, 1880 Free Essays on Henryk Sienkiewicz And Chinese Labor In California, 1880 Henryk Sienkiewicz and Chinese Labor in California, 1880 Immigrating from Poland in 1876 â€Å"to establish a utopian community in Anaheim† (p164), Henryk Sienkiewicz observed and recorded many Chinese workers. In one of his documents, Henryk Sienkiewicz Appraises Chinese Labor in California, 1880, Sienkiewicz discusses how the Chinese contribute to capital and why their presence was so opposed by white workers. The author appears to be stating facts about the Chinese workers, explaining their pros and cons working in California, and discussing the attitudes of California residents in regards to their presence. Everything costs less because of their low cost of labor, yet is it the wealthy class that benefit from this low cost of labor and not the white working class? Ever since the immigration of the Chinese workers, prices for everything became lower. The Chinese worked for lower rates, and in turn, the prices for the public became lower. The Chinese were in most every field of work in California. They worked in the fruit orchards, hop-gardens, factories, private homes, restaurants, railroads, and vineyards. The Chinese workers immigrated as single men, leaving family back home. Upon collecting their earnings while working for lower rates, these men save. Not often will they go out into society to spend what they have made, but rather keep what they have to take back with them to China. Based on observing this, the goal of the Chinese seems to be personal and not community based. They are working to better their own lives not the societies they are working in. This is where the argument begins. Because they work for lower income rates are they contributing to society when it comes to outcome? These single men are controlling many of the work-related fields in California and are often preferred versus the white worker who usually has a family, kids, and a wife. The white workers are often in greater labored posit...

Etiology and management of lower leg pain Essay

Etiology and management of lower leg pain - Essay Example Pain has got various types. One individual may respond differently to different types of pain and at the same time different individuals may respond differently to the same type of pain. Lower leg is a portion of the body which not only supports whole of the body but also helps in moving the body from one place to another. Weight bearing process may cause some damage to the lower leg structures but when some one is running then this damage may be multiplied. The damage could be related to soft tissue injury, like: muscle, tendons or to the bony tissue ranging from just a stroke to the compound fracture. Various types of trauma and the eventual result of this injury vary depending upon the force and angle of the force applied. As all these traumatic episodes pass through an inflammatory process so the affected individual feels pain accordingly. Although the iliotibial band extends from the ileum to the condyles of the tibia but after the damage caused due to any factor it results in lower leg pain. This is the most common cause of lateral knee pain among the athletes. The affected structure is the bursa surrounding the iliotibial band. The injury usually occurs in those individuals who perform tasks which involve repetitive flexion and extension activities, for example: athletes of soccer, aerobics etc. The presentation of the case is with severe pain in the knee and lower leg. Management: Local steroid injection Achilles tendon The causes of Achilles tendinopathy are still unclear and the explanation is given on the basis of some theories which link the pathology to a variety of mechanism or factors, like: overuse stresses, poor vascularity, lack of flexibility genetic characteristics, hormonal or metabolic factors and female sex. This topic is one of the areas of lower leg pain which have been studied extensively. Excessive loading of the tendon is no doubt an important factor involved in the injury; even damage can occur to the tendon if the stress to the tendon is within physiological limits. Management Conservative Avoidance of training program which end up in this injury Gentle static strengthening Correction nwith orthotics Cryotherapy Therapeutic ultrasound Pharmacologic support Low dose heparin, wydase etc Surgical treatment of the tendinopathy Chronic exertional compartment syndrome (CECS) This is one of the commonest causes of lower leg pain which manifests itself in the anterior compartment of the leg due to over usage. Tibial stress fracture In the lower leg, either of the two bones, tibia and fibula, can have stress fracture. Usually, the fracture appears on the lower end of the two bones on medial side. Predisposing factors are: Continuous muscle contraction

The impact of the Internet on the field of advertising Research Paper

The impact of the Internet on the field of advertising - Research Paper Example Moreover, the other important question is regarding the effectiveness of online advertising. It is said that the online advertising is less costly but whether the returns on investment from online advertising are more profitable than traditional advertising is another important question that needs to be answered. Kim & McMillan, (2008) believe that the internet is allowing companies to engage with consumers in a more interactive and personalized manner, which is why we see companies employing online mechanisms heavily for consumer related advertising. So how are companies exactly reaching out to customers via the internet is the question. Online promotion can take different shapes and forms, with firm’s using a combination of methods according to what they perceive is the best way to approach their target audience. Web marketing is one such method, whereby a corporation creates its own websites to inform customers of its products and services, places adverts on search engines or other relevant pages of affiliate websites to increase awareness, or makes its own page available to users who search for it using such search engines (Manchanda, et al., 2006). Email marketing is another technique whereby a firm sends promotional messages, newsletters, product updates etc. to the personal ema il accounts of its customers (Saeed, Hwang, & Grover, 2003). In some cases, potential customers who form the target audience are also included for wider reach if they subscribe to the service (Saeed, Hwang, & Grover, 2003). The third and perhaps the most powerful approach is social media marketing (Kim & McMillan, 2008). The internet has set up social networking platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and GooglePlus which hosts large swathes of the world population. Firms have used this facility to their advantage by setting up their own company pages which not

Analysis of The Quote by Ellie Wiesel Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Analysis of The Quote by Ellie Wiesel - Essay Example It is not only about violence, murder, and terror. All these negative causes are not so numerous in our lives. On the other side, people are more inclined to be lazy, greedy and, finally, indifferent to each other, in particular, and to the environment, on the whole. Needless to say, indifferent people are helpless in loving somebody. It is impossible for them, as they feel free to neglect the virtues of the moral and right attitude toward each other. Hence, indifference gives birth to a host of negative feelings where hatred and cruelty are at the core. Among the rest of the quotes by Ellie Wiesel, the aforementioned highlights the roots of the human tragedy today as it was in the past. In other words, seeing indifference in one’s actions and attitudes toward a person or the mankind, there is no way other than the redemption. Redemption from everything one dreamed about and thought of in a sweet memory. Day by day, this feeling would likely grow up until one loses the temper and does harm to the environment where he/she lives. The consequences may simply overgrow into a collapse of living in mutual understanding of peace. What is more, Wiesel is right when she strikes out the concept of â€Å"hate† as lower in the meaning compared to the concept of â€Å"indifference.† It is natural to anyone to get rid of any haunting prejudices about the negative meaning of indifference just because it is an ability to make a change. No one is likely to pinpoint the threat of indifference able to ruin lives of people in need. An abrupt halt of passion and desire to help and to keep up with those in need is like a heart failure for a serious patient, so to speak. Thus, indifference is a hidden trick of the devil on his way toward total destruction of morale and humane as the pivotal virtues of the societal life.