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Theme Of Honor In Book 1 Of Iliad
Honor in the iliad
Honor in the iliad
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In the excerpts we read from The Iliad, the characters continuously performed tasks that were considered to be courageous for the sake of honor. With the motive of the task being courage, the tasks were automatically regarded as noble, but there are underlining suggestions that the majority of the "honorable" tasks were selfish. This was especially intriguing to me because it differs from the Asian honor system that I am more familiar with.
One example is when Hector, the mighty warrior of Troy, accepts the challenge of the goddess Pallas Athena to combat man-to-man one of Achea’s best. Hector realizes that if he won the brawl, he would leave a mark in history for all times. Dying faithfully for his country would also do him honor. In his own words, "…and my fame will never die". (Line 105, page 217) In the midst of a battle between the two sides, Hector raises and speaks of his challenge. He asks that if there were to be a death the body may be recovered properly and returned to the appropriate homes; in essence, he asks this so that his people would be able to give his body the honorable funeral session to remember his great courage. Also, by speaking to both sides at the same time, he creates a bold image of himself. The response of the men is as follows "A hushed silence went through all the Achean ranks, ashamed to refuse, afraid to take his challenge…" (Line 6-7, page 217) They too knew that by accepting this challenge one would show great courage and be honored by his people. When the Great Ajax of Achea accepted the challenge, Hector became frightened, but he knew that as the challenger, shying away would be shameful. (Lines 248-251, page 221) Hector’s being frightened shows that his first motive of the challenge was to receive great honor for himself and not because he was courageous.
In the Asian honor system, the motivations to complete tasks for the honor of one’s house, one’s family, one’s people, or one’s country is not self-indulged. Tradition teaches an Asian person at a young age that oneself is less significant than the group he or she represents, and showing respect to the elders is also taught at a young age. Therefore, with the thought of oneself being less significant than the entire group represented, and the thought that a person should follow an elder’s directions without questions, the possibility of one to pursue the thoughts of self-interest is eliminated.
The threat of online competitors is also present to every discount broker that has not switched to online trading or chooses to remain with their current business model and not offer online services. These online trading sites have unique trading capabilities that otherwise are not present at Edward Jones. They offer sound advice on stocks and other investments instantly. Each customer has to call their Edward Jones advisor in order to place a trade. This makes sense to Edward Jones because they want to help prevent the rash decisio...
Honor can be defined by how one holds them in the public eye. Others may say that honor is how you live your life when none can see your actions. However defined honor can play major roles in how a person will act in a given situation. The Crucible by Arthur Miller has excellent examples of how honor can manipulate people’s decisions in times of importance. John proctor holds his moral standpoint and does not falter into the temptations of selfishness, while Elizabeth would describe honor as how a person lives their lives. Some can even describe honor as what is most important in life; family. Giles believed that his life was the ultimate object he could sacrifice to maintain his family’s happiness. However honor can be defined, one thing is certain; Everyone has some degree of honor in their lives.
In Harold C. Livesay’s Andrew Carnegie and the rise of Big Business, Andrew Carnegie’s struggles and desires throughout his life are formed into different challenges of being the influential leader of the United States of America. The book also covers the belief of the American Dream in that people can climb up the ladder of society by hard work and the dream of becoming an influential citizen, just as Carnegie did.
The World of Homer is home to many ideals and values, primely, the idea of the Hero and what makes one a Hero. A Hero of Homeric society places personal honor above all else, including one’s home, kin, and life itself. The Hero’s reputation meant everything, and if he was insulted or had his honor called into question, he would defend it to his death. Moreover, The Hero amassed glory though the most honorable act of Homer’s World, which was battle. Engaging in combat and putting one’s life on the line was not only considered a duty, but was the only possible way to bring about such great glory and fame that one could achieve a form of immortality. Additionally, The Homeric Hero’s honor code held the notion of respect and justice very high,
The Greeks placed great importance on personal honor. Why is this? Is it because to them man I nothing without honor. Or is it that the honor is more important than the man? "Honor to the Greeks is something that is won by a man's prowess, his ability to fight and be victorious on the battle field"(Schein 62). This is just one example of how honor is obtained. A second method of gaining honor is to be a great orator, one must posses the ability to speak in the assembly and express his ideas eloquently, and persuasively to the gathered body. A third way of achieving personal honor is to demonstrate athletic ability.
One must have many different inner qualities in order to achieve courage. First, one must not be concerned with death; death can be a beautiful thing. Aristotle talks about how the possibility of dying for your country in war can be the utmost and most poetic danger of all. (Aristotle 48, Sachs) Dying for a country in defense gives a person honor because he or she stands firm in a belief regardless of what could happen to him/her. Aristotle compares this with citizenship. He claims:
The subject of Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, is very clearly stated--it is “the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles.” The reader remains continually aware of the extent of Achilles’ rage, yet is never told the reason why Achilles remains angry and unreconciled. There is no definitive answer to this question. Achilles is not a static character. He is constantly changing; thus the question of why he remains angry solicits different answers at various stages throughout the poem. To find an answer, the reader must carefully examine Achilles’ ever-changing dilemma involving the concepts of mortality and honor. At its simplest, Achilles’ dilemma is that if he goes to war, he will die. But he will die with glory.
There have been many wealthy men Throughout American history, many have been the topic of many heated debates among them, Andrew Carnegie. Andrew Carnegie at one time was the richest man in the world, who immediately after gaining that title began giving his money away. The impact and size of Carnegie’s philanthropic efforts are undeniable, but why he gave so much has been a topic of debate for nearly a century now. Carnegie’s rags to riches story is the epitome of the American dream and has been an inspiration to many entrepreneurs around the world.
Modern American honour values bravery, freedom and hard work. Honor has been expressed different for years and years in different countries. Honour is defined of someone having high respect, courage and being selfless. Honour can also be viewed as someone sacrificing something or themselves; like our US soldiers. Nothing stays the same and just like honour it has changed over time, many times depending on what is valued. History tells its own story from different perspectives of honour.
In the epics of both Homer and Virgil, the meaning and politics of honour play a significant role in the decisions and actions of the characters. Honour involves arbitrary set of rules, so just what is is and why did people need to maintain these rules at all? In these poems, honour is linked to a hero’s possessions, identity, and deed. All three are important, but one’s deeds seem to matter the most and without performing great deeds, honour cannot be had the other two ways.
Pride is a person dignity from there own achievements. The Iliad shows pride being used to be the consequence to revenge from Achilles. In book one, Agamemnon and Achilles are seen of showing pride and revenge. Agamemnon who is an overly powerful king who only thinks about himself and having the biggest army in taking control of others can result in having pride. Achilles is known for his many battles and achievements during the war that he gains his pride. It is when Agamemnon has to suck up his pride by giving back Apollo priest daughter for the good of his people:
Mankind has always had codes of conduct. Every culture has a certain idea of how to behave, and typically the word for that behavior, when you boil down all of the chivalric knights and seppuku practicing samurai, you will meet the crystalline core: being that of “honor.” In its traditional definition concerning human demeanor, it is defined as such: an honorable individual is loyal, trustworthy, honest; in a word, honor is commanded by integrity. In the feudal world, it was necessary to have men of honor and integrity on your side. It is a classic example in the cultures of peerages. In such a time, honor is gold. The Bard himself, William Shakespeare, lived in an era where his country teetered on the edge of two extremes. In his history
In book eight of Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is on the island of the Phaeacians and is waiting to return home to Ithaca. Meanwhile, Alcinous, the Phaeacian king, has arranged for a feast and celebration of games in honor of Odysseus, who has not yet revealed his true identity. During the feast, a blind bard named Demodocus sings about the quarrel between Odysseus and Achilles at Troy. The song causes Odysseus to start weeping, so Alcinous ends the feast and orders the games to begin. During dinner after the games, Odysseus asks Demodocus to sing about the Trojan horse and the sack of Troy. This song too causes Odysseus to break down and cry. Homer uses a dramatic simile to describe the pain and sorrow that Odysseus feels as he recalls the story of Troy.
The Iliad is not only a story of war, but a story of relationships and family connections through respect and honor. Sons don’t seem to question their duties to their family. They go to battle and fight until the end, maybe even until their death. They do not search for love from their fathers, but for the respect and desire to follow just as their fathers did, to be dignified warriors and proud of their ancestral accomplishments.
While Andrew Carnegie didn’t invent steel, he was able to explore steel production while making it more efficient. Through his exploration, he encountered setbacks that ultimately helped shape labor laws and eventually exchanged his company for a life of philanthropy which still has a lasting effect today. Carnegie managed to come from humble beginnings, as he immigrated to America from Dunfermline, Scotland at age thirteen (Carnegie 27). Carnegie shifted his economic status and was able to become the richest man in the world. He was unable to achieve his great fortune and social prominence without obstacles, but he still managed to change the United States for the better through his philanthropy and his sponsorship of architectural projects.