Group B Blog Post- The Iliad

One topic about the Iliad that I found extremely intriguing is the continuation of its message, even hundreds of years after it was written. One instance of this is Achilles's struggle with Agamemnon. When Agamemnon orders Achilles to give him Briseis, a women he had rightfully won, Achilles is outraged, and refuses to fight for the Greeks so that they will realize how much they need him. In professional sports today, disputes over compensation occur between players and their teams often, usually in a way that mirrors the dispute between Agamemnon and Achilles.

During "holdouts" in the National Football League, players will sit out practices, and sometimes games, when they feel they are not being properly compensated for their services. For these players, it is a matter of pride, and they are willing to go against the well-being of the entire team in order to get what they deserve. When Achilles is asked by Agamemnon to return Briseis, he is outraged, as he feels that he is owed compensation for his efforts in the war. Following Agamemnon's threat to take her himself, Achilles threatens to take his men and leave the war, crippling the Greek army. Eventually, Achilles "holds out" and refuses to fight in the war himself, allowing the Trojan army to gain an advantage.

Homer demonstrates an acute understanding of the human psyche with his description of Achilles's holdout. With the talent and skill that Achilles, as well as current professional athletes, possess, it is inevitable that their pride will swell. It is incredibly difficult to simply push this pride aside, something Achilles is only able to do after the death of Patroclus. This pride is more than simply an element of Greek culture, as evidenced by the fact that it is still demonstrated today. By examining the mentality of an athlete, Homer created a work in The Iliad that has the ability to relate to readers centuries after it was written.

Comments

  1. AnonymousSeptember 17, 2018 at 2:00 PM

    I really like your connection between Achilles and NFL players. I found it interesting and I loved reading the examples you gave in your post. Both Achilles and NFL players take great pride in what they do and it is sometimes hard to "hold out" doing something you are passionate about. I think that the message that you stated is intriguing as well. It's amazing to think that after all of these years the same practices are being used in our every day life.

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  2. UnknownSeptember 17, 2018 at 7:08 PM

    I find this connection between the Iliad and the modern sports world to be extremely fascinating. I hadn't thought about this parallel before but it is real. We've seen in recent years in both the NFL and NBA where players have exercised holdouts, very similar to Achilleus. This concept has withstood time, people like to be appreciated for their actions and will often protest if they are not shown proper respect.

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  3. AnonymousSeptember 17, 2018 at 9:18 PM

    I believe that when reading the Iliad the best way to retain information is by connecting it to our lives today, and I think you've done a good job with this. The reference to Achilles and the NFL is interesting because it's mostly pride, but there are people who go on strike because of their livelihood. Sometimes it's people's best interest to go on strike to try to increase their wages or benefits. It's interesting reading about it in the Iliad because it shows that it's human nature to do what's necessary for our own best interests.

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