When I study something complex and multidimensional, like war, I find it helpful to put it in simpler terms. As we did in class one day, Mr. Crotty used the analogy of athletes with big egos and whether or not the benefits of a having a talented player outweighs the negative effect of that player's ego. In the Iliad, the Achean army faces this same dilemma. Although Achilles is the most skilled fighter in the war, his ego prevents him from seeing the battlefield for much of the war. My opinion on this subject is that whenever there is a skilled warrior or athlete who will put himself before the team, there needs to be another skilled person who can keep the other down to earth. I have seen this scenario most often in football (sorry Tess). Like Achilles is as a warrior, Randy Moss of the New England Patriots is one of the most talented players on his team. Unlike many other ego-maniacs, Randy Moss is able to be kept in check by Tom Brady. Brady is a superstar on his team, but without the superstar mentality. The reason that the Patriots had a historical season a year ago is because Tom Brady was able to get the most out of Randy Moss, while keeping Moss's ego in check. Brady was able to utilize Randy Moss's extraordinary talents, but did not let his ego become a distraction as it did in the past. Had the Acheans had a better leader, I am confident that their army would be unstoppable. However, Agamemnon was just like Achilles, so their egos clashed and nothing got resolved. Although the Agamemnon/Achilles conflict is extremely complex and never ending, thinking about it terms of something that I do understand helps me out a lot.
Like in most real life instances, when there is internal disunity, such as the conflict within the Acheans, tragedies can often times trigger a group to come together. Again, to put things in simpler terms, I thought about September 11th when reading the Iliad. Following the attacks in 2001, America was more unified than it perhaps had ever been. Crime was at an all time low, and the patriotism that followed the tragic attacks was incredible. While I of course think that the terrorist attacks were horrible, the nature of how external conflict can cause internal unity and thus good things resonated with me as Patroclus died. While Patroclus's death was very sad, like September 11th, it definitely had some positive outcomes (I am in no way saying September 11th was good, nor was it even on the same scale as the death of Patroclus). It made Achilles put away his problems and fight for the betterment of his country and avenge his fallen friend.
Paul Stanley
8 comments:
I completely agree with your point that had the Achaeans had a better leader, than Achilles might not have missed a "down" of the War. However, Agamemnon, (who is made commander by Menelaus because he is supposed to be a tactical genius and a good leader)cannot set aside his own pride and come to terms with Achilles. If the Achaeans had somebody else in charge of their army, say Odysseus (I say this partly because after reading The Odyssey Odysseus has always struck me as a complete badass), things might have been different. He appears more reasonable than any of the other Achaeans or Trojans for that matter, and might have been able to keep Achilles in line. Just as having a good leader or coach is essential to a team, having a good commander can mean everything in a war.
I like the ideas in your post a lot. I think you're right on in your comparison to Moss and Brady. The only dispute I have is that Brady is a bigger superstar than Moss, while Achilles is a bigger superstar than Agamemnon. It seems that the roles are reversed. I think that the only person able to limit Achilles' ego is himself. You mention that the Achaeans needed a better leader, but I think that nobody would ever be able to change Achilles; he is too stubborn and proud. More than anything, Achilles needed to be the Tom Brady for the Achaean army to really become unstoppable, and while it is sad, Patroclus' death led to this. I wrote about the similar idea in my blog, and I came to the conclusion that Partoclus' death was worth it in the end, at least for the Achaean army because it brought Achilles back.
Well, i did know it would be a testosterone-dominated class when i signed up... i just didn't quite realize how much so....
i agree with Michael 100%. The only person who can moderate Achilles' pride is Achilles himself. The only OTHER person who might've been able to do it was Patroclus--but clearly he couldn't, since he went to ask Achilles to go to war and failed along with the rest.
I really like your assertions in this post and agree with you on all of them. It is obvious that Achilles and Agamemnon have large egos, but how can they get over them? Like you said, they need a tragedy, like Patroclus' death, to unify them. The Achaeans needed a good leader but it wasn't until their leaders were pushed to the limit that they were able to see past their conflicts and unify towards a greater good.
I think Achilles is portrayed as an entire football team, rather than just one player. He plays defense, offense and special teams on the battlefield. Randy Moss cannot do anything on the football field unless Brady passes him the ball. But Achilles never depends on anyone to help him fight on the war. He is always described fighting alone. I don't think Achilles gave up any power when he resolved his conflict with Agamemnon. Achilles only cares about killing Hector and does not allow his ego to interfere with his revenge. I cannot blame Achilles for having a ego because his talents on the battlefield are far superior than anyone. He is a one man football team that cannot be defeated.
I thought your post, especially the part about the death of Patroclus was well put. Your comparison between Achilles and Agamemnon, and Tom Brady and Randy Moss was good too. Your are right, Agamemnon is no Tom Brady in fact he is the opposite. He is actually not that talented (compared to other quarterbacks in the NFL), he is just intelligent and knows how to run his offense with his players. Luckily for Agamemnon, Patroclus died and he didn't have to beg Achilles to win the war for him.
I agree with paul. Look at Terrell Owens, when he's on the Eagles, him and Donovan McNabb clashed all the time and it was clear having a talented player with a crap personality was a detriment. Lo and behold, when Owens comes to Dallas where crap personalities and criminal records are a plus instead of a hinderence he does fine. I think it depends on the army on what kind of soldier one wants.
I like your ideas but I have to agree with Michael and Tess. I don't think that anybody could have controlled Achilles and his ego. Achilles really didn't go along with anybody unless he felt somehow benefited by it. I mean he only joined in the fighting to avenge his friend's death, not to help the Achaens win the war, otherwise he would have joined from the beginning.
Post a Comment