Erasing The History, Turning things around

Changing the past is quite interesting. Why it is interesting? because changing somebody's past or even your past can bring a great effect in your life. By changing your past, you can perfect your future. You can remove your wrong doings in life and turn it in the opposite side. You can perfect your future because you have change your past. Change your past to correct your mistake and bring satisfactory in your life.

So, lets go back to the question. "If you were to change one event or chapter from the Iliad, and replace it with your own story, what chapter or episode will that be? Well, if you ask me, I would change the event where prince Paris stole Helen from Menelaus. So now the change is this, instead of  Paris going to Sparta, Hector will just be the one who will accept the invitation from Sparta. By this change, the relation of Sparta and Troy will have a great impact. I know it is boring because there will be no Trojan war and there is no blood to be shred. So this epic will be nothing anymore. But at least there will be no suffering and death that will happen. I know my answer is simple, but as a person who hates hatred and violence, why sacrifice your life for fight that will make families cry and countrymen hopeless.

But we should accept the reality that we cannot change our past but we can change our future and make it better. So we should not let our future past by and waste our chance. So for me, I will just think before i risk my life and take my chance when opportunity arises.

Dagger to the Ruler of The Gods

After reading books 11-17 of the great epic Iliad, I realized that the Greek gods have their own mistakes and failures. These books illustrate how the Greek gods are having the same mistakes as the mortals do.
Zeus, the ruler of the gods and the king of Olympus, has a weakness? Yes, Even a God can have a weakness like the mortals have. Even the greatest and the mightiest god have a weakness. Homer is implicating in these books that the gods has their own weaknesses. But, in books 11-17, this trait is only focus on Zeus and trying to show if Zeus can have the capability of handling his own weaknesses. But it seems that Zeus can’t handle his weaknesses.
Here are the following that shows Zeus weaknesses:

• In book 14 of the Iliad, It shows how Aphrodite and Hera made Zeus a LOSER and HELPLESS

• How Zeus did become a loser?
 

• Because Hera can’t withstand the favor of Zeus to Hector, The Goddess of Marriage asks help from Aphrodite, Goddess of Beauty.

• Hera asks a Token for lovers from Aphrodite so that Hera can seduce Zeus and make Zeus fall asleep so that Zeus attention in the battle will be distracted.

• To make Zeus fall asleep, Hera ask the god Sleep to help her. At first Sleep denies the order but he soon accepts it because of Hera’s offer to him.

In these examples, Homer shows how the Hera and Aphrodite manipulate and revealed the weakness of Zeus. Even Zeus, The ruler of the Gods, is not immune to Aphrodite’s Seduction and Hera’s plans. By compiling all the ideas, we can see that Homer, the author, is trying to show the readers that the Greek gods are having the same mistakes as the human do in their living. Greek gods commits mistakes and failures that can be compared to mortals mistakes. It also shows that the Greek Gods are not immune with the other Greek gods’ power, thus showing that these Greek gods have their very weaknesses in their form.

King's Selection

 

Reading books 9-11 of the epic Iliad, I notice that King Agamemnon realizes that insulting the greatest warrior of his camp was a foolish act of his. After realizing his foolishness, Agamemnon offered the greatest warrior of Sparta and the king of myrmidons, Achilles. Agamemnon offered treasures, his own daughters, and seven of his citadels if Achilles returns to the war and side with Agamemnon. But, Achilles rejects the offer because he knew his destiny if he return to the war, Achilles rejects the offer because if he fight, he may have obtain a greater glory but he will have a short life, So Achilles choose to reject the offer and stay in his encampment and have a longer life. Achilles also knew that his prize, Briseis, is missing in the offer. The missing offer has lessened the chance of Agamemnon to convince Achilles to rejoin the battle.

 In my opinion, Achilles decision to reject the offer is the right thing for him. I describe his decision as a wise decision and a very intellectual choice.  The ff. answers why Achilles decision is right and wise:

·         Achilles wants to live a longer life.

·         Achilles “prize”, Briseis, is not included in the offer

·         Since his “very prize” is not included in the offer, why should Achilles accept the offer?

·         Disrespecting and stealing your greatest warrior’s belongings or property is not a good thing while having a war.

·         A great king like Achilles have a high pride in himself, So Agamemnon must know that Achilles is worth more than his offerings.

Achilles decision is appropriate because he have a reason, a reason to reject the offer. Achilles decision warns the other kings that He is not an ordinary king. Achilles is a king who has a high pride on himself, as a king should be. Because he is a king and the greatest warrior, He has the right to make choices for his own destiny. Yes, his decision is somewhat wrong because he didn’t think the sufferings of his people, But he have a point, because of his rejection to Agamemnon’s offerings, Achilles made Agamemnon realize that Agamemnon’s foolishness to his people is wrong and unfair. A King should not underestimate his warrior and allied kings for his own purposes and reign, because in the end, He might need the aid of that Ally. In these Chapters, Achilles shows that his life is not even worth Agamemnon’s offerings. Achilles shows Agamemnon who’s the real king and he should not mess with him.

Menalaus, The Nobler Man

Paris and Menalaus, the two men who fought for one woman, helen. Two Men fought for glory and rights. Two Men fought with their people on the line to achieve victory over a woman.

Who is the greater/nobler/more honarable man? My answer is Menalaus. Why menalaus? he seems to be the bad guy in this story, He is the one who is greed for everything, But why Menalaus? Menalaus, yes he is greed and unforgiving but by analyzing the story Menalus, for me is the honorable man. Menaluas is not the one who started the trojan war, he is not the one who steals a wife from its husband, and he is not the one who decided the trojans fate. Paris is a coward man, he cant faced his responsibility in the incident, he is a selfish man who just mind his own pleasures and he dont mind the consequences of his selfish acts. Because of paris selfish acts, He started the Trojan war. Another thing that tells menalaus that he is more honorable man is when he fight for his rights and victory over helen. It is not his fault, because menalaus is just another man who fights for a right over a his wife.

In book 3 of the Iliad, It even shows that when paris and menalaus is having a duel, Paris loses his heart and retreats back and hector blames paris of his cowardness and implying that he is the one who caused this war. Instead of Paris facing Menalaus, it is hector, the greatest fighter of troy and older brother of paris, who fights menalaus. Menalaus shows his determination to win back his wife, helen. even though his way possess brutality and dirty tactics of battle plan, He still in a right side when shows courageous acts in the battlefield. It even shows that he take responsibility in this war.

If there's a Modern Day Menalaus it would be the president of the republic of the philippines, Ninoy Aquino, Because ninoy aquino fight for the rights of our countrymen. He takes responsibility for his actions and face his responsibility with courage and strength to go over it and claim victory. Unfortunately, his fate was destined and left an unfinshed business for his wife to finish it and continue the responsibility in this country. Ninoy face this country with his all strength and displaying an implicable fight in his mission to face it with courage, responsibility, and with his heart. His heart may not be the same as the one in ninoy, but these two people shows how to take full responsiblity in their failures and in their glory.