Achilles: A Modern Day Hero

Words: 1035
Pages: 5
Open Document
Although the word “hero” has transcended time, the definition has not. When modern-day humans go into reading about Greek heroes, expecting them to resemble our current ones, they are unpleasantly surprised to find selfish people who sometimes indiscriminately murder in the name of honor. In comparison, we value the firefighter that puts their life on the line to save others, the person standing up to the bully with pacifism rather than fists, and those that learn to forgive and forget instead of spending their entire lives seeking revenge on those that have wronged them. Thus, Achilles would not be considered a modern-day hero like he was in ancient Greece, because whilst they valued glory, brutal strength, and revenge, today we value selflessness, …show more content…
Throughout Book 22, Achilles tries again and again to chase down and kill Hector, and is finally able to do so. Before he actually kills Hector, he tells him “I wish my stomach would let me cut off you flesh in strips and eat it raw for what you’ve done to me” (Iliad, Book 22, 384-86). Shortly after Achilles allows the Greeks to stand around and continually stab the corpse of Hector. However, not even this brutality satisfied Achilles. Eventually, he ended up completely disgracing Hector’s dead body in front of all of Troy, tying him up to a chariot and dragging him around, being “defiled in his own native land” (Iliad, Book 22, 449). His only redemption after this section is the fact that he allowed Hector’s parents to give him money in exchange for their son’s corpse so that he could be properly buried and sent off to Hades. All of this violence, especially the parts towards the already dead person, was not even acceptable towards the Greek. The comparison would be that with this level of brutality, most modern-day people would view Achilles more as a villain than a hero after this. His actions here provide no redemption in modern …show more content…
Book 21 focused heavily on setting up for the audience and everyone around him that the entire reason he was there was to avenge his best friend and make sure that everyone responsible paid for his death. One particular quote caught my attention as being a good explanation, stating “No, you’ll all die, die ugly deaths, until you have paid for the Greeks’ loss, for Patroclus dead, killed by the ships while I was away” (Iliad, Book 21, 141-43). He also exposes his motive for why he feels he must avenge Patroclus- he feels responsible for not being there when Patroclus died, possibly able to prevent him from meeting such a fate. Now he is taking out his anger over Patroclus’ death on all Trojans and refuses to show any of them mercy. Going beyond just seeking revenge, he’s also continuing to partake in the aforementioned brutal violence. Not every single Trojan killed Patroclus, but he wants to kill each one all the
Show More

Related Documents: Achilles: A Modern Day Hero

Beowulf: A Modern Day Hero

Beowulf is a hero because he is a courageous guy. Beowulf has always been a hero to the Danes. Although he is an unstoppable force, Beowulf is willing to sacrifice many of his own men to win every battle he is in. Achilles does not accept the loss of his own men in battle. Achilles is a very selfish hero/warrior. The city of Troy loves Achilles as a hero and is well respected by his family, friends and his soldiers. Beowulf exploits bravery many times in his hero journey. He shows it by his…

Words 545 - Pages 3

How Did Beowulf Change Over Time

We, as people, are “taught that hero-worship is natural to humans” (Scheske). Everywhere we look, there are heroes that humans worship or look up to. A modern-day hero has evolved immensely from what they were thousands of years ago, but even though the idea of a hero has changed, they are still worshiped by some today, as they were back then. Today, a hero is thought of typically as a celebrity, or a police man or anyone that people look up to. Along time ago, a hero was someone who fought battles…

Words 1096 - Pages 5

Achilles Vs Beowulf Research Paper

"The effectiveness of modern day heroes are shrouded in secrecy and is important to the cultures we have today," (Cannon 4). The evolution of a the hero has changed from being shrouded in physical valor and bravery and now has positioned to the change of secret heroes and not letting the public really know who saves them everyday. Beowulf is a hero depicted as a brave respectable man who clays the terrible monster Grendel On the other hand Achilles is a Greek mythical hero half god half man. He fights…

Words 673 - Pages 3

Beowulf Vs Achilles Essay

characters in the stories are wat time heroes Beowulf and Achilles they come from different worlds they each have characteristics that match eachother and some that are different from eachother. Achilles and BEowulf are some of the best heroes in literautre that can show readers why they are such great heroes and leaders. beowulf is a monster slayer and the king of the Geats who hears about a terrible monster named Grendel. while Achilles is one of the most feared warrior in the land of Greece. Beowulf…

Words 572 - Pages 3

Modern Greek Heroes

present day because there were heroes around in Ancient Greece who were able to defeat these monsters. In a similar sense, modern heroes fight invisible monsters—monsters that take the form of poisonous ideas. Even though the villains Greek and modern heroes face are different, the role of a hero remains the same: to protect and inspire. The heroes of ancient Greece defeated atrocious monsters that no one else could. Their strength and cunning abilities were admired and desired. Modern heroes, however…

Words 1558 - Pages 7

Beowulf Achilles Comparison

better again. In the poem 'The Iliad' Achilles has to deal with many things that people wouldn’t want to face ever. He has a really good relationship with Patroclus they are closest of friends. Achilles gets outraged, but the reasons he does is for a good reason. He gets into many battles and the main battle he gets into is with Hector. Next, Beowulf and Achilles have many traits. One of them is courage. They have courage in these poems because they…

Words 488 - Pages 2

Modern Day Achilles Research Paper

Superman the Modern day Achilles Announcer in Adventures of Superman, “Faster than a speeding bullet. More powerful than a locomotive. Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Look, up in the sky, it’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s Superman.” Superman is fictional superhero in American comic books written by DC comics. He can be described as heroic, a gentleman and American good boy. He was born in a planet called Krypton and thrown to the earth before Krypton’s destruction. He is adopted by…

Words 535 - Pages 3

Beowulf Achilles Hero

Beowulf and Achilles Hero Analysis Beowulf is known as the best warrior in all of the Anglo-Saxon land. He’s a man who values his friends, as he would always fight for his people. Slaying the monsters that threatened the land, he proved to never be afraid of anything. Beowulf is a fierce warrior, who should always be recognized and remembered for the great things he did. Achilles is a warrior for the Greek army. He was the leader of the army during the Trojan war. Leading the Greeks to success…

Words 511 - Pages 3

What Is Beowulf A Modern Day Hero

''A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself'' (Campbell). A hero is a person who gives his/her life and time to help us get a clue about how to solve the problems and questions of our life . ''Skinheads & rock stars—or saints?''. Modern day heroes are shallow, shadowy, insubstantial, and are often referred to as idols ''Skinheads & rock stars—or saints?''. A hero used to be a strong person that would fight against anything or anyone about problems in society…

Words 787 - Pages 4

Achilles In Beowulf

Beowulf and Achilles An epic is a long narrative poem that celebrates a hero’s accomplishment. Stories were passed down from one generation to the other by poets who were the carriers of the culture. Until people learned how to read and write the stories, they passed them down by mouth. The heroes of the stories possessed certain qualities. They had to be strong, superhuman, brave, loyal to their king, skilled in war, seek adventure and accepting their fate. In the Anglo-Saxon epic Beowulf, the…

Words 666 - Pages 3