Similarities of Achilles and the Honey Badger
In society, heroes are recognizable. They are emulated by others. As in Homer’s Iliad, Achilles is portrayed as a great warrior. He is seen as a fierce warrior - no other warrior is equal to him. The Greeks believe Achilles is the only Greek capable of defeating the Trojans. Similar to Achilles, in today’s time, Tyrann Mathieu, is portrayed as a great football warrior. No other football player today is equal to Mathieu, who is known in college football as the Honey Badger. Both Achilles and Mathieu strived to achieve fame and glory, but they lacked a code of conduct and developed friendships that made them vulnerable in their decision-making.
Both Achilles and the Honey Badger craved glory and fame. Achilles is depicted in the Iliad as a strong, courageous warrior. The Greeks thought Achilles was invincible. Achilles had superhuman strength. Despite his strength, he had a major character flaw of excessive pride. Similar to Achilles, as Thayer Evans and Pete Thamel states in “Trials of the Honey Badger”, the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu, had “emerged as one of the best players in college football”. His nickname, the Honey Badger, describes the way he plays the game with ferocious defensive abilities similar to the animal, the honey badger. With his abilities, just like Achilles, he was able to deliver victories. His teammates and opposing teams viewed him as invincible because of his strength and courage. He, too, had the same character flaw of pride as illustrated by his defiance of rules. As noted above, both Achilles and the Honey Badger achieved fame and glory from their peers. Besides both being strong and courageous, Achilles and the Honey Badger lacked a code of conduct. Both displayed dishonorable behavior and were selfish. With Achilles, he became enraged because he felt wronged by Agamemnon. Agamemnon, when forced to return his war prize, took Achilles’ Breseis. Achilles, in his anger, refused to continue to fight for the Greek army. As Sam Sacks writes in “A Greek Warrior Revisited”, “Achilles, infuriated by an insult to his honor from the Greek commander Agamemnon, refuses to join the fight against the Trojans, the hero triggers his own downfall”. Achilles’ rage was responsible for many deaths. Similar to Achilles, the Honey Badger displayed dishonorable behavior. Evans and Thamel wrote “on August 10, LSU dismissed Mathieu from the team for failing multiple drug tests”. Both heroes were responsible for their failures. The lack of a code of conduct in both Achilles and the Honey Badger led to disappointment from their comrades and became an insult to their honor. With both Achilles and the Honey Badger, friendships were made with strong bonds and in return, Achilles and the Honey Badger became vulnerable due to those friendships. Achilles’ best friend, Patroclus, went into battle with Achilles’ armor in hopes the Trojans would retreat in fear. Instead, Hector kills Patroclus. With the death of Patroclus, Achilles swallows his pride and lets go of the grudge against Agamemnon. He endures the shame, seeks redemption for Patroclus’ death, and begins to fight again. As Sachs
