Youth Sections
"The Braves Arise " |
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y Roman name is Achilles, the great Greek hero from the Trojan War. Achilles was an important warrior, who possibly could have been the reason why the Greeks won the war. Whether or not Achilles actually existed is a controversial topic. At first it was widely thought that the Trojan War was all made up, stemming from the imagination of Homer (Greek poet), introduced in the Iliad. But in 1876 a man by the name of Heinrich Schliemann found what is claimed to be the Mask of Agamemnon, who is a hero from the Iliad. If in fact this happens to be the mask belonging to Agamemnon, could the other heroes from the Iliad be real? This question may never be answered. I would like to say that the reason I picked Achilles was because he epitomizes the message that enhancing ourselves artificially just spirals ourselves out of control into our own destruction, in turn not hiding but instead exposing our weaknesses. The truth however is that I may have vainly made the choice because this hero’s first initial is also A, the same as mine.
The first myth with Achilles is about his conflict with Hector. Hector was a Trojan prince and was by far the best warrior that fought for Troy. Due to a disagreement between him and Agamemnon, Achilles stayed in his tent miserably while the Greek army was getting pummeled. So, in order to spark the Greek soldiers to victory Achilles’ dear friend, Patroclus wore Achilles’ armor into battle and pretended to be him. Hector, hungry to kill Achilles mistook Patroclus for Achilles and killed him on the battlefield. Achilles became incensed by this event and put his disagreement with Agamemnon aside to fight the Trojans. Achilles challenged Hector at the gates of Troy and a ruthless battle ensued. According to the Iliad , Achilles had help from Athena, the goddess of wisdom. She gave Achilles back his spear after he had hurled it. Achilles eventually stabbed Hector to death with that very spear. After Hector was stabbed, he asked Achilles to give his body back to Troy for proper burial, to which Achilles said no. Then Hector said that Achilles would be killed by Paris, the one who started the whole Trojan War, at the very spot where his body lay. He then died. Achilles took Hector’s belt, given to him by a great warrior and tied him to his chariot. He rode around with Hector’s body trailing his chariot. After a few days Hector’s family asked for the mutilated body back, and Achilles obliged sheepishly. Another myth and probably the better known one is about the Achilles heel. When Achilles was a baby, his mother Thetis dipped him in the River of Styx. This made him invincible. But when Thetis dipped Achilles in she forgot to wet his heel, which in turn did not become invincible. As Achilles was devastating the Trojan army, Paris asks Apollo for help. Apollo is the god of archery, prophecy, music, healing, plague, and sometimes, the sun. Apollo was also the patron god of Troy so he told Paris to shoot a poison dipped arrow at Achilles. As Paris shot, Apollo directed the arrow right at Achilles’ heel. Achilles fell dead for the arrow had struck at his only weak point. This is only one of the many stories elucidating how Achilles died. In one story Achilles says that he will join the Trojan side as long he can marry a princess. When he gets to the marriage spot, Paris jumps him and stabs him in the heel. In one myth Apollo himself kills Achilles for being portentous. Some historians would have us believe that Achilles’ weak spot was not on his heel but instead it was his pride. In fact Achilles has displayed his pride throughout the Iliad, like when he dragged Hector’s body around on the front-line. None of the stories is certainly true, but one thing is understood, Achilles had a weakness and for that weakness he perished. The great thing about the story of Achilles is that it can be construed in so many different ways. You can see Achilles as a cocky, connote, self-indulgent, warrior who doesn’t care about anyone but himself; or a laudable, inspiring, idol whose accomplishments overshadow those of other heroes. His weakness helps us relate to him. He actually has a phrase coined after him (Achilles’ heel). His life is the perfect balance of accomplishment, fault, limitations, and intrepidness. This keeps his story alive today. Achilles is the main reason that the Greeks won the Trojan War, and for this he is commended. The story of the Trojan War (The Iliad) changed literature forever. Whether the events of the Trojan War transpired or not, one thing is for sure; Achilles will always be remembered not for his god-like feats, but for his mortal-like flaws. |
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*Arman Koul is a 13years old, 7th grade student from Andover, MA. He enjoys reading, music and sports, not necessarily in that order. |
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Dear AAru/Achilles, Well written ! Keep writing. You are our budding writer. Sanjay Uncle
Added By sanjay kaul
Only an artist can translate its thoughts in such a way. Best wishes to our young budding writer.
Added By Deepak Ganju
During my studies of English Language in the University I read Trojan War story from Homer's Iliad ;a great book of narrations like Mahabharata of India. But I only learnt about great powers and weak heel of Achilles the hero of the war in my studies.Thanks, you have made me aware of his other virtues and faults and limitations.Keep up your research efforts my young scholar.I am proud of you.
Added By pushkar ganjoo