Black Ships Before Troy Pride Analysis

Decent Essays
Cahsia Page
Miss Whiting
English
8 December, 2016
From Being Proud In Black Ships Before Troy pride is shown as the ingredient in life that destroys a person. We see this with many people in the book, particularly Paris and Achilles. Both are notably seen to carry themselves around with a certain arrogance and with their chin up. They were the proudest men in the book; each coming to a gruesome death. Pride makes people think they deserve more, can handle more, and make them think are greater than others. In reality it’s all an illusion, and they are not nearly deserving and strong as they think they are. Paris is portrayed as having the kind of pride where he feels he always deserves more than he already has. He is most oftenly found ditching the perfectly good things he already has, for what he is told to be the better. For example, he has Aphrodite promise to find a wife for him. Paris leaves his first love (Oenone), for the other promised one (Helen), leaving behind one greatness for a promised greater. He does this on account that he thinks of himself so deserving and proudly, believing him, and only himself, deserves the best thing out
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The books shows how prideful he is; “Achilles, who despite his youth was the proudest and hottest-hearted of all the Greek leaders.” (Page 19) We see how he believed he is the best at everything, especially fighting, right before he dies; “Dogs of Troy! Dying though I am, you shall not escape my spears!” (Page 118) Achilles said he was going to keep being the best fighter (or so he thought) even as he was dying, which shows how great he thought of himself. But this pride destroyed him, as right after he says those words he dies. Because he thought he could withstand all, he became one of the most vulnerable to death. He never saw it coming because he was too wrapped up in his pride, about how strong he

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