Despite being a poem written about a lengthy war and its devastating effects, Homer’s Iliad offers more than just tales of blood and gore. If read carefully, the Iliad can give insight to a number of matters besides the obvious ones, including the rhetorical elements of speeches given throughout the course of the poem. Three of these speeches, which are delivered by a council of war heroes, can be evaluated to gauge the effectiveness of the oratory strategies that were being utilized throughout the poem. Each of the heroes applies some form of logos, ethos or pathos in their speeches in hopes that their emotional, ethical, and logical appeals would be enough to curtail Achilles’ anger and bring him back to battle. They were wrong, however,
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He attempts to tug at Achilles’ emotions both by bolstering his pride and by reminding him of the plight of the Greeks, the people he cares for most. He first commends Achilles’ great strength and skill and states that without him, the Greeks were doomed to destruction (Homer 166). He was conscious of the fact that Achilles was nursing his bruised ego, so he made an effort to acknowledge Achilles’ greatness by telling him he was their only solid hope. Odysseus then decides to focus Achilles’ attention on the poor state of the Greeks. He knows of Achilles’ love for his compatriots, as Achilles states in an earlier passage that, “…The Greeks I love best, even in my rage.” (Homer, 165). It is clear that though Achilles was angry with Agamemnon, his empathy for the Greeks had in no way diminished. Achilles cared for his fellow soldiers and was genuinely concerned about them; he would be immensely hurt if he learned of their slaughter. Knowing this, Odysseus begins to describe Hector’s mad rampage and the horrors that the Greeks were facing, thus evoking feelings of remorse and sadness. He implores Achilles to think of the regret that would follow him if he refuses to come to the aid of his countrymen. Odysseus’ goal was to force Achilles to center his emotions on the Greeks and their impending doom instead of nursing his anger with Agamemnon. This re-focusing of his …show more content…
This harsh criticism of Achilles was partly an appeal to pathos, as it was an effort to solicit an emotional response from Achilles. Ajax’s goal was to use insults to anger Achilles enough to drive him to prove his loyalty to the Greeks. This method is employed often throughout the Iliad, with war leaders rousing their soldiers by insulting them and telling them they are weak or cowardly. Ajax tried using this method on Achilles and called him “cruel” and “savage” (Homer, 177), hoping it would prompt him to prove that he indeed was an honorable man who cared for his fellow soldiers. In addition to ethos and pathos, Ajax also utilizes logos. He lays out an argument in which he reasons with Achilles, explaining why he should be content with the many gifts Agamemnon is offering. He argues that even a man whose brother has been killed stops grieving and is satisfied once he receives payment from the murderer, so Achilles should therefore accept Agamemnon’s retribution and make peace with him (Homer, 177). His line of reasoning is a logical one, but Achilles, much to the frustration of the embassy, does not see it as
He attempts to tug at Achilles’ emotions both by bolstering his pride and by reminding him of the plight of the Greeks, the people he cares for most. He first commends Achilles’ great strength and skill and states that without him, the Greeks were doomed to destruction (Homer 166). He was conscious of the fact that Achilles was nursing his bruised ego, so he made an effort to acknowledge Achilles’ greatness by telling him he was their only solid hope. Odysseus then decides to focus Achilles’ attention on the poor state of the Greeks. He knows of Achilles’ love for his compatriots, as Achilles states in an earlier passage that, “…The Greeks I love best, even in my rage.” (Homer, 165). It is clear that though Achilles was angry with Agamemnon, his empathy for the Greeks had in no way diminished. Achilles cared for his fellow soldiers and was genuinely concerned about them; he would be immensely hurt if he learned of their slaughter. Knowing this, Odysseus begins to describe Hector’s mad rampage and the horrors that the Greeks were facing, thus evoking feelings of remorse and sadness. He implores Achilles to think of the regret that would follow him if he refuses to come to the aid of his countrymen. Odysseus’ goal was to force Achilles to center his emotions on the Greeks and their impending doom instead of nursing his anger with Agamemnon. This re-focusing of his …show more content…
This harsh criticism of Achilles was partly an appeal to pathos, as it was an effort to solicit an emotional response from Achilles. Ajax’s goal was to use insults to anger Achilles enough to drive him to prove his loyalty to the Greeks. This method is employed often throughout the Iliad, with war leaders rousing their soldiers by insulting them and telling them they are weak or cowardly. Ajax tried using this method on Achilles and called him “cruel” and “savage” (Homer, 177), hoping it would prompt him to prove that he indeed was an honorable man who cared for his fellow soldiers. In addition to ethos and pathos, Ajax also utilizes logos. He lays out an argument in which he reasons with Achilles, explaining why he should be content with the many gifts Agamemnon is offering. He argues that even a man whose brother has been killed stops grieving and is satisfied once he receives payment from the murderer, so Achilles should therefore accept Agamemnon’s retribution and make peace with him (Homer, 177). His line of reasoning is a logical one, but Achilles, much to the frustration of the embassy, does not see it as