When looking at literature, there are many ways to assess the purpose the writer has intended to provide. A great way to look at literature is with historical and biographical criticism. The Iliad, written by Homer, is a piece that has so many values, emotions, expressions of the culture of the time, and even some pieces that provide an insight to Homer’s life. Although a very mysterious author, Homer was able to portray a time in history through his great writings and instead of his writings only telling of an event, they were taken as a whole by a civilization that transformed itself into a Homeric heroic society because of the Iliad.
The Iliad provides a view of values that are more community centric. A. W. H. Adkins states that, in the …show more content…
In the time of Homer’s life, which was around the 13th or 12th century, but not fully known, the Greeks were said, but widely debated, to have been in the Trojan War. With war, comes values. There are many values that came from the Greeks that Homer placed in the Iliad: glory, hospitality, honor, respect, truth, justice, humility, self-control; what seems to be the most important, arête meaning excellence or virtue (Perry, Chase and Jacob). These values all have very specified names and meanings but arête seems to be the most important of the time for the Greeks. These values are expressed throughout the Iliad and have held their meaning. The term glory for the Greeks still holds true to how we, …show more content…
If Homer was living in the current day, for one, his life wouldn’t have been so mysterious, and two, his writings, if true, would be easier to find evidence of actually occurring. Homer would have probably written about life today and, if staying with the events of a war, would be covering events of the current wars in the Middle East. If we were to bring the Iliad to modern time, we would probably see the same about of pride from the characters, as well as the same amount of rage that they experienced when someone was to betray them, just as Hector did to Achilles (Homer). “An approach to the Iliad which seeks to transform the Trojan war into a moral encounter between the forces of civilized good and barbarian evil, for example, and which, therefore, ignores the overwhelming similarities between the opponents and the eternal, fated quality of the war, makes the harshness of the Iliad much more acceptable. We may hate the destructiveness of war as much as the ancient warriors, but we cope with that by the notion of a just war, where the forces of good are (regrettably) justified in punishing their nasty opponents” (Johnston). Ian Johnston argues that Homer’s Iliad has a comparison with the war that we see today in the Middle East and how the US, in all its patriotism, sees itself as the good force in the war that is fighting the
The Iliad provides a view of values that are more community centric. A. W. H. Adkins states that, in the …show more content…
In the time of Homer’s life, which was around the 13th or 12th century, but not fully known, the Greeks were said, but widely debated, to have been in the Trojan War. With war, comes values. There are many values that came from the Greeks that Homer placed in the Iliad: glory, hospitality, honor, respect, truth, justice, humility, self-control; what seems to be the most important, arête meaning excellence or virtue (Perry, Chase and Jacob). These values all have very specified names and meanings but arête seems to be the most important of the time for the Greeks. These values are expressed throughout the Iliad and have held their meaning. The term glory for the Greeks still holds true to how we, …show more content…
If Homer was living in the current day, for one, his life wouldn’t have been so mysterious, and two, his writings, if true, would be easier to find evidence of actually occurring. Homer would have probably written about life today and, if staying with the events of a war, would be covering events of the current wars in the Middle East. If we were to bring the Iliad to modern time, we would probably see the same about of pride from the characters, as well as the same amount of rage that they experienced when someone was to betray them, just as Hector did to Achilles (Homer). “An approach to the Iliad which seeks to transform the Trojan war into a moral encounter between the forces of civilized good and barbarian evil, for example, and which, therefore, ignores the overwhelming similarities between the opponents and the eternal, fated quality of the war, makes the harshness of the Iliad much more acceptable. We may hate the destructiveness of war as much as the ancient warriors, but we cope with that by the notion of a just war, where the forces of good are (regrettably) justified in punishing their nasty opponents” (Johnston). Ian Johnston argues that Homer’s Iliad has a comparison with the war that we see today in the Middle East and how the US, in all its patriotism, sees itself as the good force in the war that is fighting the