Monday, April 18, 2016
"The Iliad" Educational Video And Heroic Elements
What significant idea presented within The Iliad Educational Portal Link Video helps you establish a better understanding of the Heroic Elements: Heroic, Hubris, Guest/Host
(Xenia)? Why? Please explain and defend your thinking using
references to the video's content. This blog response is due by
2:30p.m. today.
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20 comments:
The guest host relationship is very important to the Greeks. It is something that is passed through the generations. If the relationship is violated in some way then there is no trust
I think that the idea of leaving behind a legacy is a big source of information for many heroes. Being known as a local hero can drive even a mortal man to attempt a dangerous quest.
The video makes a point that Achilles is a different kind of hero, not in a way one would expect. His actions stem from anger at the fact that he is not mortal, and his parent is. There is not much here that makes him a hero in the way we define it.
This video helped me understand more about the guest host relationship. Without Xenia these journeys would never be taken. There was no shelter in the wild so they had to turn to a host that would feed and take care of them for just a little while until the person or people that are staying can carry on with their journey. In the video it explains that the trojan war wouldn't have happened if Paris had just been a good guest, he stole his hosts wife which makes their guest/host relationship corrupt. And this is why that relationship is very important.
The video did a good job explaining all the terms using simple graphics and animations. The definitions were clear and easy to understand.
This video had a big emphasis on Xenia and the value of guest/host relationships in myths. The Trojan War took retribution of rudeness, and potentially Hubris, to the next level. It's not at all heroic to be a guest and disrespect your host, and because of this, Paris is not a hero.
Being a good host can benefit you in many ways as well as being a good guest. If you do not try to kill your host you will have a better relationship and maybe that host could be a divinity and come back and help you succsseed in a journey or quest you will conquer. Being a hero often translates to host welcoming you with open arms but is that really what a hero wants? If the host knows their guest is improtant would they try to sabotage the Heros quest.
The idea of a guest/host relationship was more important during this time period then t is today. I found it interesting that the two men resisted fighting one another because their grandfathers had once met and formed a relationship from simply being guest and host. To be seen as a heroic hero it is important to also recognize this idea of Xenia or guest/host and to uphold its meaning in a respectful manner. For something like Paris taking the king of Troy's wife to be his own, to start such an important war means that it was highly offensive to violate this Xenia.
The idea that the whole world was more dangerous than any wandering strangers helps me understand the concept of Xenia better because that is something that I can't really relate to today that easily. Today if someone rings my doorbell and asks to stay the night I would obviously refuse but back then anyone traveling the world would be far less dangerous than the world itself so it made sense to allow them to stay if the needed to. If simply going outside could mean death than anyone bringing news from around the world would be a welcome guest and provide a nice break from the monotony of living alone if the person lived in the middle of nowhere.
The underlying theme in the Illiad and the odyssey is that you should always be respectful, for example you must sacrifice to Poseidon or else you won't come home from somewhere for ten years or some Greek dude will invade your country for stealing his wife!
This video we watched in class gave me an understanding of the overall myth of Iliad in a way that I did have before. This video did a good job illustrating the connections of all of the characters in the myth. After this video, I specifically have a better view on who echilles was. Reading the myth, I though he was going through with him journeys for their people's benefit. This video shows that the soal reason of his quests were to become immortal like his mother.
In the video they talked about the guest host relationship a lot and this shows how important it was to the Greeks. It said that it's basically why the war was started cause Paris took Helen while a guest in there house so yeah
One thing that really stuck out to me was the guest host relationship and how this one uncounted changes quite a lot. Paris came to Hubris and was welcomed as a guest. Like they said in the video this was normal and good for both the guest and the host. When Paris took Helen this relationship was broken. Now there was distrust and fear. I also see the theme of heroic elements in this video. Achilles fights for immortality and to do this accomplishes many heroic tasks. An overall take away from the video is to be the hero and be the strongest person this way nothing will be taken away from you. We can see this throughout Greek history, especially with Sparta who valued these principles. Maybe myths like this are used to inspire people to do there best.
The Iliad is significant because much like in Gilgamesh, both stories have elements of struggling to accept mortality. This helps us to understand hubris because having an expiration on life helps us realize the fragility of human life and allows us to have more compassion rather than narcissism. Also, this says a lot about how true heroes are not invincible. Many heroes risk something such as their life in order to accomplish greatness which makes them much more admirable than someone who has nothing on the line.
This video helped me better understand the guest/host relationship and Xenia. There is a bond and a set of rules to follow when there is an exchange between guest and host. These guidelines are set in honor of Zeus. In the Iliad, Paris breaks this guest/host relationship by abducting Helen, Menelaus' wife, while staying with Menelaus. The abduction of Helen was only considered breaking the guest/host relationship because Paris was actively in the guest role. If Paris had abducted her at another time, the Trojan war probably would not have happened because the guest/host relationship would not have been broken. Menelaus was required to go to war in order to to honor and avenge Zeus.
The video states the point that Achilles is not the average type of hero that we have come to know. Achilles is mad that he is not a mortal and his parents are mortal which makes his actions more aggressive and angry. Achilles is a strong and different hero, but isn't the typical hero like Perseus and Thesus.
The theme in which the Odyssey and Iliad share is the guest/host relationship that the gods make and break. Paris and Hubris' relationship was beneficial whereas Paris and Helen's was harmful. Being polite and honest seems to be what made the relationship healthy. When a relationship is based on lies it is bound to be unhealthy.
The Odyssey and the Iliad share that guest/host relationship where Paris breaks that relationship to Hubris and Odysseus breaks that relationship to the cyclops even though the the cyclops was being a bad host and ultimately that was the beginning of the Odyssey while when Paris broke the relationship it was the beginning of the Trojan war.
Helped me to understand the guest/host relationship better. The myth in general teaches respect towards another regardless how well you know the person, and I think that is an extremely important life lesson to learn. The gods favor a polite and truthful response in almost all cases and consequences come with the opposite.
The guest host relationship is very important to the Gods and Goddesses and is taken very seriously. It is in a way their most important law and by braking it you can cause a war and many deaths just like Paris does when he takes Helen when he was a guest in Menelaus's home.
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