Humanities Question

Writing Assignment

• PROMPT
  • Homer’s Iliad was a classic in its own time. That is to say ancient Greeks found it important, and continued to tell and retell the story. Young Athenians studied it in school, and performers would recite the poem at community festivals. Even philosophers like Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle considered its importance and questioned its assumption. Simply put the Iliad was foundational to the Greeks.
  • Achilles is a part of this tradition. He was an ideal hero. Yet, when we read him today he doesn’t sound so heroic. In this essay, answer this question:
  • What made Achilles the ideal Greek hero?

• Your assignment is to develop an essay that attempts to see Achilles from the point of view of the ancient Greeks.