Homer

Essay by mrcarterHigh School, 12th gradeB-, October 2013

download word file, 3 pages 0.0

Michael Carter

CL 301

September 30, 2013

Response Paper 1

Priam and Hector

Father and son relationships in The Iliad are not like you would see in America or in our culture today, but there is still a developed love for one another. Priam and Hector had a very strong and admirable relationship, yet it didn't come from seeing each other every day. Fatherly affection is not touchy-feely, nor is it necessarily given unconditionally or freely. Rather, a son must earn his father's respect and admiration, and it is by leaving home and fighting his own battles that the son is able to get this. They spent more time apart then they did together. The distance they spent from each other only made their admiration grow stronger. This relationship is unique, and plays a big role in this epic poem.

I know for me, it didn't take being a great warrior or even earning my father's respect for him to love me.

It was automatic; my father loved me instantly and will always love me no matter what. That isn't the case in that day and age. Priam was a magnificent warrior during a majority of the Trojan War and earned his retirement for this. It's only by following in his father's footsteps and becoming a great warrior of Troy will he fully gain Priam's love. Hector was seen as the greatest warrior of Troy and could not have been more of a hero in his father's eyes. Hector never shied down from anything or anyone. He was willing to do whatever it took to make his father and even more importantly in his eyes, his country proud. From a mental perspective, one might interpret this self-motivation as the son's quest to know the father through the crazy act...