Iliad Paper

Corey Craig

Mosaics II

Professor Neff

21 March 2013

Guts and Glory

Throughout our lives we see millions of different faces; some we will remember, very few will affect us, but most of them will just be a passing image in our minds never to be thought of again. Then you have the exception; that extremely rare scenario that a person comes along and has an impact on not just the people they meet or the communities they are a part of, but rather on an entire culture. People like Bob Marley, Elvis Presley, Martin Luther King Jr., and Kurt Cobain are all people that have cemented their legacy in history; their life’s work has not only passed the test of time but has achieved a status of immortality. This is what Achilles has achieved through his trials in the Trojan War. Homer writes in the Iliad the story of Achilles and how he led the Greeks with his sword to a victory over Troy. Achilles’ path to immortality contains one glaring difference from that of Dr. King, Bob Marley, and the other “heroes” we’ve learned about and grown to love over the years: he had a choice. Prior to his trip to Troy, Achilles mother, Thetis, warns him that if he goes to Troy he will have glory, but he won’t return home. We idle the people that have attained this larger-than-life presence among us; does this mean our strongest desire is to be glorified by our fellow man? Does living a long, good life prove to be less rewarding than achieving immortality?

What defines glory varies from person to person. It could mean being an Oscar-winning actor, recording an album that goes platinum, or being a world champion athlete. However, these achievements aren’t the only factor when discussing what constitutes glory. If that were the case, than you could argue that Bernard Piece, ex-Temple running back and new Super Bowl champion, is more glorified than Dan Marino, who is considered by many to be the best quarterback to never win a Super Bowl. So if not achievements, what does one have to...