War's Affect On People

One of the questions we were able to ask ourselves at the conclusion of reading The Iliad, was whether or not war can bring out the true nature in people.  Or whether war brings out the worst in people. 

I believe that The Iliad is a great example of a story that makes the reader seriously think about these questions.  The cause of this is the characters actions throughout the story.  Achilles is one character that you can look at when asked these questions.  While we do not really know how Achilles acted before the story, during it Achilles seems to be more concerned with himself than others.  I believe that in war, this can be seen quite frequently, this is because when one’s life is at risk people mostly think about themselves first and then others second.  While people can argue that this was only because of the actions made by Agamemnon and the death of Patroclus, I still believe that partially the cause was the setting.  War always seems to have different affects on people, some people love it and others hate it, yet one of the key rules remains intact for everyone whether they love the situation they are in or if they dread it and that is to watch your own back and then watch out for others.

Another character in The Iliad that seems to be affected by war is Patroclus.  To me Patroclus seems to have war bring out the best in him.  He convinces Achilles to let him wear Achilles armor in order to fight the Trojans and not have all of the ships destroyed.  In my opinion, the Trojan War brought out the best of Patroclus’ character.

While war definitely has completely different affects on each individual person, they are all there for similar reasons.  These reasons vary from fighting for the cause, representing their country, or fighting for glory.  Personally I believe that war brings out a person’s true nature because if you are about to die how you act shows who you really are. 

Right and Wrong Actions of Warriors

            In the past week we discussed many things, but one question that stood out at me was one of the big ones we reached.  The question was, ‘What are the right and wrong ways for a warrior to act?’  This question stood out at me not only because it brings up how warriors are supposed to conduct themselves in and outside of battle, but how the question is still relevant in modern times.

            Our class reached this question through the actions of a few characters in The Iliad.  One character that exemplifies the question being brought up through his actions is Achilles.  Achilles, in trying to defy Agamemnon’s authority, can be seen as a disobedient and untrustworthy warrior.  While his participation will vastly affect the outcome of the war, he is too self-concerned with his own matters to care or concern himself with the rest of his army’s struggles.  Achilles even permits Patroclus to wear his armor (it took much persuading) and enter the battle allowing others to falsely think that it was Achilles.   While Achilles allowing Patroclus to enter the war under disguise and disillusion to the Trojan army can be seen as a better alternative than Achilles doing nothing, it can also be seen as a lapse in his judgment and a poor decision made by a warrior.

            This problem of determining what the right and wrong ways a soldier should act is still evident in modern day society.  We have soldiers being discharged for varying reasons more often than you would like to think (whether they are discharged because of good or bad decisions).  I saw a movie a while ago called Stop-Loss and it directly questioned the way a soldier should act if they were being forced back into military action and it ties directly in with this question.

            One of the problems I see in questioning the decisions and actions made by warriors is that many people can justify (or see reason in) why the decision was made.  While there might be more people arguing that the decision was wrong or right, there will always be people who defend the decisions made.  Another problem I have with the question is that in a certain circumstance one decision seems like the best one to make, while looking back on it one can say that it was a poor decision.