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.
13 comments:
i agree; war, like most extremely stressful situations, brings out the true nature of a person. Achilles turns out to be a little bit of a hothead, Patroclus is an honorable warrior but doesn't always do what he's told to, and Agamemnon seems to be a good leader (in my opinion, despite his disagreements with Achilles).
In the Dark Knight, the Joker talks about a similar point. He says he uses knives instead of guns because you find out a person's true nature just before they die. Like you say, when you go to war, you have to think about your own death. Personally, I think death brings out the worst in people. When a person is forced to deal with his or her own mortality, I think people become selfish. They start to question why they are dying and if its worth it. Achilles is a prime example of this. Some may say this is their true nature, but I think its their worst.
I like how you tied in showing your true nature to how Patroclus acted throughout the Iliad. I don't know if you'll understand what I'm about to say but I think that when someone is faced with their own death that their true nature is inherently bad. For the most part (excluding soldiers who win the Medal of Honor) when someone knows they are going to die, they will probably do anything to survive.
I think what you talk about here is normal behavior in warfare. When people feel their lives are being threatened, of course they are going to look out for themselves to make sure they survive. It is the few people who do not act this way that are considered heroic.
However I disagree with your statement that war brings out people's true nature. I do not think it is right to judge someone based upon how they act in war. That means judging someone when they are at a lowpoint in their life, ready to do anything for survival.
I don't think it is fair to judge a persons true character or nature in war. War is an all out battle for survival where people seek to kill one another. If I was in a war, I would would do whatever it took to survive. I would forget all morals or rules and do whatever necessary to ensure my safety and survival. People change during a war and never come out as the same person. War is not a measuring tool to determine a persons true nature, but rather a traumatizing event that is a battle for survival.
War is very revealing. I'm not going to say that it reveals who people really are because I don't think it does. Some people can be "good" people but not be "good" at war. Rather, I believe war brings out the best and worst of people. It can bring out acts of cowardice or heroism that can be indicative of someone's character but not definitive. Human being are deeper that just how they respond in the face of war.
I am not trying to say that war shows how exactly how people act but if someone is about to die and they either act cowardly or accept what is about to happen I personally believe that shows a lot about that persons true character
I agree with your final statement. Because in desperate times people need to make a decision, they cannot hide who they really are because that decision is either black or white. Also, in the Dark Knight, the Joker says that when there is chaos, the good people of Gotham will show their true colors. Just to go with Michael's analogy and I think that is fitting for your post as well.
I disagree on your statement that war brings out people's true nature. I feel that it brings out sides that no one else, even yourself, maybe knew about but it certainly doesn't reflect our true being
I think it is difficult to pinpoint whether war brings out the worst, or truest form of a persons nature. To say that a man or woman is in his or her truest nature in the moments before death is odd, considering that person has lived his life for X amount of years and not necesarily acted the way he or she would in that situation.
I agree that war brings out people's true nature to a degree. War doesn't occur in a vacuum and sometimes soldiers go through mental crisis. Hence, post traumatic stress disorder. People that went to war good people come back broken. Certain instances can just be venting incidents. For example, say your mom or dad was killed in the world trade center. If you had Osama in a room by yourself tied up maybe you'd kill him. That doesn't mean your true nature is that of a murderer.
I do not not believe that in the moments before death one's true nature is exposed. Nothing is more frightening or stressful than facing your own death. Therefore, how can one's actions be expected to be anything but irrational and frantic before they die? Therefore, war does not bring out people's true nature, it brings out their fight or flight mentality which either inspires great courage or extreme panic.
I have to agree with Sammy on this one. Your point is good Jack, but war does not always so a persons true colors. For example, in Platoon, don't know if you have seen it, but Kevin Dillon (Johnny Drama) beats a Vietnamese man to death with the end of his gun. It was not a soldier, but just a farmer and it was not his true nature kill this man. He was only a kid in this movie and when we talked about human nature in class i believe that we do this stuff as a reaction to something that was done to us. In Drama's case he was brain washed into believing that all the Vietnamese were the enemies and his judgement was clouded by the war. Thus making his instincts act instead of who he truly is and his true nature.
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