For this blog I want to talk about the discussion we had in class on Achilles. I think in class most of us agreed that Achilles was not a superhero, except for one person, and I just want to share the reasons why I consider him more of a “super hero” rather than a “superhero”. You may notice that my reasons lean more towards why he is not a “superhero” and less towards why he is a “super hero” but it is my blog so I guess I can write what I want.
The main reason why I would consider Achilles a super hero is because to his people he was the ultimate war hero. People looked up to him and admired him for his strength and courage. When we talked about people we considered super heroes in class we mentioned these as major characteristics and named fire fighters and army soldiers as some examples so I think that Achilles characteristics would fit into this category.
One reason I do not consider him a superhero is because he basically started a war over a woman he barely knew and had no feelings for, this to me is not something a superhero would do. There have been superheroes that fight over the woman they care about but Achilles case it was different. He started a war, not just a fight, putting innocent people at risk and it all over someone he just met just to keep his pride.
Another reason why I would not consider him a superhero is because he had to ask his mom to do his dirty work. He had to ask her for help because he could not do what he wanted himself and I do not think that is something a superhero would do. I have seen superheroes get help from others, like Robin helping Batman, but I don’t think superheroes ask for help because most of them seem too proud. Above all he asked her to hurt other people which is definitely not something a true superhero would do.
The final reason I have is that he is part god and I believe we talked about it in class that gods are not superheroes; at least I don’t think so. They seem to have an upper hand over superheroes I think and I feel that they should be in a separate category. So in the end I think Achilles would be either just a “super hero” or “god”.
Sure you can write however you want. As long as it's relevant it works. I do have one question for you to consider. Is Superman a god figure? If he is why is he a superhero when Achilles is not (as far as the god argument goes). You've got other reasons to say no, but that one intrigues me. Maybe we'll be able to bring it back in to class at some future point.
ReplyDeleteI agree that Achilles isn't a superhero, I see him more like a great warrior. He doesn't meet some of the characteristics or qualities of a superhero that we mentioned in class. For example, superheroes are supposed to defend the weak in times of danger, but Achilles doesn't defend or help his people fight in an important war because he became mad over a dispute over a woman. I think that Achilles acts childish and can't be considered a superhero because of that.
ReplyDeleteI understand your reasons on why you would see him as a super hero and I totally agree. But I think he would be considered that to the people of his time because that is what they looked for in a super hero. Modern day’s superhero has different qualities and I don’t think the Achilles of that time would be considered our time’s super hero. If the modern day would make Achilles a hero in a movie or something, I think they would change a lot of his traits.
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