Reading Diary A: Homer's Illiad

After reading the first half of the reading unit Homer's Illiad here are some of my favorites from the story:

Favorite Character

My favorite character so far has to be Patroclus. I liked that even though he was faithful to Achilles he could see that his allegiance to Greece was more important than standing by Achilles and his foolish pride. Patroclus did not let the animosity between Achilles and Agamemnon cloud his judgement on what he though was right. I thought this was an honorable thing and he seemed to be the most level headed male character in the story up to this point as most others were only concerned with being honored correctly and gaining their spoils.

A photo of a mosaic detail of Patroclus taken by D. & M. Hill.(Flikr)

Favorite Stories

One of my favorite stories includes my favorite character thus far, Patroclus. The Deeds and Death of Patroclus shares the story of how he tells Achilles that if he will not fight then he will fight for him to inspire the wavering Greek troops. I enjoyed how Patroclus got to experience slaying a mighty warrior in Sarpedon while wearing the glorious armour of Achilles. Although he was ultimately slain, I thought Patroclus showed courage by rallying the troops by portraying Achilles.

My other favorite story was What Thetis Did for Her Son. What I thought was really entertaining was that Zeus' wife, Hera, got upset with him for sneaking behind his back and speaking with Thetis. Zeus tried to act like he was up to nothing when in fact Hera knew exactly what he had done the entire time. He was caught in a lie!

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Overall, I really enjoyed the first half of the reading unit. At times I did get confused since there were so many names being thrown around but after slowing down and concentrating the story began to become easier to follow and comprehend. I am ready to see what happens in the next half of reading!