World Literature Essay Example Contrasting Hector and Achilles

Contrast Hector and Achilles

"Iliad' is an interesting epic that features Hector and Achilles as the main characters. Although they seem similar in that they are heroes they are totally different in their personalities. Hector is the strongest fighter in Trojan, while Achilles is the strongest in Greek. Their respective societies have put them in the mold of heroes. Nevertheless, it is evident that they are both extremely complex characters with diverse roles within their societies (Puchner, 24). Their roles to the gods and also families are different. The purpose of the essay is to contrast the Achilles and Hector as demonstrated in Iliad.

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Hector is a family man who loves and cares for his wife and child. He believes that communication, love, and respect are the main tools that build and keep a family relationship. Hector love for children makes his forget war when he hears a little child crying. Achilles has no such personalities as he is controlled by passions as demonstrated by his rage and pride. He believes that military glory is more important than family life.

Hector is more humanistic than Achilles as he does not like war and he believes that it "is a necessary evil" (Puchner, 115). This is the reason why he fights bravely but reluctantly. Unlike Hector, Achilles participates in wars for glory, pride and to have his name remembered by generations to come. "Achilles is a man who comes to live by and for violence". Having been brought up in the Greek culture, Achilles was born for war because he was presented in all wars to gain glory. He also grew up in a culture were wars existed in wars. Moreover, he was ready to sacrifice his life only so that his name will be remembered.

The subjective style of St. Augustine's Confessions

Augustine claims that human has freedom of will which is subjective to consequences. This means that they can choose to do a good thing or a bad thing. According to Augustine, human beings are controlled by will. It may have been positive or negative impacts depending on whether the will is good or bad.

Augustine holds that ruined will lead to ruined actions. This is because a damaged will lead to one doing wrong and the results become damaged too. When Adam and Eve eat the fig, they had a damaged will. It leads to ruined results since God kicked them from the Garden of Eden. Adam and Eve were also cursed by God. He was told that he would be eating from his sweat. This means that he will have to work hard so that he can provide food for himself and his family. Eve was also cursed and told that she will be experiencing pain during childbirth. Their damage will lead to ruined consequences. Another example is when Augustine says that he was engaged in stealing his neighbor's pears. This is a huge sin that led him to distance himself from God.

Augustine's holds that individuals' freedom to whatever they like is subject to outcomes. To explain the concept of a crime he put more emphasis on free will. Augustine limits the outcome of the free will to the origin of evil, and to make all the other said to be God. According to Augustine's people misuse God's free will to commit crimes hence it can be a challenge the traditional western philosophy. He expounds the origin of evil by introducing the idea of free will which raises the subjective initiative of a human being.

Work Cited

Puchner, Martin, et al. "The Norton Anthology of World Literature." (2012).