ANISH AGRAWAL October 7, 2011 DWC I Dr.

Reeder Humility directs to success

Glory is an obsession that everyone yearns for. A warrior fights for two reasons in a war: to conquer the battle field making his side victorious and to bring enduring glory to himself winning a worthy prize. By analyzing Achilles in the Iliad and David in the Books of Samuel in the Bible, we can comprehend two individual characters with a common source of military success. Both characters deal the conflict with their political leaders and face the consequences. Achilles, the greatest Greek warrior, procures his military excellence from his parents as he is godlike being born to a man and a goddess. And David, skillful in playing, a man of valor, prudent in speech, gets his fighting brilliance from the Lord who is with him. Both are blessed by the Lords. Despite Achilles being godlike in a warrior culture and David being a normal human in a shepherd society, both suffers distress being at odds with their leaders and yet are humble in nature even if Achilles appears to be arrogant and malicious in the beginning. Achilles, son of Peleus, born to a goddess in a warrior culture where battling in a war is the sole aim of a soldier, comes at odds with his leader, Agamemnon. Soldiers fight in a battle placing their life at stake so that when they emerge victorious, they can earn a prize for themselves. When Agamemnon threatens Achilles by saying, Im

coming to your hut and taking Briseis /Your own beautiful prize, so that you will see how much/Stronger I am than you, and the next person will wince/At the thought of opposing me as an equal (Iliad Book 1, 194-197), Achilles turns envious. Agamemnon threatens to take the beloved prize from him which, he earned sweating and doing all the dirty work with his own hands. Achilles faces great disgrace when he is insulted by his leader, Agamemnon, and turns malicious towards him. Therefore, he decides not to pile up a fortune for Agamemnon being treated like dirt in public, as if he was some worthless tramp. Pained by the disgrace, he swears not to battle in the war saying, By this scepter I swear:/When every last Greek desperately misses Achilles,/Your remorse wont do any good (Iliad Book 1, 254-256). He refuses to accomplish what soldiers always dreams in their culture: fight for their nation and bring glory to them. Moreover, a disproportionate rage fuels inside Achilles. Resolute to take the revenge and make Agamemnon realize what a fool he has been being not able to honor the best of all the fighting Achaeans, he requested his mother to go to Zeus and ask him if he is willing to help the Trojans so that the Greeks start being killed. How can Achilles ask for the death of his own countrymen? He was at odds with his leader but this does not mean that he should try to help his enemies by asking someone to kill his own friends. This was an outrageous demand which made people to question his wisdom. Trojans began to slaughter the Achaeans. Fearing that they are going to die in Troy far from the fields of their home, the Achaeans tried to persuade Achilles to save his countrymen from the howling Trojans. Agamemnon offered him worthy gifts to give up his grudge. The gifts were praise worthy.

Seven unfired tripods, ten gold bars, Twenty burnished cauldrons, a dozen horsesSolid, prizewinning racehorses Who has won him a small fortuneAnd seven women who do impeccable work, Surpassingly beautiful women from Lesbos He chose for himself when you captured the town And with them will be the woman he took from you, Briseuss daughter, and he will solemnly swear He never went to her bed and lay with her Or did what is natural between women and men. (Iliad Book 9, 267-277) But blind folded by rage, Achilles turns down the offer and lets his countrymen being massacred by the Trojans. He tries to hide his disproportionate wrath saying Coward and hero get the same reward:/You die whether you slack off or work (Iliad Book 9, 326-327). Achilles knows that he is the only who can save his countrymen but his arrogance defeats his humility. However, Achilles humility shows up. A person can be malicious and hateful yet his modesty flashes when he has to suffer and weep for his own miseries. When Priam lamented in front of Achilles for Hectors body, sorrow for his own father surged up in Achilles. He cried for his father and for his beloved friend Patroclus, whose death has caused him to enter the war and kill Hector to take the revenge. The way he returns

Hectors body by calling the women to wash and anoint it with oil and then lifting the body himself and placing it on a pallet, displays his humbleness and modesty. In addition, Achilles enquires saying, But tell me this, as precisely as you can./How many days do you need for the funeral?/I will wait that long and hold back the army. (Iliad Book 24, 706-708). This incident demonstrates the change that has surfaced in Achilles. The person who was not even willing to give the body back and wanted dogs and birds to eat every last scrap of the corpse, is now returning the body with humbleness and is even asking for time the father requires to perform the funeral. A humble person, Achilles, grants the armistice. A similar character born in a different culture, David, a man of good presence, born to a shepherd, and anointed as king by the Lord, also struggles with his leader, Saul. David is a man of war. He accepts the challenge of the Philistine as he believes that the Lord, who saved him from lions and bears, will also deliver him from the hand of Goliath. People who have faith on the Lord fear no consequences. David, charismatic and ambitious, does not fear Goliath and goes to the battlefield only with his staff in his hand, five smooth stones in his shepherds bag and a sling. He wants to prove that there is a God in Israel and that the Lord saves not with sword and spear. David kills the philistine by striking a stone from the sling on the Philistines forehead and then cutting of the Philistines head. When David returns from slaying the Philistine, women of the cities of Israel sings, Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands.(Samuel 18:7). This displeases Saul and Saul eyes David from that day on. He even tries to kill David but could not succeed. Out of jealousy, Saul does not realize that David is the only

warrior who can save his nation against his enemies in a war. All Israel and Judah loved David while Saul stood in awe of him. Conversely, instead of being hateful, David spares Sauls life again and again, showing his righteousness and faith to the Lord, the humility which he possesses even during the miseries. People, who believe in the Lord, fear to go against him. When Abishai intends to kill Saul, David stops him by saying, Do not destroy him; for who can put forth his hand against the Lords anointed, and be guiltless? As the Lord lives, the Lord will strike him; or his day shall come to die; or he shall go down into battle and perish.(Gen 26: 9-10). David believes that the Lord notices all the doings of a person whether it is moral or corrupt and rewards him with the appropriate prize. Even when the Philistines command him to leave the battle and go back, David maintains his composure and shows his innocence by setting out with his men early in the morning for Philistine. When the sons and daughters of the people of Ziklag are taken captive by the Amalekites, the people of Ziglag assault David, and make him greatly distressed. But still David strengthens himself in the Lord. He tackles all his miseries with modesty and confidence on the Lord. His arte does not make him arrogant. In addition, David, doer of good and lover of mankind, laments over death of Saul and punishes the murderer of the Lords anointed. A person with great humility can only feel grief for the death of someone who always tried to kill him. He mourned and wept and fasted with all his men for Saul. He also laments over the death of his friend Jonathan by saying, Jonathan lies slain upon your high places. I am distressed for you,

my brother Jonathan; very pleasant have you been to me; your love to me was wonderful, passing the love of women.(2nd Samuel 1: 26). David suffers the loss of his beloved companion, who supported him throughout his miseries. As a man of the Lord, David calls one of his men and commands to slay the man who killed Saul and tells him, Your blood be upon your head; for your own mouth has testified against you, saying, I have slain the Lords anointed.(2nd Samuel 1:16). This shows Davids respect and fear for the Lord, who has strengthened him throughout his despairs. The two great warriors, Achilles and David, have been blessed by the Lord and have the same source of military success. Both are the only warriors with the arte who can save their nation in the war. But exploring their situations in their respective stories, David seems to be modest whereas Achilles seems to be arrogant for his arte which eventually changes into humility. In spite of Achilles being godlike and David being a normal human, both have the humility which, shows up when they have to mourn for their own sufferings. After analyzing how both Achilles and David react to sufferings, it is evident that both have strong values and a perfect composure for reactions to hardships. Both men show honorable reactions to their sufferings, and gain much admiration. Being at odds with their own political leaders, both men have to endure many distresses which they overcome in due course with their prudence. David continued through his life without giving up because he believed that God had a plan for him and that his suffering was a part of this plan which, eventually vanishes and brings him honor. Likewise, Achilles also overcomes his suffering by choosing a way which brings him glory and peace.

Convincingly, we can state that even though warriors kill hundreds and thousands of men in a war, they still have the humility to respect others feelings and know that they may also have to suffer at some points of their lives with the Lord scrutinizing their actions. Achilles, even though seemed arrogant at the beginning, emerges as a respectful person at the end showing his clear heart without any deception. And David, the Lords anointed, faces every distress with the Lord strengthening him. Every human faces obstacles but only the ones, who have resolution and a clear heart without any deception, emerge victorious. We dissect our failure for causes and effects, but seldom deal with them and gain experience to master them and thereby avoid their recurrence. We should not allow the problems to defeat us and should face them as Achilles and David did.