SAMPLE ANSWERS: TEST 1 (THE ILIAD)
These are sample answers from the first test. I have made minor
editing changes to correct spelling and usage, and to clarify some
points. The shorter answers from Part 3 are intended to give you
an idea of the length, scope and specificity of the best answers.
In some cases, I have added phrases (in italics) to show
ways in which the original answer could have been strengthened. The
essays from Part 4 are intended to give you
a look at some of the best work in the class. I have added some
comments of my own in bold italics. Obviously,
there are a variety of ways to answer each of these questions
successfully, and these samples are only meant to be representative of
the kinds of answers that earned
the highest scores.
A NOTE FOR THE CURRENT CLASS (fall 2006): These are samples of
answers from a previous semester. They offer examples of strong student
work and my
standards of assessment .
Part 3:
Briefly describe three events or circumstances that might lead
Achilleus to think he could be like the gods.
ANSWER: "Achilleus was fed by the gods, after he would not eat
despite Odysseus' pleas. Thetis, his mother, had the
god, Hephaistos, make a suit of armor for him. His immortal
horses were a special gift from the gods."
ANSWER: "Achilleus was born from an immortal mother, the goddess
Thetis. Achilleus has immortal horses which came from his father.
Achilleus was fed by the gods when he was too upset to eat.
He had a special
relationship with the gods."
Give two specific examples of how Achilleus threatens Agamemnon's
authority in the initial quarrel scene.
ANSWER: "Achilleus claims that Agamemnon takes the spoils of war
and decides how to distribute them, even though he and the other
warriors
do the most fighting. Achilleus asks Kalchas to reveal who is
behind
Apollo's plague, and he says that, even if it is Agamemnon, he will
protect
Kalchas."
ANSWER: "Achilleus called an assembly to deal with the plague and,
before Kalchas talked, he was already suspecting Agamemnon. He
was verbally aggressive towards Agamemnon. For example, even when
Agamemnon agreed to give the girl back, he continued to "attack" him by
telling him that
he was unfair to ask for compensation, and that he was always unjustly
looking for more prizes."
Describe specifically how Achilleus treated three of Andromache's
family members.
ANSWER: "He killed Andromache's father, but allowed him to
receive a proper, heroic burial. He took her mother prisoner, but
accepted
a ransom for her. He killed all of her brothers."
Briefly give three specific examples of Nestor's advice in the Iliad.
ANSWER: "Nestor advised Achilleus and Agamemnon to stop quarrelling.
He told Patroklos to go and try and persuade Achilleus to come
back and fight, but, if he could not do that, to wear Achilleus' armor
and go and fight
in it. He also advised Agamemnon to give Achilleus compensation
to
try and get him to come back and fight."
Briefly describe two of the prophesies of Achilleus' death. In
each case, tell me who made the prophecy and in what context.
ANSWER: "Achilleus dreamt of Patroklos. In his dream, the dead
Patroklos begged him for a funeral and prophesied Achilleus' death.
Earlier,
when Achilleus had decided to return to battle, his horses, which were
"horses of the gods" prophesied his death."
What were three specific items in Agamemnon's offer of compensation to
Achilleus?
ANSWER: "Three items in Agamemnon's offer were Briseis (whom he swore
he never slept with), twelve of his fastest horses (which had won many
prizes for him) and the hand of his daughter in marriage after the war
(which would have made Agamemnon Achilleus' father-in-law).
Briefly describe three instances when Achilleus received help from the
gods - not including his mother, Thetis. Be sure to name each god
or goddess who helps.
ANSWER: "When Agamemnon dishonored him by taking Briseis, he asked for
help from his mother who talked to Zeus. Zeus helped Achilleus by
turning the battle against the Greeks so the Greeks would miss his
help.
During Achilleus' battle with the river, Poseidon helped rescue
him.
Hephaistos made new armor for Achilleus, so he could return to
battle."
Briefly describe two conflicts that arose in the course of the funeral
games for Patroklos.
ANSWER: "One conflict was in the chariot race. Achilleus decided
to give the second prize to Eumelos who had his chariot broken by the
goddess. Antilochos protested and Achilleus gave a new prize to
Eumelos. Then, Menelaos protested because Antilochos cheated.
Antilochos conceded
and gave the second prize to Menelaos who gave it back to him. A
prize
was given to Nestor too.
The other conflict was a conflict among the
spectators. One of them didn't like what the other had said, and
Achilleus resolved the situation, showing himself to be a mediator now."
Part 4:
Assess the responsibility of at least three different characters for
Patroklos' death.
ANSWER: "Many bear the blame for Patroklos' death. First of all,
Achilleus will neither go to war, nor allow his men either. As a
result,
Nestor suggests that Patroklos take Achilleus armor and fight in his
place.
Patroklos agrees to this, as does Achilleus. Achilleus,
however,
tempers his agreement with a warning for Patroklos not to fight Hektor
nor
go too far into the fighting. (It is good to begin with an
overview
of the main points of the essay - that helps the reader - me! - see the
key
points of your answer more clearly)
Nestor only makes the suggestion because he knows
the desperate position the Greeks are in. The danger to Patroklos
is overshadowed by the deaths of all of the Greek warriors, and that's
why he made such
a proposal.
Achilleus' warning seems sincere. He is
concerned for both his friend's life and his own glory. If,
perhaps, his warning had been less confused, Patroklos might have
heeded it. (This is an interesting - and original - observation,
that goes beyond the commentaries I provided) Achilleus
truly does not want his friend to die, but he wants the Greeks to be
rescued. Again, Patroklos' life is overshadowed by the lives of
many. (In describing the roles of Nestor and Achilleus, the
writer goes beyond just saying what they did. The writer adds
observations about how and why they made their proposals or gave their
advice
)
Finally, Patroklos might have saved himself by
refusing the "suicide mission". He also might have heeded
Achilleus and not
engaged Hektor in battle. One could say that excessive pride led
him
to his death, or perhaps it was his own desire for glory, the same
thing
that would lead both Hektor and Achilleus to their deaths.
Although
one may blame Achilleus, Hektor, Nestor or even Apollo for Patroklos'
death,
it was ultimately his own decision to battle further than ordered that
doomed
him (Since the question asks that you ASSESS the responsibility
of
at least three characters, it is very good that the writer takes a
stand
here, and clearly places the greater share of responsibility on
Patroklos ) - just as Hektor's decision to stay and fight,
instead of retreating,
killed him, and Achilleus' decision to fight and kill Hektor would
fulfill
his destiny (By concluding with these brief references to other
events
- the death of Hektor and Achilleus' decision to fight, the writer
shows
an understanding of the larger relevance of the essay question.
The
question isn't just seeking "information" about Patroklos, it is asking
you
to think about the larger issue of "responsibility" in the Iliad.
).
ANSWER: "When Patroklos goes into war, there are three things working
against him - Achilleus, Nestor and his own self. By "working
against him", I mean that these are leading towards his tragic fate.
Stubborn yet loyal, Achilleus sits out of battle
waiting for some sign that shows he will win his own battle inside
himself. When he hears of some Achaian leaders' deaths, he asks
Patroklos to go see who died and what was going on. This is
simply the first step in the chain of events leading to Patroklos'
death. (This is a strong essay that addresses the questions with
specific references to the relevant episodes, but one weakness is that
it sometimes slips into a summary of the plot and a retelling of the
story)
When Patroklos goes, he seeks the dire situation
and therefore goes to wise Nestor to seek advice. Nestor tells
him that he must get Achilleus to fight again for the Greeks' sake,
and, if he wouldn't fight, that Patroklos himself should fight in his
armor, so the Trojans
would fear he was really the famous war hero.
Patroklos goes back to Achilleus, and Achilleus
allows him to take his armor and fight. He tells him not to win
too much
glory, but to leave some for him! To this point, Nestor and
Achilleus
have some responsibility for the fate of Patroklos. Finally,
Apollo
comes to Patroklos and tells him it is not his fate to sack Troy.
( This specific warning from Apollo is an important detail
that was not mentioned in too many of the answers) This
is where Patroklos takes
the responsibility for his life, for he goes against the god, Apollo,
and
keeps fighting. He comes to Hektor, still wearing Achilleus'
armor,
and he is slain on the battlefield.
Who's fault was it that Patroklos had to die?
There is no way to pinpoint who gets all the blame, but
Achilleus, Nestor and
Patroklos himself all played a role in his death. (This
ending
is weaker than the ending of the first essay, because the writer
doesn't
take a clear stand.)
Does book 24 provide a satisfactory resolution of the conflicts in the
Iliad, and a satisfactory ending to the poem? Why or why not?
ANSWER: "Book 24 provides some satisfactory resolutions to
the conflicts in the Iliad, but some are not completely resolved.
The
satisfactory resolutions are mainly those concerning Achilleus and the
fulfillment
of prophecies. Achilleus finally comes to grips with his fate.
Throughout
the poem, he struggles over the implications of being a mortal, and he
deals
with that in many ways. But at the end of the poem, he displays
actions
that might cause one to think that he has finally realized that he must
accept what the gods have handed him. This is especially clear
when Priam
comes to him to ask for the return of Hektor's body. Achilleus
tells
him two stories; one about Niobe, and one about the urns of Zeus.
Both
of these stories give the message that one must accept one's destiny,
and
there's nothing a person can do about it except to accept it.
Another
satisfactory conclusion is that Hektor's body is returned and, along
with
it, some of Achilleus' vengeful anger eases. He will not drag
Hektor's
body around Patroklos' body any longer. Patroklos' burial is
another
satisfactory conclusion because it points to Achilleus' death and the
funeral
and honor that Achilleus will get. (The writer cites four
specific
items that represent a resolution of conflicts: the stories of Niobe
and
of the urns of Zeus, the return of Hektor's body and - in book 23 - the
funeral
games of Patroklos).
The ending, however, is unsatisfactory because the
poem ends, not with the death of Achilleus, but with the funeral and
mourning
for Hektor. It seems that since the whole poem focused on
Achilleus
struggle with his mortality and his death, that the poem should end
with
his death. But then again, Achilleus was the hero of the poem,
and
it wouldn't have been fair to have him die in the end. So the
conflict
was not resolved, but perhaps it was better that way.
ANSWER: "I think that book 24 does provide a satisfactory
resolution of the conflicts in the Iliad, and also a satisfactory end
of the poem.
First of all, this is because Achilleus gives Hektor's corpse
back
to Priam. After he had dishonored him as much as he could, this
act
shows that Achilleus has a little bit of mercy. Although the gods
had
to intervene to make Achilleus accept the ransom for Hektor's body, I
think
he realized that he wasn't winning any profit by treating Hektor's
corpse
that way. Besides, he came to realize that dishonoring Hektor
wouldn't
bring back his friend Patroklos from death, neither would it avert his
own
fate.
It can be appreciated that Achilleus had learned
many lessons, and that he is accepting his imminent destiny. He
is moved by the argument that Priam gave him by saying that his father
would be happy when he heard he was alive. Priam does this only
with the inention
of awakening the pity of Achilleus, so that he will take the ransom for
Hektor's body. But Achilleus feels more than pity, because he
comes to realize the pain his father will go through when he dies in
Troy. He sees
in Priam his own father Peleus crying and asking for his son's corpse.
By realizing all of these things, Achilleus not only accepts the
ransom but
also tries to console Priam for his loss. He tells him the
stories
of the urns of Zeus. He says that sometimes Zeus mixes blessings
and
sorrows in the life of mortals, but some other times he just provides
mortals
with sorrows. So, by saying this he's finally accepting the
sorrows
in his life, especially Patroklos' death. He says to Priam that
they
have to accept the suffering because that's what mortals are destined
to
deal with. So, we can see that Achilleus has learned to deal with
Patroklos' death, and in oe way or another, with his own death.
Achilleus also tells Priam the story of Niobe, in
which he explains how the twelve children that Niobe had were killed by
the gods, Apollo and Artemis for trying to be "godlike". By this,
he explains that mortals have to accept the fact that they are doomed
to die, and that they are not, and never will be, like the gods.
This shows that Achilleus has also accepted that, although he's
the most powerful Greek warrior, and the son of a goddess, he is mortal
and he never will be like the gods. So, he accepts that and puts
aside his wish to try to be "godlike", something he had been wanting
all through the poem.
Finally, by telling Priam that Agamemnon should not
see them together because he might get upset, Achilleus shows he has
learned that quarrels bring everything but good things, and he's aware
that his
last quarrel with Agamemnon brought much death and suffering to the
Greeks,
unleashing a chain of events that would lead to his own death.
The story ends with the mourning over Hektor who is
back in Troy (fairly enough), and the hero and central figure of the
Iliad (Achilleus) has learned many lessons that have helped him to
accept his fate."