Agamemnon: Way to go, bro
Agamemnon: Way to go, bro
My first impression of our reading this weekend was simply the difficulty I have in really understanding it. It's one of those books that you have to read over and over again to get just right, and to be completely honest I only took away a few little bits and pieces out of it and that's it.
One of the phrases that stuck out to me was when I read that this Dad sacrificed his daughter for the war. WHY ON EARTH WOULD YOU SACRIFICE YOUR OWN KID? Honestly, I just don't understand first off why he would do that to his daughter for a bunch of stinky dudes fighting this war and second because it hurt him so greatly to do it but he did it anyway! And on another note, they have to include the word virgin to emphasize the purity of the sacrifice, or the purity of anything in this story. The fact that a girl's father has taken her whole entire life away from her for a war is honestly the saddest thing I've read in this story, and it's very hard to process that that kind of a thing would be common in those times. I am so glad I didn't live during those times, because it would've been horrid.
Furthermore, I also don't think that Agamemnon is as grateful for his men as he should be. I guess as rulers back then, they didn't really care to serve the people as much as they wanted to expand their power over all of the world that they knew. Was this really the case for all of the kings in these time periods? Driven so madly by greed and fury that they rape cities?? He literally said that they raped the city of Troy. If you rape a flipping city, wouldn't you at least be a little proud of what you and your men accomplished?
Needless to say, if I was a king back then, I would have been super nice to all the people who stood by me and pay even further respects too the people who died in the process.
I commented on Michael's and Zelda's posts.
I commented on Michael's and Zelda's posts.
I agree the text is rather difficult to understand at first. Even when I do come to understand it later I do not agree with or even understand WHY the characters are making the decisions they are. Agamemnon seems arrogant and the fact that he doesn't even care for his men disgusts me. It is one thing to have a bunch of men die in war and feel bad, but it is another thing to have a complete lack of empathy.
ReplyDeleteI thought I understood what I read until I started reading the blog posts and realized I needed to read the story again...it was definitely harder to comprehend. I agree Agamemnon should've been more enthusiastic about his military's victory. Maybe he was displaying false humility to win more honor and respect from his people?
ReplyDeleteThis was incredibly difficult to read, there are several parts I still look at and go "what does thAT EVEN MEAN?", but upon furtherer reading was able to understand. The part where the daughter was sacrificed really is something worth considering -- how common was the practice? Obviously it was common enough that everyone besides Clytemnestra seems to react with cool indifference. Was it Agamemnon being heartless, or was it him doing what he believed to be the right thing?
ReplyDeleteThe read was very tough, and out of all of it the deranged tendencies of Agamemnon still shine through. His actions were blatant and very evident, and dissuade today's readers from seeing the kings in power as noble. The Mesopotamian culture almost appears to make more sense in light of these records. Their sacrifices of "Cow babies" (Downs, class discussion) are far easier to read than a man killing the purest person he knew. Regardless of Agamemnon's intentions, I would not say the ends justify the means.
ReplyDeleteThis book was tough and confusing for me as well. The way Agamemnon sacrifices his own daughter is way beyond my understanding on what culture this was. I don't think this could've been handled any other way but by NOT sacrificing something so meaningful as such a living soul.
ReplyDelete