LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND THE HUMANITIES
GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
HOMER'S THE ILIAD
DROUIN
A STUDY GUIDE AND REVIEW QUESTIONS
FOR BOOK 22: “THE DEATH OF HECTOR”
READ BOOK 22: “THE DEATH OF HECTOR” JUST TO GET A SENSE OF THE BASICS OF THE
PLOT AND THE KEY CHARACTERS THAT ARE INVOLVED IN THIS BOOK. THIS SHOULD BE A
RELATIVELY QUICK READ, JUST REMEMBER THAT YOUR GOAL IN THIS FIRST READING IS TO
FIGURE OUT AND GATHER THE BOOK’S BASICS, THE BARE ESSENTIALS. IN YOUR NOTES, JOT
DOWN YOUR BASIC UNDERSTANDING IN A FEW WELL CHOSEN SENTENCES.
NOW READ BOOK 22 VERY CAREFULLY AND VERY CLOSELY.
READ LINES 1 - 30. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO EXPLAIN WHAT’S HAPPENING IN THE FIGHTING
♦ TO RECOGNIZE ACHILLES’ ATTITUDE TOWARD APOLLO
♦ TO IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST ONE IMAGE, SIMILE, OR METAPHOR
READ LINES 31 - 89. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST ONE IMAGE, SIMILE, OR METAPHOR
♦ TO UNDERSTAND PRIAM’S HOPE FOR HECTOR AND HIS THOUGHTS ABOUT
ACHILLES
♦ TO COMPREHEND THE SIGNIFICANCE OF GREEK THOUGHT ABOUT DYING YOUNG
AND GLORIOUSLY AS OPPOSED TO DYING OF OLD AGE
READ LINES 90 - 156. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST ONE IMAGE, SIMILE, OR METAPHOR
♦ TO EXPLAIN WHAT HECUBA IS REFERRING TO IN LINE 104 WITH THE WORDS “DEAR
BRANCH IN BLOOM” - OF WHOM IS SHE SPEAKING, WHY IS THIS METAPHOR AN APT
METAPHOR?
♦ TO APPRECIATE WHY HECTOR CAN NOT FULFILL PRIAM AND HECUBA’S PLEAS
♦ TO THOROUGHLY DESCRIBE HECTOR’S MANY EMOTIONS
READ LINES 156 - 200. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO FOCUS ON THE ADJECTIVES USED IN LINES 156-164 AND TO APPRECIATE THEIR
EFFECT
♦
TO RECOGNIZE WHAT THE JUXTAPOSITION OF THE SCENES OF WAR AND PEACE
ACCOMPLISH IN THIS PASSAGE
♦
♦
TO RECOGNIZE THE SYMBOLISM OF THE ‘RACE’ METAPHOR
TO CONSIDER WHO IS WATCHING THE RACE AND WHAT PRIZE IS OFFERED
READ LINES 201 - 267. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO IDENTIFY AND EXPLAIN AT LEAST ONE IMAGE, SIMILE, OR METAPHOR
♦ TO UNDERSTAND WHAT DECISION ZEUS WANTS THE GODS TO MAKE
♦ TO NOTICE WHAT GODDESS COMES TO ACHILLES’ ASSISTANCE AND WHY THIS IS
SIGNIFICANT
♦
TO IDENTIFY SIGNIFICANT ADJECTIVES AND VERBS IN LINES
APPRECIATE THEIR IMPACT ON HOMER’S STORY
♦
TO UNDERSTAND WHY
224 - 229 AND TO
HECTOR HAS SURVIVED AS LONG AS HE HAS
♦
TO EXPLAIN THE SIGNIFICANCE OF THE SCALES OF ZEUS AND TO EXPLAIN
AND ATHENA’S RESPONSE TO THE WEIGHING OF THE SCALES
APOLLO
READ LINES 267 - 321. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO UNDERSTAND WHO DEIPHOBUS REALLY IS
♦ TO LOOK AT THE SYMBOLIC MEANING OF THE NAME DEIPHOBUS WHICH
TRANSLATES AS EITHER ‘PANIC FROM THE GODS’ OR AS ‘GOD-FEARING’ AND TO
CONSIDER ITS PSYCHOLOGICAL SIGNIFICANCE
DEIPHOBUS AT HIS SIDE WOULD RESTORE HECTOR’S
♦
TO RECOGNIZE WHY HAVING
CONFIDENCE
♦
♦
TO CLARIFY WHY IN LINE
♦
♦
TO STUDY THE IMPACT OF THE IMAGES OFFERED IN LINES
TO RECOGNIZE WHAT
RESPONSE
299 THE WORD ‘SPIRIT’ IS CRITICAL
HECTOR OFFERS AS A PACT AND TO RECOGNIZE ACHILLES’
TO UNDERSTAND THE REAL REASON WHY
310 - 311
ACHILLES KILLS HECTOR
READ LINES 321 - 424. AFTER READING THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO OFFER PLAY BY PLAY COMMENTARY OF THE BATTLE BETWEEN
ACHILLES AND HECTOR
♦ TO IDENTIFY THE TWO THINGS HECTOR REALIZES
♦ TO EXPLAIN HECTOR’S ATTITUDE TOWARD DEATH
♦ TO APPRECIATE THE IMAGES OF ARMOR THAT ARE PRESENTED
♦ TO KNOW WHY IT IS SIGNIFICANT AT THIS TIME THAT HECTOR IS WEARING ACHILLES’
ARMOR (THE ARMOR PATROCLUS BORROWED FROM ACHILLES THAT HECTOR
LATER CLAIMED AS A WAR PRIZE)
♦ TO IDENTIFY THE SIGNIFICANCE OF ACHILLES AND HECTOR’S EXCHANGE IN LINES
390 - 424
♦ TO UNDERSTAND THE ‘INTERNAL ARMOR’ HECTOR ACCUSES ACHILLES OF WEARING
READ LINES 424 - 476. AS YOU READ THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO VALIDATE YOUR REACTIONS TO THE TREATMENT OF HECTOR’S DEAD BODY
♦ TO CLARIFY ACHILLES’ TRUE JUSTIFICATION BASED UPON WHAT YOU LEARN IN L
454-458
♦ EXPLAIN IF THE TREATMENT HECTOR RECEIVES SUPPORTS THE HEROIC CODE OF
ETHICS
♦ TO SHOW WHAT MAKES THE FINAL LINES IN THIS SEGMENT IMMEDIATE AND POIGNANT
READ LINES 477 - 513. AS YOU READ THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO RECOGNIZE WHAT ELSE IS BEING MOURNED IN ADDITION TO THE FALL OF
HECTOR
♦ TO INFER THE RELATIONSHIP THAT EXISTED BETWEEN PRIAM AND HECTOR
♦ TO UNDERSTAND WHY PRIAM’S LAMENT IS SINGULAR AND PRIVATE AND WHY
HECUBA’S LAMENT IS COMMUNAL AND PUBLIC
READ LINES 514 - 606. AS YOU READ THESE LINES, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE
♦ TO UNDERSTAND WHAT IS BEING SAID ABOUT ANDROMACHE BY HER WEAVING
♦ TO APPRECIATE THE COMPARISON THAT IS BEING MADE BY ANDROMACHE’S LOSS
OF HEADDRESS, CAP, AND CORONET
LITERATURE, CULTURE, AND THE HUMANITIES
GROSSE POINTE NORTH HIGH SCHOOL
HOMER'S THE ILIAD
DROUIN
♦
♦
TO REALIZE THE FEARS
ANDROMACHE HAS FOR ASTYANAX AS AN ORPHAN
TO STUDY ANDROMACHE’S RESPONSE TO WHAT HAS HAPPENED TO HECTOR AND
TO SEE IF HER REACTION COLORS YOUR REACTION TO ACHILLES’ ACTIONS
INTERPRETING BOOK 22:
1.
HECTOR MAKES A FATAL DECISION WHEN HE DECIDES TO STAY OUTSIDE THE SCAEAN
GATES. EXPLAIN HOW BOTH DIVINE AND HUMAN CAUSATION BRING ABOUT HIS DECISION.
SUPPORT YOUR THINKING.
2.
ON HIS GOLDEN SCALE, ZEUS PLACES TWO PORTIONS OF DEATH, ONE FOR ACHILLES AND
ONE FOR HECTOR. WHY DO YOU THINK HECTOR’S PORTION IS HEAVIER? WHAT DOES THIS
IMAGE REVEAL ABOUT THE GREEK VIEW OF DESTINY, OR, THE WAY LIFE HAS TO BE?
3. HECTOR PLEADS WITH ACHILLES NOT TO DEFILE HIS CORPSE BUT TO GIVE HIM HIS PROPER
RITE OF BURNING. WHAT DOES ACHILLES’ REFUSAL OF HECTOR’S DYING WISH SUGGEST
ABOUT ACHILLES? IN YOUR OPINION, WHAT TYPE OF MAN HAS ACHILLES BECOME?
EXPLAIN AND SUPPORT YOUR ANSWER.
4. WHAT DOES THE ACT OF DRAGGING HECTOR’S BODY SYMBOLIZE?
APPLYING BOOK 22 CONCEPTS TO A NEW SITUATION:
5. THE RITUAL OF BURIAL HELPS THE TROJANS ENDURE THE UNENDURABLE. WHAT RITUALS
DOES SOCIETY HAVE TODAY THAT HELP US BEAR HUMAN TRAGEDY?
ANALYZING LITERATURE - RECOGNIZING AND INTERPRETING EPIC SIMILES
THE ELABORATE COMPARISONS PREVALENT IN BOOK 22 OF THE ILIAD ARE EPIC SIMILES.
HOMER COMPARES CERTAIN CHARACTERS AND SITUATIONS IN THE ILIAD TO OBJECTS OR
OCCURRENCES THAT HIS AUDIENCE IS FAMILIAR WITH, THUS DRAWING THEM INTO THE
EXPERIENCE OF THE POEM. HOMERIC SIMILES ENABLE BOTH ANCIENT AND MODERN AUDIENCES
TO IDENTIFY WITH THE ACTION TAKING PLACE IN THE POEM.
6. FIND THREE EPIC SIMILES IN BOOK 22. EXPLAIN THEIR COMPARISONS, AND TELL, FROM
YOUR PERSPECTIVE, HOW THEY INVITE YOU TO IDENTIFY WITH THE STORY.