Talk to Me, Baby

 Movies like "The Social Network" and "Fargo" are applauded for their dialogue. In each of these movies there are only a few different settings (The small town of Fargo, a few places around the Silicon Valley), so the dialogue plays a more important role than the events and actions that are actually taking place. Effective and descriptive dialogue is crucial for character development, helping the story run smoothly, and to understand the feelings of each character.

 Similarly, Homer uses dialogue throughout the Iliad to help people, like me, understand what is going on, follow along with the hundred different characters (it seems), and infer what they are feeling and thinking about the events.

 Throughout the story there are strong examples of dialogue between characters. For example, in the beginning, Achilles talks with the gods. Through their words alone you understand the interaction that is taking place, what each character feels toward the others, the motives of each party, and learn about each of the characters involved. This is great rhetoric as it accomplishes the movement of the story as well as draws the reader into the situation. As Jon B pointed out in his blog post, the characters are very persuasive in their dialogue to get what they want.

 The effective use of dialogue also establishes a vivid depiction which tells the story instead of simply stating what happened. This was especially important during the time of Homer because they would only tell the story by word of mouth. It makes the characters relatable when they have realistic traits and feelings. Memorizing a collection of facts and events is a lot easier when there are different voices, tones, and names to segment it. It is easy to see why the Iliad is still used today for literary purposes. With the many uses of dialogue and numerous other rhetorical devices, it isn't hard to accept it as a classic.