The second book of the Iliad begins with an interesting
line: “Jove was wakeful, for he was thinking how to do honour to Achilles”
(lines 2-3). The all-powerful god
pondering over how to help a demigod who was living among mere mortals? Jove must not have understood how the chain
of command works. It goes from top to
bottom. Our leaders and professors
motivate us, which has led to the creation of company meetings and corny
slogans. Persuasion is always from the
top down.
However,
multiple times throughout the text, the Greeks appeal to the gods for aid. For example, Agamemnon sacrifices a bull to
Saturn before reengaging with Troy in line 403.
Now, the Greeks weren’t always successful in enlisting the help of the
more powerful beings, but usually they were.
How did they do it? As Maren said
in her post, half the battle is knowing who your audience is. The Greeks certainly knew to whom they had to
cater. Sacrifices, praises, and favors
were all given to satisfy the gods’ hubris, or pride. The Greek gods were potent, but not perfect,
and their faults (usually involving a lack of humility) allowed their
allegiances to be shifted to those who knew how to persuade them. Too many times we think of persuasion as a
grassroots movement. We, like Ulysses,
persuade the populace around us. But
persuasion is just as much about convincing the upper echelons of society as it
is the masses. We ask for more time for
homework from our teachers or for a raise from our bosses. In our society, this type of persuasion has
the stigma of sucking-up or brown-nosing.
But we should learn a lesson from the Greeks. Next time, we just may receive heaven’s help.
One reason why I think this whole persuasion upwards principle is hard to understand is because it hinges upon mercy. The gods had mercy on the Greeks in their pleadings because they saw some good in them, favored them, etc. Mercy in my mind is one of the most potent motivators that higher-ups have to acquiesce to the wishes of underlings.
ReplyDeleteI like this thought a lot because sometimes it seems like the only think the Gods got going for them is the fact that their all powerful. Other than that it does seem like sometimes the humans are the ones running the show. Kinda inverse of what it should be if you ask me.
ReplyDeleteI like how you remove the stigma of appealing to higher power. Too often, we either shut up when the boss comes around, or we delegate to those below us. We don't really know how to ask for help, especially from those above us on the ladder.
ReplyDeleteI got the impression that Jove did understand the hierarchy. He sent a dream to Agamemnon because he knew that he would be able to persuade Nestor and the rest to change their battle plan. But I can see why it may seem weird to see Jove trying to please Achilles.
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