Iliad Today

The writing this section of the Iliad is littered with rhetoric. As Jon B mentioned from the very beginning to the very end there is persuasion. In the beginning King Agamemnon receives a lying message telling him to go fight Troy. He suspects trickery because of the Jove’s lack of Ethos (or credibility), Agamemnon assumes he is lying. So the rhetoric in the dream fails.

(King Agamemnon)

King Agamemnon uses many rhetorical tools to help him win over the hearts of the people. First of all his timing couldn’t be better. He’s trying to convince them of something that they already want to do, GO HOME. With a little emotional appeal (pathos) drawing on the loss of their friends as well as their lonely families back home he quickly convinces everyone to retreat.

The tides change when Ulysses is convinced by Minerva to stay and fight. Minerva argument is very convincing. She even starts out by complementing Ulysses. Once again her Kairos couldn’t be better. She comes to Ulysses when he is upset about the idea of leaving the fight behind and he quickly is reeled in.

Ulysses then convinces everyone including King Agamemnon to fight Troy. He even addresses a counterargument brought up by King Agamemnon. King Agamemnon said they should go home to their wives and families but Ulysses convinces them that they can’t go home empty handed after being away for nine years, they must fight (284).

The Kairos throughout is impeccable. How does this Kairos apply to us today? As a student or a parent or human being in general, you have many different points of view pulling you one way or another. We can learn from this story that perhaps some of these pulls are as in the Iliad, lying messages. At some point you have to choose which persuasion to follow. Make a good choice. 

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