Tuesday, December 6, 2011

Black Ships Before Troy - Part II

Respond to the following question about your reading of Black Ships Before Troy (pages 40 - 91) by Friday, December 9.  First respond to the question, then respond to at least one other student's commentary.

Question:  Is Achilles strong or is he weak?  Make sure to use lots of evidence to support your answer.

95 comments:

Charlie H. said...

I think that Achilles is physically strong, and mentally strong. I thnk he is physically strong because it says that he slaughtered men, and you could not do that if you weren't even able to hold a sword. I think that he is mentally strong because once he gets a strong feeling, he doesn't let go of it easily. For example, when the girl Breis (or something like that) gets taken from him, he says that he won't fight anymore, and he doesn't back away from that, even when the girl is given back to him, along with other gifts. That is an example of mental strength because it means that he doesn't give in to pressure and he stays firn with his ideas and beliefs.

Lindy Pittman said...

I agree with Charlie completely because Achilles doesn't back down and he said he wouldn't.

Anonymous said...

I think that achilles is strong all around becausse on the battle feild he is almost invincable (because he was dipped in the river styx)and he has such a desire to avenge his friends death. also off the battle feild he is strong because when he makes a choice he usally sticks to it like when Bresis is taken away from he vows not to fight anymore. Achilles also has weaknesses, when his friends die he cries like a baby, so he is weak to loss and defeat.

Bryan Gilbertson

Anonymous said...

I think that Ahilles is also all around srong.I think this because no other man or women in this book was invinble(except for his achilles heel). He became invincble when his mother dipped him in the River Styx by his achilles. I also think he is strong because in the book he would stop at nothing to avenge his friends death(Patroclus), and it said he slaughtered men doing so. Also Achilles is mentally strong because all of the people sent him gifts to try to get him to fight for their army, but he said he wouldnt fight, and still he has not foughten since then.

Anonymous said...

sorry again i messed up. that last comment was Matthew White

Anonymous said...

Bryan, I agree with you on everything of what you said.I like how you gave examples form the text, it really helped te meaning of your comment stand out.
Matthew white

Connor F said...

First of all, Achilles is just an all around beast. Coming with this is obviously strength. He seems both physically and mentally strong, shown throughout the story. A good example of this would be him slaying seemingly hundreds of Trojans, and an example of his mental strength can be described by the way he refuses the gifts of Agammemnon, despite the glorious offerings. He does what he sets his mind to, and nothing will ever change his will or his word.

Connor F said...

Matthew,
I agree with basically everything you said. I like how you said that he sticks to his word no matter what and also gave examples. When you used some of the text in you writing it helped me understand what you were trying to say better. Achilles has a strong mind set and frame set, so I'm pretty sure he's pretty good as far as skill.

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is definently strong physically and fairly strong mentally. I think he is strong mentally because he can hold his own opinion even when they offer him treasures. Such as when King Menalaus takes his girl, Briseis, and then he doesn't fight for him even when he offers her back along with other treasures. He always has a reason to make the choices that he makes and he sticks to them. He is also physically a beast. He is invincible except in his heel, which is therefore named Achilles Heel. So when he is in battle he kills a lot of people because of his absolute strength

Anonymous said...

That was JV last one

Anonymous said...

To COnnor F
Your answers are exactly the same as mine. I agree with everything you said.
JV

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is strong because it says that he was invincible(except for his ankle) and is amazing in battle. Everyone on the opposing side is scared of him. Also, he is very strong-willed because even when the king asks for forgiveness for taking away Breis and being rude he sticks to his feelings. Even when his best friends come to talk to him, he still won't give in and start fighting. I think all these things show that he is strong both physically and mentally.
-Margaret L.

Anonymous said...

I agree with Matt, because everything he said is right in the book and makes sense. I also liked how he said that he wanted to avenge Patroclus's death and would stop at nothing to do so. He gave good examples.
-Margaret L.

Grant A said...

I think that Achilles is completely strong in all ways. He is strong in his strength, because his mother dipped him in the River Styx making him invincible except for his heel. He is also strong in pride, because he did not fight until the king forgave him and the other best fighters were gone. I also think that Achilles was strong, because he wouldn’t stop until Patroclus was avenged.
Grant A.

Anonymous said...

Achilles is strong both mentally and physically. To be able to turn on his king and not fight takes a lot of courage. Also he fought really hard when he heard of Patroclus's death and in his mind he never gives up. Also, he was dipped in the river styx which made him almost invincible, just not his ankles. He is always fighting super hard and getting stronger every battle because he knows that it is almost impossible to die. Even though Achilles is incredibly strong he has some weaknesses as well. When his wife was taken from him he made a big deal about it (even though it wasn't the nicest thing) but still it shows that he doesn't care that much about his people in the war. I think that Achilles is a very strong person and his strengths can often cover his weaknesses.
Lark

Anonymous said...

Margaret,
I like what you said about him being strong-willed because he does not forgive the king even when his friends go and talk to him. I agree that that is a strength but I also think that is also a little bit of a weakness. It shows that he is a person who doesn't let things go and doesn't easily forgive. Also, he doesn't go back and help all the suffering people that he could know really well and it kind of makes his seem like he only cares about himself. Besides that fact I also think Achilles is a very strong person.
Lark

Grant A said...

Matt W.
I also completely agree with what Matt said and he had some great examples. Another reason I agree with Matt is because everything he said made sense and is along with what the book said. I also liked how he said he was mentally strong. So basically I think that you are absolutely correct. Grant A.

Jack Starkey said...

Achilles is very physically strong. He proves this when his friend, Patroclus is killed, he avenges his death very quickly. After waiting for his mother to get him his new armour, he sets out and finishes Hector. Achilles never gives up and kills him. I also think he is mentally strong, for the most part. When Hector asked to be buried with honor, Achilles just disregards it because he is mad about Patroclus dying. He doesnt show any mercy at all especially after Hector is dead. He cut through Hectors ankles, behind the tendon that runs from his heel to his calf, and put oxhide through the holes that he made. Then he tied the oxhide onto his chariot and rode away while Hector was being dragged behind it. Both of those things show that his mind might be a bit mentally weak because he can forgive, even after hes killed Hector.

Jack Starkey

Jack Starkey said...

Margaret,
I like what you said about when his friends come and talk to him, he still wont fight. I think that is a very strong part of his character. It shows that he wont ever give up and he is strong minded. Also, you said everyone on the opposing side is scared of him and thats very true. When Patroclus dressed up as Achilles, everyone feared him even though it wasnt him.


Jack Starkey

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is strong, Both mentally and phisicaly. He kept that grudge for a long time, even when they gave him Briseus and other gifts. He is phisically strong because he has trained all is life and is basically invincible. He slays many men.
Will Firestone

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is both physically and mentally strong. He is physically strong because he easily kills many Trojan soldiers while fighting. Another place that shows Achilles physical strength is when he defeats Hector who is Troy's best fighter. I also think that he was mentally strong because he is strong enough to refuse gifts from Agamemnon. Another example of Achilles being mentally strong is when he keeps refusing to fight for the Greeks until his friend is killed. I think that throughout the story Achilles has showed how strong he is physically and mentally.
Nikki

Anonymous said...

Margaret
I agree with what you said in your comment. I liked when you said that that he didn’t even start fighting when his best friend asked him to. I think that it helps show how mentally strong he is because although it might have been easy for him to refuse Agamemnon because he didn’t like him it shows a lot of mental strength when he refuses a close friend. I really liked your post because I think that it shows just how strong Achilles really is.
Nikki

Anonymous said...

Connor F.
I agree with you, and of course he is a beast, his name makes him sound like a beast even if you didn'tknow who he was! I liked how you used details from the story to suport your theory that he was all around strong.

Bryan Gilbertson

Anonymous said...

Connor,
We basically said the same thing just worded differently. I agree with you.
Will Firestone

Melissa Requist said...

I think that Achilles is strong phisically, but not mentally. He is obviously a strong warrior, or else the Greek army would not be so insistent on having him on their side. Also, since he was dipped in the river that made him unable to be harmed, he is very strong because nothing can hurt him. However, I think that he is not mentally strong because when Briseis is taken away from him, he gives up and won't fight. another example is how he drags the body of the guy who killed his friend around his friend's grave. this barbaric action does not show strength, it shows weakness because he feels like he needs revenge and is not strong enough to get over it.
Melissa requist

Melissa Requist said...

Nikki-
I understand your point, and that does show considerable mental strength to wait until he gets what he wants, but I think that he should have kept fighting because he can find another girl, but there isn't going to be another war that he could possibly end by fighting and contributing to one side ir the other.
Melissa Requist

Melissa Requist said...

JV-
I think that yes, Achilles may be very good in war and can kill a lot of people, but I think he might not be as strong as people believe because when Patrocolus dressed in Achilles armor, everyone thought it was Achilles, which means they must be about equall at fighting so I think Achilles just has more fame but isn't necessarily better.
Melissa Requist

Logan Sankey said...

I think that Achilles is very strong phisically because he can't be harmed by anything (except for on his ankle and for his fatal flaw) he can kill tons of people by himself so that shows that he is very strong, but his strength comes from the fact that he was bathed in the river Styx. I also think that he is mentally strong because he can stand with his opinions and choices no matter what, but I also think that that makes him weak because he is too proud sometimes. If he can't forgive even his friends then he won't be able to accept help. I think that although he can be strong some of the things that make him strong also make him weak like his unforgivingness. When he dragged Hector off of his chariot it seemed very unneccisary and a waste of his strength. All in all though, I think that Achilles is a very strong person.

Logan Sankey said...

that last one was Logan S.

Logan Sankey said...

Grant,
I agree with you that Achilles is very strong and that it shows very strong character that he wouldn't give in to what others were trying to force him into, but I also think that it shows a bit of stupidity on his part because he didn't think about how his choices were going to effect others, and if he did think about that he had no regard for the lives he could've saved if he put down his pride.
Logan S.

Anonymous said...

I think Achilles is both strong and weak. He is physicaly able to do many great things. Emotionaly though he is weak. The death of his friend put him on a rampadge and caused him to drag the slain body of Hector behind his charriot. This shows his mental unbalence. He is also stubborn and that is why his friend died in the first place. He died because Achilles is to proud and stubborn to accept the gifts from the High King. He should have taken the things and gone into battle. Then the story might be very different.

Anonymous said...

The last one was by Cole G.

Anonymous said...

Jack S,
I toatally agree that Achilles has incredible physical strength. His mental strength though is much less strong. He may only have dragged Hector around because he was mad but still it was disrespectful to Hector. This shows that he is no in control of his emotions.

Cole G.

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is physically strong, but not nrccessarily the sharpest knife in the drawer because he was willing to let hundreds of people die just because of his stupid pride. He should have continued to fight and figured out his issues later. Of course, Achilles is physically strong because he is like the best warrior in the world. He really needs to work on his mental issues though, he would be a much better person if he did.

TESS RICHEY

Anonymous said...

Melissa,

You're right I totally agree that Achilles is a physically strong person but he is not mentally. When he dragged around Hector, that was definetly a sign of weakness, not strength he needs to figure somethings out in order to be the best fighter he can.

TESS RICHEY

Peter said...

I think Achilles is physiacaly strong, and slightly mantaly strong. He is physically strong, because he has killed alot of men, and fought many battles. I think he is only slightly mentaly strong, beacause thinking back to the begining, he kind of acted like a child, when The High King took his girl.
~Peter R.

Peter said...

Never Mind about what I said earlier, I agree with Charlie.
~Peter R.

Anonymous said...

Lark

I dont agree with you. Yes achilles is string in battle, but I don't think he acted very strong when Patroclus died, when Achilles was informed that Patroclus died he seamed very weak dnd frail, because he was throwing ashes and dird on himself until the mesenger thought he would die.
Achilles is mostly strong but still has weak spots.

Nolan Sankey

Anonymous said...

Question.2

I think that Achilles is both strong and weak, he is very strong wile out in battle, like when he was fighting Hector he was using everything and all the strength he had, and he won. He is also sometimes not as strong as he could be, and is weak. Achilles is weak when he realizes that Patroclus is dead, he feels weak and frail after knowing that someone who was like a brother to him died. you can tell this, because when Achilles is told of Patroclus' death he "flung himself facedown beside the hearth-fire, and threw ashes and dust over the brightness of his hair." If Achilles is going to survive this battle he will have to become stronger than he is.

Nolan Sankey

Esther DelliQuadri said...

I think that Achilles is strong both mentally and physically because the book says that he slaughtered men and you have to be strong enough to lift the sword and kill them. Also, you mentally have to be strong so you would have enough courage to not chicken out.

Esther DelliQuadri said...

Jack Starkey,
I agree with you completely that he is very strong because when is friend is killed he gets over it quickly.

Anna Skubiz :) said...

I do think Achilles is strong. He has courage and will fight anyone. He does have an advantage to being physically strong,since he was dipped in the river Styx by his mother. That made him practically invincable. Him Killing hundreds of Trojans is pretty impressive as well. When he sets his mind to something he will go through with it. Even when offered many treasures he still didnt change his mind. Mentally being able to watch the death of his friend and fight back, thats strength.

Surina Techarukpong said...

I think that Achilles is physically strong, but not mentally. He is physically strong because he was dipped in the river Styx when he was a toddler. Thus allows him to be "invincible" in battle, except for his heel. I dont think he is mentally strong because he lets little things get to him. For example when he wouldn't fight because he didn't have Briseis. I think this is a sign of weakness because he is letting a girl get in between the battle.

Surina T.

Surina Techarukpong said...

Tess,
I completely agree with you. I don't neccasraily think that he would be a better person if it weren't for his pride. BUt, I do think that that would help! otherwise i agree with you about everything else.

Surina Techarukpong

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is physically strong and mentally strong. He is physically strong, because he is the strongest man alive, and he is invincible(except his ankel). He is mentally strong because he will stop at nothing to avenge Patroclus' death. He is mentally strong also because he is firm about his beliefs and doesn't back down.

Maura G.

Anonymous said...

Anna,
I agree completely with you. I agree because he is obviously strong physically, and he is strong mentally because he doesn't back down or change his mind.

Maura G.

Anonymous said...

i think Achilles is physically stron and mentally strong. He is phsyically strong because he was dipped in the river styx and he slauters people. He is mentally strong beacause When he gets a strong felling he soesn't let go of it and when he puts his mind to something he accomplishes it.
-Gillian <3

Anonymous said...

Charlie,
I agree completely with you. I also said he was both mentally and physicaly strong. He puts effort into what he wants to accomplish.
-Gillian

Anonymous said...

I disagree with most of my classmates responses. I think Achilles is weak. Firstly, I think it is easier to to hold a grudge than to forgive. As you know Achilles does not forgive the "High King" when he offers to make amends over the woman he took from Achilles. Another reason I think Achilles is weak is because he does not have to work hard during battle;he is virtulally invincable. Without his invinciblity Achilles would ot be as successful of a war-hero.
Meg Anderson

Anonymous said...

Logan,
When you said,
"I also think that he is mentally strong because he can stand with his opinions and choices no matter what, but I also think that that makes him weak because he is too proud sometimes."

that made me rethink my answer but I totally agree with you. Yes, its true Achillles is a headstrong man, and that can be both an advantage and a disadvanage in his case. If he could get over being proud and was stubborn about, for example, fighting, it could be a huge help.
Meg

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is so strong that his aura actually demands respect. If he is not shown respect, like if someone takes his prize away he will leave the war, and refuse to fight until he is righted. he is also strong because, if he wasn't, how would he haul around his armor, or swing his sword. his mother supposedly dipped him in the river Styx to make him immortal, and only his Achilles tendon the only mortal place on his body. in conclusion, yes Achilles is very strong.
~~~Rylan Russell~~~

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is physically strong and mentally strong. He has killed men, making him physically strong. He doesn't even care about killing these men which makes him even stronger.Achilles is mentally strong because he sticks with his opinion and doesn't change his mind. He is rock solid. Overall, Achilles is a strong man.
Julia Wong

Anonymous said...

Dear Gillian,
I agree with you completely. I thought the exact same thing as you. Achilles definitely sticks to his word like you said. We have the exact same ideas, haha.
Julia Wong

Anonymous said...

Cole G.
I totally agree with you. I don't know why I didn't think about how he goes on a rampage to avenge his friends.
~~~Rylan Russell~~~

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is mentaly and physicly strong. I think he is physicly strong because he deffeats many trojand ant the greeks wouldn't have gone such leingths to get him to fight with him. He is mentaly strong because he sticks to word when he said that he wouldn't fight anymore after brises iis taken away from him. Achillies is all around strong.
Mea Fisher

Anonymous said...

Julia
I totaly agree with everything you said about him being both physicly and mentaly strong
Mea Fisher

Anonymous said...

If you think about it, Achilles is strong but also weak in different ways. Achilles is physically strong, for he is tough and has killed many men in battle, and he has also been dipped in the River Styx, which is saying something. He is one of the Greek leaders, and he wears sophisticated armor, which says that he has a great deal of experience in battle. He also has a a great desire to avenge Patroclus. But you can also take the avenging Patroclus as a mental weakness because I think that he took the killing Hector thing a little far. I mean, he could have just killed him, gotten over it, and moved on. He didn't have to strap him to his chariot and drag him around just for the fun of it. A mentally strong person grieves for a little while, but then moves on, which is the exact opposite of what Achilles is doing. So as you can see, Achilles is a physically strong person but a mentally weak person, too.
-Andrew McCawley

Anonymous said...

Nolan Sankey,
I agree with you when you said that Achilles is physically strong in the battlefield but mentally weak and frail when Patroclus dies. I think that he took the killing Hector thing a little seriously instead of forgiving him because it is easier to hold a grudge than to forgive.
-Andrew McCawley

Anonymous said...

Achilles is both strong and weak. He is physically strong because he was dipped in the Styx River when he was young. Not to mention, he had all of those years of training with Chiron in Thessaly. However, he doesn't posess emotional strength as well. He was so emotionally weak he couldn't come to forgive himself for Patroclus' death, so he went insane with revenge. Its understandable that he feels awful for Patroclus' death, it was partially his fault, but all of his anger and grief taken out on Hector showed he is not emotionally strong. He went to a new pathetic low when he bound Hectors ankles with rope and drug him behind his chariot.
Tanner S.

Anonymous said...

Ok first of all their are two types of strength. One is physicaly strength and the other is mental strength. Achilles is deffinitly physicly strong there's no questioning that. He can't be killed anyware but the ankle. But i would have to say he's not mentally strong. He avenged his friend's death, but he took it too far. He should have left the body. I don't think he's strong because of this.
Jake Crouch

Anonymous said...

Julia,
I obviously agree with you that Achilles is physically strong. Though, I don't think it makes him even stronger because he has killed men and doesn't even care about it. I think anyone could kill an enemy and not care about it. Also, I liked how instead of choosing to talk about his grief for Patroclus you talked about his other emotionally strong qualities. I do agree that he is mentally strong but only because he is confident in his opinions.
Tanner S.

Anna Skubiz :) said...

Margaret,
I agree with you. Keeping his mind set to one thing helps him become more mentally strong.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you Tanner. He is so headstrong he lets his emotions get the best of him. He belives himself to be so good that he thinks he can do whatever he wants.
Jake Crouch

patrick dillon said...

Bryan,

I agree with you on your thoughts of why Achilles is strong such as when he was dipped in the Styx river, but I also disagree because in my opinion he is weak mentally. He is strong to avenge his friend's death, but if it wasn't for him his friend would still be alive. I think that if he was strong, he would've gone into battle himself instead of putting his friend's life on the line by sending him into battle.

patrick dillon said...

I think Achilles is weak. The reason for this thought is that he sends his best friend Patroclus into battle instead of himself. It shows that he is a coward, a big enough one that he puts his closest friend's life on the line by sending him into battle instead of himself. Even though he is giving Patroclus his armor he is still relying on someone else.
Another piece of evidence I found was that to have vengeance for Patroclus, Achilles drags Hector behind his chariot where ever he goes. Obviously Achilles is mad at Hector for killing his friend patroclus, but if Achilles didn't want Patroclus dead he wouldn't have sent him out into battle like he did. A good, fair warrior wouldn't have done that much to his enemy.

erik summers said...

I think that Achilles is both very physically and mentally strong. He is obviously physically strong because he slays men with much ease and little remorse. I think he is very mentally strong because he is not fazed easily by all of the violence and war going on around him, and, like Charlie said, isn't afraid to fight for what he believes in. But, as the legend goes, he does have his Achilles heel.

Anonymous said...

I think Achilles is strong for many reasons. First, he is almost invinsible except his heel. He is also a very strong fighter and he insisted on going to the battle. He was dipped in the river Styx which makes him not able to die unless he is stapped in his heel.
NICK SIMON

erik summers said...

Patrick, I agree with how Achilles might have been overdoing it with sending his friend to fight for him and how he drags Hector in a very unceremonious manner behind his chariot, but you have to remember, its war. All's fair in love and war. I do agree with your idea for the most part though.

Anonymous said...

Jake Crouch,
I agree with you about the two types of strength, and i like what you said about his brother. It makes a lot of sense, but he is almost invinsible so I wouldn't say he's not strong.
NICK SIMON

Anonymous said...

I think Achilles is both physically and metally stong. I think he's phydically strong because he was dipped in the river styx and hes killed a lot of people. He is also mentally strong because he doesnt back down from his beleifs.

~Kaylie R

Sydney B said...

Achilles is strong hearted, strong minded and strong physically. He shows weakness however, when he cries for his friend and drags dead Hector behind his chariot because he will not forgive even after he has his revenge for his friend, Patroclus. A strong person needs to be strong to his words but also be strong enough to forgive. He never sways with his mental strenth when Agammemnon offers him Breis back for being rude along with many other treasures. He gives mercy when many his friends have been slayed, showing he is strong hearted. Achilles is very strong physically because he is almost invincible except for his heel. Overall, Achilles is very strong but along with everyone else, has his flaws.

Anonymous said...

Julia,
I agree with everything u said. Like seriously everything. And ya but just to let ya know u kinda sounded like a dork when u said he was rock solid. Cuz i kinda doubt hes THAT solid...
~Kaylie R

Sydney B said...

Tanner S,
I agree with you 100 Percent. While he is super strong physically, his mental strength is lacking. It almost seems like he can only have one emotion at a time, like when he is crazy enough about revenge to bind Hector to his chariot and drag him around . While he has had all that training and his almost invincibleness for physical, I think he needs that training and invincibleness into his mind too, because it needs some work to get where his physical strong is at.

Anonymous said...

I think he is a strong man in general. In battles it seems that he can not be killed and he is loyal to his friends in battle. He also is a man of his word. When he says he is going to do something he does not back down, and people respect him. His enemy's who are fighting him know his name and are very scared of him.
Jaxon E

Anonymous said...

Meg,
I agree with you that there is some ways that he is weak, but i disagree on how you said that he doesn't try hard because he is invincible. Even though he was dipped in the river styx he still has to work hard to become a great warrior.
Jackson ernst

Jack Craig said...

The answer to this question is obvious; Achilles is a boss who can change the tide in battle. He is very physically strong, he can carry massive shields, and only he can use his spears because they are to heavy for any other man to lift, (he was also dipped in the River Styx, so that makes him an near invincible beast). Achilles is also very mentally strong. He stands his ground and is never intimidated. When Agamemnon takes away Brises, Achilles says he won't fight until the Trojans push the Greeks back to their black ships, and even when the high king offers him women and gold, Achilles still stubbornly persists. Also, a person needs to be decently mentally tough to kill all of those people, without going insane with guilt. However, Achilles does break down from time to time, most importantly when he succumbs to his guilt for treating Hector so poorly. I do think that it was good to respect King Priam by inviting him for a feast and to end the fighting for twelve days so they can bury him. Also, in these books when it says that someone wept, I think it may sometimes just mean that they were upset, not crying.
The bottom line is Achilles is a professional monster slayer, and you can't top that (unless you're part god).

Jack Craig said...

To Surina,
I agree with you when you say that achilles can let little things get to him, but when brises was taken away, he said that he wouldn't fight, and that is a sign of mental strength.

Anonymous said...

I think Achilles is strong both mentally and physically. He is physically strong because he was diped in he river Styx and can only be hurt on his heel. He is also physically strong because he is going into battle and cutting down 100's of men. He is mentally stron because it takes slot of mental strength to just kill 100's of people like that.
Kelly Ryan

Anonymous said...

Achilles is strong on the outside, but week on the inside. he might be all built up with muscles touching the sky, but on the inside he is helpless. the text explains how he is strong,and says that even he was dipped in the river styx for his strength and power. but on the inside, he is desperately trying to find love and friendship. i know this because in the story, Achilles was so sad when his friend got killed, that when he slaughtered the man who killed his friend, (with his outside muscular strength) he was so angry at him that he just killed people for no reason, gave the dead man no proper burial, and even drug the mans body behind is chariot. all this was from feeling hopeless and incomplete. strong on the outside, weak on the inside.
Joe DeLine

Anonymous said...

surina,
i agree with what you said. we both thought that he was strong on the outside, but week everywhere else. i totally agree with what your comment has to say, and i think it is well said.
Joe DeLine

Anonymous said...

Charlie,
I totally agree win what you said about him being physically and mentally strong be quart takes some one that is strong in both ways to go into battle.
Kelly Ryan

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is physically strong and mostly mentally strong. He is physically strong because he slaughters many men and is invunerable. He is mentally strong because he refuses to fight unless the greeks make amends. He does have some mental weakness becase he got to focoused on trying to avenge Patroclus.
MAX

Anonymous said...

I belive Achilles is very strong. I belive he is strong because he slaughtered men and was said to of been dipped in the River Styx so, he is naerly invincible. I thought in was interesting how the story told on how Achilles became invinsible. He is not only physically strong gut also mentally strong because he says he will stop fighting when the girl Breis is taken away from him.

Sydney Shelton

Anonymous said...

Peter R.,
You talked about how Achilles acted sort of like a baby and I dissagree with what you said. Everyone must act selfish and sad at one point or another and Achilles eventually pulled through.
Sydney Shelton

Anonymous said...

Charlie, I agree with your comment completely.I feel that he is also both mentally and physically strong, However I predict that he will fight in the end even though it says he will not. Besides that, I totally agree with your comment.
Scott Brown

Anonymous said...

I think that Achilles is both mentally and physically strong so far in the book. I think he is physically tong because he is almost invincible, and it said in the text that he slaughtered men. I feel that he is physically stung because even when the people of his town gave him gifts, he didn't fight and he has stuck with this decision so far. However I feel that later in the book he will fight because someone will convince him to, or because he wants to avenge Patroclus' death even more then he had allready done. I conclude that Achilles is all around strong.
Scott Brown

Channing Conner said...

I think that Achilles is strong every category because he doesn't give up on something no matter how hard it is. He goes to his goal until it is done. He is also physically strong because he has killed many men and it takes a lot of strength to overcome the power of one man imagine hundreds. He also takes really hard blows and stays up on his feet.
Channing C.

Channing Conner said...

Charlie H
I agree with you because you are right about how he doesn't give into pressure and he stays put on what he says is right.
Channing C

Channing Conner said...

Connor F
I totally agree with you on how Achilles is just a total beast because he demolished hundreds of trojans and I like how you gave an example.
Channing C

Anonymous said...

Achilles not only has a mind of steel, he is also strong as an ox, and is pretty much unstoppable. He is strong and unstoppable because on the battle field all he does is destroy and sluaghter men. Being dipped in the River Styx gives him only one point of weekness, his heel, so unless someone gets lucky and stabs his heel, he will never be brought down. Achilles is mentally strong because when he makes a decision there isnt a single thing that will change his mind. For example, when Briseis is taken away from him he refuses to fight even when Agamemnon sends Ajax and Odysseus to plea Achilles to come back. So overall achilles is the ultimate warior, srtong mentally and strong physically!
Will McConnell

Anonymous said...

Dear Joe D.,
I'm sorry to say but I disagree with you. I believe he is mentally strong not mentally weak. I mean think about it if your best friend was killed would you just sit around and do nothing, NO! You would want to take revenge on the man who killed him. Even though he swore not fight until the enemy was breathing down his neck, you have to admit it took alot for him to go back on his vow. He didn't get up to fight until his best friend was killed!
Will McConnell

Anonymous said...

Kelly- I agree with you on the fact that he is physically strong but I mostly disagree where you say that he is mentally strong. It does take a lot of mental strength to kill that many men but he also killed them because he was grieving his friend causing him to be reckless.
MAX

Anonymous said...

Joe- I completely agree. Achilles was the strongest man on the battlefield because he was dipped in the Styx. At the same time he is the weakest man because he is mentally unstable.
MAX

Lindy Pittman said...

I believe Achilles is mentally weak and physically strong. He is mentally weak since he abandons his people even thought they are dying just because somebody took his girlfriend and the king tried to make it up to him, but Achilles wouldn't listen. He is physically strong since he can easily kill many men and wear a bunch of armor all day.

Lindy Pittman said...

Charlie,
I agree with you on the physical aspect, but not on the mental aspect. Achilles may be able to kill many men, but he can't handle his friends death and becomes reckless and isn't careful and that is how he dies.