Journal of Student Research 2014

Homer in Contemporary Warfare

seen battle cannot comprehend. Soldiers never forget battle. Yet beyond the trauma of war, there is a sense of light. Families and citizens who have never met band together to support troops overseas, soldiers voluntarily sacrifice everything to protect the people they love, and amidst it all there is a sense of hope for a better future. While war is terrible, it teaches us about not only the resilience of humanity, but also about the connection between brothers, the fierce protection for those we love, and above all, the honor that humanity can still possess even in our darkest hours. The themes used by Homer in the Iliad are able to lay the foundations for warfare that we still use as a framework for analyzing battle today. By observing the events that lead to the attaining of arête , investigating the cultural alteration of the Greek themes timê and kleos , and understanding the dialectical nature of war one cannot deny the connections between the two models. And though there is a cultural divergence between the two models, it is undeniable that the honor presented by Homer in the Iliad is still prevalent among the soldiers who fight today. Works Cited “aristeia.” Encyclo. Online Encyclopedia, n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. Beck, William. “Kleos” The Homer Encyclopedia . Hoboken: Wiley, 2011. Credo Reference. Web. 1 Oct. 2013. Cairns, Douglas. “Honor (Timê)” The Homer Encyclopedia . Hoboken: Wiley, 2011. Credo Reference. Web. 17 Oct 2013. Fuhrer, Lance. “ Homer ”. Arête: The Greek Way. Web. 9 February 2013. Homer. “Iliad”. Barnes & Noble Classics (1-439). Trans. Ennis Rees. New York: Barnes & Noble Books, 2005. Print. Homer. “Iliad”. The Norton Anthology of World Literature (120- 225). Trans. Sarah Lawall and Maynard Mack. New York: Norton, 2002. Print. McCall, Lance Cpl. John M. “Honorable Acts.” Marines Magazine Online . Bates Creative Group, 2009. Web. 9 February 2013. Sterner, Doug. “Valor Awards”. Military Times Online . Gannett, 2014. Web. 9 February 2013.

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