1.
In what way does Priam challenge Fate/Chance/The Gods through
what he says?
2.
On pages 66-71 Priam describes the contrast between his Kingly
self as a child and “the smell of the
slave’s life.” (page 69) The language is simple and direct yet brutal and
confronting. Explain why this is effective and how does it make us feel?
3.
From this section, what traits of being a 'hero' does Priam exhibit? Give quotations from pages 49-79 to prove your response. (I'd choose good quotes here...it will come back to help you...techniques, techniques, techniques...)
M
Question 1: Priam Challenges fate through his words as “words are powerful.” When he talks about chance, he is challenging the gods in control of his life and actions. He is talking of having control over his actions that the gods did not orchestrate, almost in an act of defiance. This could of course could cause panic and riots, as people would do what they want, thinking they could defy The Gods in their actions. He is challenging and defying what The Gods would orchestrate, actions of life itself. He is taking it to the chance of mortals, to take action into his own hands, without The Gods doing it. He is returned to his palace after his experience as a slave, and returns from a possible death, and The Gods have granted him a “second breath.” However he feels like a “doubted king” and wants to take a stand against The Gods and show himself as something that has grown from that day and learnt from his brush with death. So he takes action to deliver a ransom for his son back, without the almighty deciding it.
ReplyDeleteQuestion 2: The words are so brutal and confronting, so they are straight to the point he is making. We fell sorry for the would be king, who is plucked from his pleasured life to one of misery and suffering. We feel bad because he so easily could of gone down that path if not for his sister, Hesione. Even then, sixty years after the event, he still clearly sees the horrible fate he could have been a victim of, and in many ways he did. As the demi-god, Heracles takes his name away and replaces it with another to constantly remind him of the fate he escaped. He would no longer be Podarces, but Priam. Back in the palace, we see Priam as a pampered little prince of his father’s court, where he was “never more then twenty paces from his nurse or some watchful steward, the pet of his mother’s maidservants.” Slaves no longer approach on “bent knees offering a pile of shelled walnuts in a silver salver”, and he no longer wore the finest cotton or silk. He was covered in waste to hide the smell of herbs; he was then dressed in a wreck of clothes, and pressed in with others like him. He had to cling to the slave smell and hope it clang to him to survive. He describes the road to the slaves life as “waiting in the dust, a road, narrow, white, winding off across the plain, dwindling away into smoky haze.” He fears this road, and this different, horrible life to his one in the palace. When he is returned to his palace life, he is challenging his second chance in the world as he, the king, had his second breathe. He feels he was given this second chance because The Gods “After playing with him a little, and showing him what it was in their power to do, The Gods had relented”. They had allowed him “in their high-handed, half-interested way, to cough up his bit of wine-soaked poppy-cake.” He feels the palace he had returned to and the world he came back to was in “a ghostly way”. This descriptive metaphor shows what he is feeling, and how he has reacted to what had happened to him.
Question 3: Priam does show some attributes of a hero in this section, however not many. He is a wise old king, who has presented himself as nothing but his true self of his years of ruling. This is a very kingly, heroic act. He shows great bravery and courage as well, another very heroic trait. His heroic traits are put into action when he decides to be “plainly dressed in a white robe and with none of the signs of kingship upon him, no amulet, no armband or any other sort of regalia.” To go in on a simple cart, drawn by two black mules and a cart man, with the cart filled with the better part of his treasury to ransom the body of his son back. To do this, he is showing great courage and bravery. This is not usual a usual thing for him to talk about, and we notice this with the fierceness of his voice and plan when telling it to his wife, Hecuba. When she tries to stop him from talking he says, “No, no, my dear,’ he insists, ‘I am not finished,’ and the firmness of this, which is unusual, makes her pause.” He is firm on his plan, and will not be stopped. He foreshadows his adventure and bravery of his trip when he and Hecuba are arguing about his adventure to the Greek camp. Hecuba points out, who is to stop him getting killed on his trip, “his grey hairs?” This metaphor is Hecuba trying to show Priam the dangers of his adventure, and her desperately trying to talk him out of it. He foreshadows his protection on his crusade when he says, “No,’ he admits. ‘But the gods might.” Later in the story, he is indeed protected and led by the god Hermes across the river and to the Greek Camp. Priam also shows the initiative of a hero when he is but a boy, facing death and using his wits, hiding in groups, shying away from other lords, not attracting attention to himself, and covering waste all over him to get rid of the smell of herbs and spices from the palace he was taken from. However Priam isn’t an epic hero or a tragic hero. He hasn’t always shown the classic characteristics of a hero, however in his own way, and in the ways he can, he has become a hero. A hero of the people of Troy, whom he always looks strong for. He try’s to look his best at all times, not “yawning” or “in his old age, a hand shaking.” Priam is a hero in the ways he can be, and becomes more of a hero when he makes his crusade for the body of his son.
ReplyDelete1. Priam directly challenges The God’s and their power when he says, “…there might be another way of naming what we call fortune and attribute to the will, or the whim, of the gods.” It is evident that Priam doubts the significance of Gods in gaining a positive fate, and instead, calls it chance. The fact that he depends on chance, rather than the Gods shows the faith he has lost due to the death of his son. Some context that emphasizes the blasphemy of this idea is that Greeks of that time blindly worshipped the Gods and didn’t even consider challenging their power.
ReplyDelete2. Priam’s life as King strongly contradicts the circumstances he grew up in as a child. Although now he lives in prosperity and possesses great wealth, his childhood as a slave was poor and disgusting. “The smell of the slave life” is a metaphor that depicts the impact of the slave life had on him in that it will never run off. It gives us perspective of how he grew up and realize how much his life is affected by this.
3.
“Because we are Kings? What I do is what any man might do.”
“But what seems foolish is just what is most sensible sometimes.”
“It is possible because it is not possible.
“What he intends to do is what he must do.”
1.
ReplyDeletePriam challenges Fate/Chance and the gods through what he says because back then in that time the gods controlled fate and chance. “We must leave that to the gods. Or to chance.” Priam challenges this because he is saying that the gods and chance are controlled by two different things when actually they aren’t. Challenging the gods is extremely dangerous. Even just saying it out loud. “She wishes she had misheard. Words are powerful.” His challenge to the gods is shown more directly as he says: “there might be another way of naming what we call fortune and attribute to the will, or the whim, of the gods.”
2.
The language is very effective because rather than trying to be complex David Malouf has but it simply but it is very upfront and direct. This is effective because we become interested in what happened to King Priam while he was a child and we want to know more of how he almost became a slave. “the smell of the slave’s life I was being dragged away to.” It makes us feel disgusted because Malouf uses repetition about the smell of the slaves and just how horrible it was. It also makes us feel sad and a bit sorry for Priam because he had to suffer these things. He still suffers these things and he can never escape them. “it will be all around me. Foul, close.” Priam has flashbacks to the time when he almost took on the life of a slave, it has affected him a lot. Even sixty years after the event he is still troubled and disturbed by how close he came to leading an entirely different, harder life. He would be on that path if it wasn’t due to his sister, Hesione and her love for him. He is extremely lucky that his sister was with a demi-god, Heracles, who had promised Hesione a gift of her choosing. “I promised you your choice. If this is what you choose, take him.”
3.
Priam shows certain traits of being a hero in this section of the book. These traits are: intelligence, strong-willed and he is courageous. He shows his intelligence when he is a young boy and is almost taken on to the slave path of life. We do not get a very good idea of what is going on but I think that he is in danger because of his royal birth, which is why he has smartly placed himself amongst the slave children and adopted their smell so it is harder to recognise him. “I am just one more slave-thing like the rest.” He shows that he is strong-willed when he knows what he must do to get his beloved Hector back from Achilles. “What he intends to do is what he must do.” Priam is talking about how he must strip himself of all his regalia and adopt the act of being a humble old man who is wandering around on a chariot. King Priam shows that he is courageous when he accepts the fact that he must debate with Achilles face-to-face and also when he challenges the gods about his fate on the journey to the Greek camp. “plainly dressed and with no attendant but a driver for the cart…two old men in a cart laden with gold.” He shows that he is brave and courageous, two tacts of being a hero, when he says that he will go to ransom with Achilles and beg if he must.
Q1. In what way does Priam challenge Fate/Chance/The Gods through what he says?
ReplyDeletePriam challenges Fate, chance and the gods as he is saying that the Gods may not control everything and you have to create a path for yourself. “We must leave that to the gods. Or to chance.” Challenging the Gods is a very bold move as it is widely regarded that the Gods are always listening and are in control of everything and do not take kindly to defiance. “there might be another way of naming what we call fortune and attribute to the will, or the whim, of the gods.”
Q2. On pages 66-71 Priam describes the contrast between his Kingly self as a child and “the smell of the slave’s life.” (page 69) The language is simple and direct yet brutal and confronting. Explain why this is effective and how does it make us feel?
Priam describes the contrast between his Kingly self as a child as a slave child through simple and very effective language. through the quote :the smell of the slave's life" Malouf language is simple yet brutal and confronting. This language used is very effective as it is upfront and tells us just how it was rather than complex and dragged out. It is also effective as Priam is telling us this 60 years later which shows just how scarring and important it was to him. This has a very strong effect on us as we completely understand what Priam felt and went through and it is made relatable so we feel empathy and compassion for Priam.
Q3. From this section, what traits of being a 'hero' does Priam exhibit? Give quotations from pages 49-79 to prove your response. (I'd choose good quotes here...it will come back to help you...techniques, techniques, techniques...)
“cut this knot that we are all tied in”
“To take on the lighter bond of being simply a man.”
"He feels bold not, defiant. Sure of his decision. If he is to face Hecuba and prevail, he has to be."
Priam does so as he being the leader of Troy and a God to his people, is defying what the try Gods have said and made law. Priam is looked up to, especially during this war, and is seen as an idol and a person to model yourself off of. But when such a person is to defy centuries of belief in order to try and recover a already defiled body, it is seen as contradictive and ironic. It is contradictive as Priam has always been clear minded about the laws of society and belief believing nothing else that has not been said from the gods, and by doing the direct opposite, then thus contradiction. Where it is ironic as, like to do with contradiction, he comes to realisation that his prior beliefs and preaching’s been wrong.
ReplyDeleteThis passage is meant to show us the two extreme lifestyles that were lived in ancient times. Being pampered to the point where they had literally nothing to do but point a finger or hiss commands to the people below him, and the result being they would do what ever he desired. Wearing only the finest materials and having nothing foul enter his presence due to his sheer arrogance is rapidly expanded on. But when left with the slaves, the people made to do everything he demanded, whether it would be “catch my sparkling piss.” or wipe his royal hind quarters, people that as far as he knew despised him and hater the spoilt brat that made their lives awful. But his life also depended on it. If any slave were to turn and call out his name he would surely be executed just as his brothers were. But these people who lived in poverty and served the exceptionally wealthy, did not do such. Instead they let him lower himself to their level, covering his once god-like skin in animal faeces and dirt, just as the slaves were. He was made to feel helpless and worthless. As if he anything could happen to him at any moment whether it be him taken away for a life of slavery or whether it be torcher followed by death. Living minute by minute in the most torturous conditions was a quick but clear way of showing Priam what it was like to be under his rule.
It is a slight overstatement to call Priam a hero in this part of the novel. As he is reduced to nothing, still reminiscing on the great brat he once was (as he has just acknowledged it) the only two characteristics of a hero present here are indeed is his intelligence as he deconstructs the situation and what lead up to it. “What I do is what any man might do” This quote is a direct example, it is not linking to him being so much a hero but as a nameless boy standing in a crowed praying that he will not be found and killed, but more taken as a slave if he were lucky. Doing what any man may do is not a courageous thing so much as a thing you may do when your are petrified of the outcome. He makes no effort to change his fait as he decides to hope for slavery over death, but it is a little girl who unknowingly chooses him out of a crowed, tells the enemy warrior who he is (the kings son) and then has him taken with her to live happily ever after with him eventually becoming king of Troy. “I am just one slave thing like the rest” This quote is a direct example of him giving up all faith and hope. Heroes are known for their courage and fighting spirit, not letting anyone stop them from doing what is right. But is hiding behind his old slaves courageous, trying to look and act as one? Is keeping as far away as possible from any warrior surrounding him showing his fighting spirit? And finally is letting his people of Troy being killed an bargained off right for his nation? I think not.
Ransom Comprehending the Text- Will Hicks
ReplyDeleteQu1)
In what way does Priam challenge fate/chance/the gods through what he says?
Priam challenges his fate, chance and the gods through the appropriate defiance of his words and phrases. By stating how he has control over his own actions and movements, or stating his own free will, he is pretty much stating that The Gods are not the rulers over him. ‘“It seems to me,” he says, almost dreamily, “that there might be another way of naming of what we call fortune and the attribute to the will, or the whim, of the gods. Which offers a kind of opening. The opportunity to act for ourselves. To try something that might force events into a different course.”’ What Priam is explaining, is that Gods rule the will of all men and women throughout the entire earth, and that these gods control everything single thing that you do, which depends on how good to the gods you have been, through the use of visual symbolism portrayed throughout. By the tone of his voice, which is portrayed to the reader as soft and serious depicts sincerity of what he is exactly saying.
Qu2)
On pages 66-71 Priam describes the contrast between his kingly self as a child and “the smell of the slaves life”. The language is simple and direct yet brutal and confronting. Explain why this is effective and how does it make us feel.
By the use of simple and direct vocabulary and wording, Malouf has created an absolute serious vibe around these particular pages through the use of visual representation throughout his use of vocabulary. His use of words make the reader feel sorry for what has happened to him which is extremely effective as it could give the reader something to relate to with this character through emotions such as sorrow and anger.
Qu3)
Priam ultimately displays the traits of Wisdom, integrity, Humility and honor of presenting himself as a hero. “plainly dressed in a white robe and with none of the signs of kingship upon I’m, no amulet, no armband or any other sort of regalia.”
1. A ‘little shiver goes through him” Priam has challenged the gods through what he says. He takes a risk as he explains his plans to travel to the enemy in hopes of retrieving his son. “All is lost” should he not succeed so he leaves “that to the gods. Or to chance”. He calls this “fortune and attribute to the will” chance, “the opportunity to act for ourselves,” something that “might force events into a different course”. In a way Priam wants to stand up from being controlled by the rulers of the universe to do something that he has never done. Something that his wife would not approve of because of what is at stake. Priam explains that he is not doing this out because of blind foolishness but for the love of his son Hector. He’s proving the world that he is a king who takes action personally.
ReplyDelete2. Priam recalls to Hecuba explaining that he is not the perfect king everyone mistakenly perceives him to be. He acknowledges that he is a figurehead. He displays his humility by sharing his secret with Hecuba that he has experienced fear, “to know nothing of what is to come and simple be there”. He expresses the contrast between him being a king and a memory from when he was a child. He recounts on the desperate times when their enemy was close. How he was close to the “smell of the slave’s life” if it was not for his sister. This is effective because it feels real and explains his current wisdom. Priam was a pampered little lord called Podarces reveals that he once was “a child who has never known any but men whose every move is a response to fulfilling of his needs.” It’s effective because he knows how it felt to be captured, this relates to his current dilemmas because Achilles took Hector. Priam demonstrates to his people and us that he cares about his son that he should go out personally to ransom and rescue regardless of the dangers to save him. It almost resembles a biblical allusion of Jesus’ death, how God sent his only Son to save and ransom us all. It makes us question who is even truer a hero, Priam or his son?
3. Priam “feels bold now, defiant. Sure of his decision.” Despite being an old man and having grieved for his son for eleven days, Malouf highlights that Priam has gathered his determination.
He knew that he “never was a warrior” that it was not his role. David Malouf indicates that Priam is being meek. He displays “none of the signs of kingship upon him, no amulet, no armband or any other sort of regalia.” All he wants his the body of his son Hector back. He demonstrates his generosity as he plans to bring forth his “Gold coins, armour and arms, plate, tripods, cauldrons, the rare gold cup” conveys that gold does not matter to him except for his son and it is touching to us. Priam is in haste, shows his eagerness and courage. That he wants to go “today, immediately, to Achilles, just as I saw myself in my dream.” He portrays all the heroic traits but especially demonstrates he is capable of being in control – that even the gods nor fate cannot stop him and perhaps taking “on the lighter bond of being simply a man” is the ransom clearly indicates that he has wisdom.