What do you guys like best? AENEID or ILIAD?

Question

This is for my last paper this sem. PLEASE HELP ME! What book did you like best? AENEID or ILIAD? and WHY?
Please don't give me shallow reasons like "because it's enjoyable, easier to read, etc". Something like "because in this book I learned that or it taught me... BLABLA".
THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH IN ADVANCE!!!!

Answer 1

I personally liked the Aeneid, but then I was able to read it in the original, Latin. It is important to remember that these two epics were produced by different cultures, for different reasons.

The Aeneid was written to glorify Rome and her civilization. This was done in an entertaining way. On the other hand, The Iliad was written to support the moral position of the Greek City States.

Answer 2

from a purely story-point perspective, I prefer the Aeneid. The Greek original never truly enunciated on the principles of war, in fact, it more glorified war as being 'manly'. The Aeneid differs from the Iliad in that it has a strong underlying yearning for peace, and that speaks volumes about the Roman people: where the great Roman novel was a story that exonerated peace.

Answer 3

The Iliad is certainly a piece of literature that has stood the test of time - and with good reason. War has constantly been a feature of human society and the Iliad tells of all its horrors like few other pieces of literature. But the epic is more than just a war story - it's a story of human limits and mankind's (especially in the West) constant struggle to deal with the realities they create. I suppose one could respond that this epic is more involved with human potential but it is very hard to read either the character of Hector or Achilles as anything but a tragic character - as someone who paid dearly for his role as "hero" of Troy or Greece. This is not a great piece of literature because it projects heroic ideals that should inspire us, though this aspect of the epic has played its own powerfully important role, rather, it is a great piece of literature because just as the epic appears to throw those ideals up for lauding, it problematizes them - it illustrates their often tragic consequences. The heroic individual who can single-handedly make a difference and the ethic of competition the epic oozes have played profoundly important roles in shaping Western history but the Iliad is great because it draws out the ugly consequences these ideals can produce and the price one pays for holding them too close.

Answer 4

The Iliad:

I gained an insightful understanding the stages of grief. One can literally watch Achilles go through all five stages when he mourns the death of his comrade Patroclus.
Achilles moves through Denial and Isolation, Depression, Anger, Bargaining and Acceptance in the short time after his close friend's death.
“Sheltered under his curving, beaked ships he found him, foreboding, deep down, all that had come to pass” (18.3-4). In this sentence, Achilles is trying to avoid learning about his friend’s death. He has isolated himself in hopes that it is not true. He knows that it is so but feels that if he can keep from hearing the truth that it will not be. In the first stage of denial and isolation one tends to deny the loss has taken place, and may withdraw from their usual behavior. I have experienced all five stages in life myself.
My pick is, therefore, the Iliad.


good luck with your last paper.