What Makes the Ancient Greek Culture so Appealing

¶ … Societies

The individual and group perspectives expressed within the sources of Chapter 5 The Greek Experience are the following: first, there is the experience of Homer, who writes in epic poetry of the Battle of Troy -- the Greeks' war against the Trojans (the selection is primarily concerned with the wrath of Achilles who is offended by the Greek commander Agamemnon): this source provides the essential "Greek" backdrop, the religious atmosphere as well as the military-like culture of the Greek people coupled with their intellectual and philosophical outlook on life. There is the perspective of Lysias, who writes on the death of Eratosthenes; there is the perspective of Plato, who writes from the philosophical perspective in the Apologia, regarding the trial of Socrates, where the teacher defends himself against the accusations of his accusers: this offers the perspective of the intellectual Greeks in Athens, who were more interested in transcendental truth than in maintaining the political and social status quo. There is the perspective of Aristotle, which builds on the works of Plato and discusses how society should be arranged, and finally there is the historical perspective of Herodotus, which discusses the Spartans and provides more insights into human nature that may be applied universally.

The perspectives I find to be very coherent and intelligent with deep insights into human nature and what make men think and behave the way that they do, no matter where they are from. I think that is something that the Greek culture was very good at perceiving -- the universal qualities of humanity that exist no matter where one is from. For example, this empathy is demonstrated in the artwork of the Dying Gaul, which is also included in this section and shows how the Greek artist could evoke sympathy for the enemy. Homer also did this in Iliad, as he discusses the two warring communities and shows the depth of their humanity on both sides. Therefore, as I like to empathize and try to understand different peoples as well as my own and how humanity and human nature really are, I do not feel that these perspectives differ very much from my own. For example, when Achilles says to his friend Patroklus, "It was not in my heart to be angry forever ... " (p. 93), this is a sentiment that I think any man who has ever been angry with reason can attest to: he who feels slighted believes he has a right to his anger, but there is also that side of him that seeks to be rid of the anger and the bury the hatchet so to speak. This is what Homer displays in the conflicted warrior Achilles. Thus, I consciously am aware of how much traditional Western culture is based upon the thoughts and ideas of these ancient Greeks, so I feel an especial kinship with them and enjoy reading about their thoughts.

The combination of sources within the chapter tells me that cultures during this time period were very concerned with understanding how the world around them functioned, socially, morally, politically and religiously. Homer sets the stage early on with his epic poem that describes how the gods interact with mankind. This idea is picked up by Plato in the Apologia, as Socrates explores the reasons for why he is a teacher and why a select group of people in Athens don't like that (he threatens their selfish existence by seeking the truth and the higher transcendental virtues -- beauty, truth, oneness, goodness). Likewise, the histories as well as the art works show that the Greeks in this period were very interested in humanity and what it means to be a human being, with all these longings, and religious beliefs, and questions, and feelings that often conflict within a single human heart.