The subject of war Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The subject of war - Essay ExampleBy working around the central theme, the narratives powerfully show the nature of humans, their response to challenges of the environment and the endeavors they are willing to undertake as means towards an end.With that said, it is interesting to note what caused the war in Homers epic and how it compares with Sheri Teppers feminist science fiction. The Iliad, narrating the events of a short outcome in a very long battle, continues from the Trojan war which was caused by Paris capture of the Spartan queen Helen. In the text itself, it is said that two harming women, Chryseis and Briseis, are the root of all rampage. When their town is defeated by the Achaean effects, the camps ruler Agamemnon demands to have Chryseis as prize while Achilles gets Briseis. Succeeding circumstances force Agamemnon to give up his reward Chryseis but then asks Achilles to hand Briseis over to him as replacement. Insulted by Agamemnons order, Achilles refuses to join t he Acheans in their fight against the Trojans and even prays to Zeus finished his mother Thetis to punish the Acheans. Zeus addresses this by coming to the Trojans rescue, signaling that the battle between the Trojan and Achean forces have resumed despite their peace treaty.While it is shown that it is the women who caused the war in The Iliad, it is the men who caused the war in The Gate to Womens Country. The author, Tepper, elaborates on mens desire for power, the things they do in order to obtain it and the things they sacrifice in exchange for the motion of their pursuits. Sheri Tepper book considers these as manifestations of mens innate character.Homers epic makes use of women as instruments of war. On a deeper analysis, though, it is the competitive nature of men that has driven them to war. Every pie-eyed male character is tested for bravery, valor and loyalty. On the other end, women are depicted as slaves. The poem emphasizes the existence of a struggle in the realnes s and the ability to win over this battle dignifies and glorifies humanity. This is an idea contemplated by a male. Ages later, Tepper would intervene with a story written from a perspective of a modern-world woman, dissatisfied with patriarchal rule, motivated towards change, with a proposal of her own. Figuratively, Teppers women respond to Homers men. In Teppers country, Teppers women downplay conflicts and emphasize cooperation among members of the society. The ultimate goal is peace, as if the main motivation for this writing is the neglect of it in an earlier society. To Teppers women, war in unnecessary and all their efforts will be poured towards preventing it. As we look into the causes or war in each story, an primal factor that heightens the conflict is discovered. More than gender issues, a more realistic cause of strife is social disorder. The story of The Iliad progresses in a patriarchal context of use while the plot of The Gate to Womens Country proposes a revolut ion by a matriarchal structure. Both are stories dealing with gender issues which are slightly power and dominance. Agamemnon exhibits dominance over Achilles by demanding for Briseis and Achillesreaction exposes the need to soothe the male ego. Were it not for Agamemnons aggression and Achilles yearning for revenge, the Acheans and the Trojans would not resume their battle since a peace treaty