Questioning the end of the poem

This post is going to be in the same vein as the previous ones about questioning.  Discussion questions for these last books are ample.

When Achilles and Agamemnon end their quarrel, ask students why they did that?  Would that have happened if the Achaeans were winning or if Patroclus didn't die?  Did Achilles or Agamemnon take responsibility for the fight?  Is it important they apologized?  How does this affect the people who have already died because of their fight?  To connect this moment with students and their lives, ask them if they've ever held a grudge that went on too far?  What is the importance of apologizing? 

With the death of Patroclus, students may not readily connect to the funeral games and why it may seem that the Achaeans are having fun (they're playing GAMES) after one of their beloved and best soldiers died.  Ask students what they do to honor someone who has died.  Can't a funeral be a celebration of life as well as mourning the person?  Asking questions like this can draw connections to our lives today.

The end of the poem has a lot of unanswered questions.  There's a lot of theories and speculation about why Homer did this.  I'll discuss these on Sunday, but with students, it would be easy to see what they think.  There is no wrong answer because Homer didn't leave us a right answer. 

In hopes of not beating a dead horse, I kept today's questioning discussion rather short.  Also, I'll be talking about the ending of the poem in conjunction of why we should teach it to our modern students.  Enjoy your Saturday and check back in on Sunday to read the final post about the Iliad.

Cassy