Iliad Books 18-19 questions

Book 18:
1). Achilles, when he heard of the death of Patroclus, covered himself in dust and mourned the death of his friend. The Neriads joined their sister Thetis in comforting  Achilles, while the women wept and beat their chests in agony.
2). Achilles tells his mother how he loved Patroclus above all men, and how he loved him as his own life. He then tells Thetis that the armor he gave Patroclus to wear was his Fathers. It was given to Peleus as a gift from the gods the day he married Thetis. Achilles then goes on to say how he wished that Thetis had not married a mortal because now she will have to see her son die.
3). Achilles tells his mother that he is very willing to die because Patroclus, his best friend, is dead
4).  Achilles lets out a roar and Athena lights up his hair, as everyone runs away in fear Achilles takes the body of Patroclus.
5). The scenes fit in because they seem as though they could be describing what will come to pass, especially with the two men quarreling over the death of a loved one. They could be Achilles and Hector fighting over the death of Patroclus.

Book 19:
1).  The Myrmidons were not able to look on the shield, they all looked away in fear. Achilles on the other hand was able to look on the shield, and the sight of the shield actually fueled his anger.
2). Achilles says that her death would have been better than her life having caused all the trouble that it did. Previously, Briseis was his most prized possession, but now that she indirectly caused Patroclus' death, he couldn't care less about her.
3).Agamemnon blames Zeus, the Fates, the Furies, and Ruin for his actions. He is, however, not justified in his accusations because when he was insulting Achilles, there was no account given of any gods interfering, only of his pride and anger. This speech shows that fate is stronger than human will, and that human will is weak.
4). Agamemnon and Achilles manage to forget the wrongdoings committed against one another. Achilles, in order to avenge the death of Patroclus, is willing to put aside his anger towards Agamemnon And Agamemnon needs Achilles help to fight against the Trojans. Odysseus arranges a feast to both celebrate the reconciliations and to revive the armies' spirits.
5). Briseis was only lamenting the fact that Patroclus, now that he is dead, cannot make her the wedded wife of Achilles. The rest of the women in his camp mourn over him once Briseis has finished her lament. This scene mirrors the beginning of book 18 when Achilles is mourning and after the women also mourn the death of Patroclus.
6). Achilles refuses to eat because he committed himself to fasting in order to mourn the death of Patroclus, and in his grief he will not allow himself to eat. Achilles, however, does not starve because Zeus had Athena give him nectar and ambrosia in order to keep up his strength.
7). Achilles' spear is unique because no one can carry it's weight other than Achilles. The spear was a gift from his father, Peleus, who had received it from Chiron. As Achilles is preparing for battle, Homer describes the pain and anger going through Achilles.As he is finishing, Achilles lets out the rage building up inside of him and rushes into battle.

"The Allegory of the Cave"

"The Allegory of the Cave" shows that in Plato's eyes we are all disillusioned. While we think that we are seeing and experiencing the real world, we are not. We are seeing "shadows" of the real world, and in order to see the "real" world, we need to open ourselves to further questioning and deeper thinking. Parmenides argues that reality is permanent and characterized by unity, whereas Heraclitus believed that reality is constantly changing and that there is no such thing as permanence. Plato reconciles these two by classifying them as levels of reality in which one can experience the different levels and gain understanding like the lucky prisoner in the allegory.