Essay #1, Due February 22: The Iliad Although The Iliad is an epic poem of war and violence, its three most detailed scenes are all talk. Book 1 is built around the argument between Achilles and Agamemnon over how to compensate Agamemnon for the loss of Chryseis. Book 9 details the debate in which Odysseus, Phoenix, and Ajax try to persuade Achilles to return to the fight. And Book 24 gives us the conversation between Priam and Achilles concerning the body of Hector. Analyze each of these three discussions to establish what the issues and main arguments are in each case and—what I am particularly interested in—how the issues and arguments help us understand the logic, the psychology, and the moral values of the Greeks and Trojans—any or all of these. Each of these analyses should be about 300 words long. As a conclusion, consider what we learn about Greek ideas and values from comparing these three scenes. The conclusion should bring the paper to about 1100- Some points to consider: Each of these scenes depicts a very different sort of talk—a bitterly hostile argument between allies; a persuasive encounter among friends; and a cooperative effort by enemies to reach an agreed-on outcome. Because of these different purposes, the scenes may not all illustrate the same points of logic, psychology, and morality. Your thesis may be that there is a common thread linking the three discussions; or that your three analyses reveal a single, larger, underlying point; or that by comparing all three discussions we can identify some contradictions or tensions in the Greek world-view.