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Denem Orhun Leaders for People People create leaders to avoid succumbing into disarray and anarchy. Leaders have been appointed, elected, chosen to their administrative roles, or they have usurped, inherited or deserved it. People have placed trust in their leaders, they have despised them; they have criticized and loved them. All in all, leaders are subject to opinion regardless; they have the ability and skill to inspire, or attract the odium of masses. Heroes, leaders or kings; be they lawful or tyrannical, have the power to influence, control, and decide upon the fate of their masses. Unforgotten lawful leaders listened to their people, instead of selfish ruling, these leaders gave the priority to their followers welfare and benefit. After the demise of the Roman Empire, and related loss of central authority, the great Germanic migrations produced a general prevalence of barbaric chaos. The security and welfare in Europe was diminished. The uncertainty of the future was reflected by the by the increase of vagabonds, thieves and a complete collapse of the moral system. Although the church was steadily overtaking the Roman legacy, the Germanic tribes and the Vikings were still culturally barbaric and pagan. Villages were often raided and pillaged. The villagers bestowed their hopes on the fittest, toughest warrior with the thickest wrist to protect them. The conventional warrior leader was thus created. The members of the tribe paid homage to their warrior leader and indebted, respected his physical shield. The political state was weak; “ones liabilities were to the self (Norton 1542)”. As tribal villages civilized into walled cities, the warrior leader trivialized and transformed into the usual mayor who was the most capable of rhetoric, and was able to convince the citizens. The warrior clan of the noble was vanquished – the crusades are arguably the result of the massive amount of unemployed knights looming in Europe. Instead of the elected and sanctified heroes paid mercenaries such as Eliduc dominated. The personal hero lost its grandeur and chivalry degenerated into a caricaturized form, as mocked by Don Quixote. As times progressed, the physical abilities of the hero lost importance. In the ancient Greek epic Iliad, the individual hero rather than the successes of the army is emphasized. All the characters in the Iliad can be interpreted allegorically and symbolically. If Achilles stands for rage, Agamemnon represents greed. Both of these characters are immensely egoistically proud and selfish; they will leave aside their causes and responsibilities in order to fulfill their own desires. Agamemnon is the leader of the Achaean fleet; for being is the brother-in-law of Helen, the woman who is blamed for the war, he is the organizer of the episode. He is preoccupied primarily in the loot he will gain should his side manage to topple the walls of the citadel, meanwhile a favorite pastime of his is guiding the battle behind the scenes; sharing the crucial moments with women and some wine. He is cowardly in his approach to the battle; he gears and spurs his men to war while there is not a single mention of him in the ranks or in the frontline. When the Greeks are driven back to the sea, he summons his troops and “morale broken,” he suggests his troops “’cut and run (Homer 145)’”. Agamemnon refuses to give up a girl he has acquired from looting an Apollonian temple, instigating havoc from the god with the bow. Apollo sends a plague down to the Achaean army for Agamemnon’s insolence. This metaphorically draws parallels to historical events where mostly innocent civilians and soldiers have to suffer due to ill made decisions of their leaders. One modern example would be the decimation of the troops in World War I, a time when mediocre generals completely disregarded sanity and pressed their men forward to machine guns behind trenches. When Agamemnon is reproached for his selfishness, for it is his army that is suffering and falling like flies, he howls in vast deal of protest arguing the girl is his possession and the they cannot pry her from him. He does not care much for his own men, but rather he prefers not to lose a pelvis he is so fond of: ”I rank her higher than...my wedded wife (Homer 124).” Immediately after this sentence, he reconsiders his rhetoric and corrects himself saying he wishes not his people culled; therefore he will surrender the girl if a replacement is made. He regards this issue simply as his “prize snatched away;” not he must surrender her for the sake of his warriors’ lives (Homer 125). It is noteworthy that in ancient Greek culture, the heap of treasure and loot one has accumulated is an indicator of his bravery, and proportionally, the number battles has he endured, the number of cities he has plundered, which point to his rank of greatness.
Approximate Word count = 3093
Approximate Pages = 12.4
(250 words per page double spaced)
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