Homer and the Iliad Part One

Homer was a great Anglo Saxon writer. He wrote what we call epic poems: Very lengthy, detailed, exciting poems full of adventure. You may have heard of The Odyssey, another of Homer's pieces. Have you seen the movie Troy? It was based on some of Homer's poetry.
You may click here to read more about Homer.
Today, you will be using your Holt Online textbook (my.hrw.com) to read the first half of an excerpt from The Iliad, one of Homer's most famous works. The text is challenging--but treat it as a game! Can you understand what is being said? Once you can, the story is very exciting... it gets kind of gory, too...
Here is some background information to get you started:
When the story begins, the war between the Greeks and the Trojans has been going on for over 10 years! Each army has fought bravely, and each army has the help of the gods. The goddess, Athena, has been helping Achilles and the Greeks. The god, Apollo, has been helping Hector and the Trojans.
Hector has killed Patroclus, Achilles best friend. But, that's not it! Hector stripped the armor off of Patroclus, and left his body there, exposed and unburied. Achilles is FURIOUS. Not only did Hector kill his best friend, he didn't give him a correct burial, either! Greeks believed that if people were not buried correctly, their souls could not find rest.
Achilles wants REVENGE. When the story opens, Achilles is running towards Hector; he wants to kill him. At first, Hector is brave and will not go in the Trojan gates--he wants to meet Achilles and fight to the death. But then, he chickens out and starts to run. Achilles chases him.....
Assignment
Sign into your account at my.hrw.com. Then, go to page 57 in the online book to begin reading.
To help you understand what is happening in the story, I'd like you to answer each of the following questions, as you come across certain lines in the text. Please answer the questions.
When you get to line 18 Answer this question:
Achilles keeps preventing Hector from getting close to the city gates, where his friends can give him extra weapons!
What words and comparisons describe Achilles speed?
When you get to line 31 Answer this question:
How does Zeus decide the fates of Hector and Achilles? What is the final judgment?
When you get to line 52 Answer this question:
What does Athena tell Achilles she is going to do? How does Athena trick Hector?
When you get to line 79 Answer this question:
What does Hector vow? Why does he now have courage?
When you get to line 98 Answer this question:
What pact has Hector offered Achilles? Why does Achilles refuse the pact?
When you get to line 117 Answer this question:
Hector gains confidence when Achilles first attack is unsuccessful.
What is Hector unaware of? What do you think will happen next??
That's as far as you have to read in this lesson. In the next lesson, you will continue reading.