The Iliad reading experience

    Reading the Iliad, in my experience, is like taking care of a dog. Everyone talks about great dogs are, and you always have wanted to own a dog. Once you get the dog though, you realize that you can’t just own a dog and be happy. You have to take care of it, feed it, let it outside, exercise it. Reading The Iliad has been a lot like that. Don’t get me wrong. I love dogs, and I would do anything for mine, but much like The Iliad, if you want to enjoy either of them, you must treat them as your responsibility. Although I know a book isn’t a dog, while reading The Iliad I still felt it required similar attention. I had to think about what I was reading and not just absorb it mindlessly. Once you get into the state of focus that you need to be in to truly read this book nothing can stop you. As the Gods of Olympus watched down at the battle at Troy, I could feel myself watching alongside them. I could feel the pain of every soldier as they fell, leaving behind their wives, children and their nation. It was hard for me to not to feel these emotions once I got into the book, and I feel that anyone else who really took the time to read the Iliad could too. So invite anyone reading this to take time when they can. Get into some comfy clothes when you have the time. Sit down by a fire, or get in your bed. Take a minute to clear your head and don’t just read. Experience. Place yourself in the heads of the characters. Fight on the fields. Push back the Trojans from your ships. Attack a goddess if you want. Whatever you do, immerse yourself in a way that you aren’t just reading The Iliad you are experiencing it.