Nixon and Agamemnon
Richard Nixon and Agamemnon have an interesting parallel that would not be visible at first glance. Both were beloved leaders initially. Both made an awful mistake which did significant damage to their group. Richard Nixon, an American president during the late 1960s to early 1970s, was the first American President ever impeached. His impeachment did great damage to the republicans, and nearly got him indicted. Agamemnon had taken a girl, and though he was offered a ransom, held her until a plague forced him to let her go. He then proceeded to take the strongest, greatest Achaean warriors’ “mead of honour” (term first used on pg.15, Iliad), which meant that Achilles, son of Peleus, was aggrieved and angered with him who …show more content…
He practiced “realpolitik”(Taylor, 543), which caused the U.S. to finally interact peacefully with China. This was a major act since the U.S.A. was unwilling to recognize the People’s Republic of China. He also was willing to work with the communists, instead of projecting hate toward them. This altogether brought about the first instance where peace seemed like a reasonable goal between the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R., a thing to be admired at the time. But then the watergate incident occurred, ruining his second term, even if he was counted as a “unindicted coconspirator”(Schamel). He himself stated that “I just hope I haven't let you down”(Frost Interview), but he, and everyone else, knows that he had. This was the worst fact of his presidency, but he went through it nonetheless, and barely escaped the …show more content…
He was the leader of the Achaeans because of an oath sworn by every suitor to Helen, one which would force all whom had once sought her hand to defend he who she chose, and to bring her back if any stole her away. Agamemnon’s brother, Menelaus, was the one she chose, though through the trickery of Aphrodite, she was stolen away. But once the war neared on its tenth year, Agamemnon took from Achilles his “mead of honor”(15 Iliad), in this case referring to a woman he won in earlier raids, after Agamemnon was forced by Apollo’s plague to return a captive to her father. This constitutes one of the top worst ways to react possible. He had basically chosen the greatest warrior of, and the leader of a whole section of, his own army, and enraged him. Worse still, Achilles literally got Zeus(Iliad 39)to cause pain and failure to the Achaeans. These facts stopped the Achaeans from slaughtering most of the Trojans, which would have ended the war much sooner. No one can ever possibly believe that the mistake he made there was one of his worst options in that scenario. Possibly worse still, he could have been rewarded for returning the girl he got so angry about. The old priest of Apollo was offering “a ransom beyond telling”(Iliad 9), and yet,