In the epic poem, The Iliad, Homer describes a social occasion in which character's values, the values of that character's culture and the themes those values develop can be derived. The funeral games, held by Achilles in honor of his late friend Patroclus, is a perfect example of such an occasion. Achilles is the model for the Achaeans throughout the funeral games, and throughout the text. The way Achilles acts has an effect on the …showed first 75 words of 1978 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1978 total…picture of this notion throughout the story. Achilles' values and thus the values of the Achaean men have an important effect on the text. The funeral games is one of the first times in the text the reader sees an apparent cause to understand what the Greeks value most. When the reader discovers the value is the constant desire for glory, he can begin to connect with the story, and therefore the former western world.