The lives of the Ancient Greeks revolved around Eris, a
concept by which they defined the universe. They believed that the world
existed in a condition of opposites. If there was good, then there was evil, if
there was love, and then there was hatred: joy, then sorrow; war then peace;
and so on. The Greeks believed hat good Eris occurred when one held a balanced
outlook on life and coped with problems as they arose. It was a kind of ease of
living that came from trying to bring together the great opposing forces in
nature. Bad Eris was evident in the violent conditions that rules men’s lives.
Although these things were found in nature and sometimes could not be
controlled, it was believed that bad Eris occurred when one ignored a problem,
letting it grow larger until it destroyed not only that person, but his family
as well. The Ancient Greeks saw Eris as a goddess; Eris, the Goddess of
Discord, better known as Trouble.
One myth that expresses this concept of bad Eris deals with
the marriage of King Peleus and the river goddess Thetis. Zeus, the supreme
ruler, learns that Thetis would bear a child strong enough to destroy its
father. Not wanting to father his own ruin, Zeus convinces Thetis to many a
human, a mortal whose child could never challenge the gods. He promises her,
among other things, the greatest wedding in all of heaven and Earth and allows
the couple to invite whomever they please. This is one of the first mixed
marriages of Greek Mythology and the lesson learned from it still applies
today. They do invite everyone except Eris, the Goddess of Discord. In other
words, instead of facing the problems brought on by a mixed marriage, they turn
their backs on them. They refused to
deal directly with their problems and the result is tragic. In her fury, Eris
arrives, ruins the wedding, causes a jealous feud between the three major
goddesses over a golden apple, and sets in place the conditions that lead to
the Trojan War. The war would take place 20 years in the future, but it would
result in the death of the only child of the bride and groom, Achilles. Eris
would destroy the parents’ hopes for their future, leaving the couple with no
legitimate heirs to the throne.
Hence, when we are told, “If you don’t invite trouble comes,
“it means that if we don’t deal with our problems, our problems will deal with
us with vengeance! It is easy to see why the Greeks considered many of their
myths learning myths, for this one teaches us the best way to defeat that which
can destroy us.
9.
According to the passage, the ancient Greeks believed that the concept
of Eris defined the universe
A.
As a hostile, violent place.
B.
As a condition of opposites
C.
As a series of problems.
D.
As a mixture of gods and man.
10. Most specifically, bad Eris is defined in the
passage as
A.
The violent conditions of life
B.
The problems man encounters
C.
The evil goddess who has a golden apple.
D.
The murderer of generations.
11. It can be inferred that Zeus
married Thetis off because
A.
He needed to buy the loyalty of a great king of
mankind.
B.
He feared the
gods would create bad Eris by competing over her
C.
He feared the Trojan War would be fought over
her.
D.
He feared having an affair with her and,
subsequently, a child by her.
Answer:
9. B sees the end of the next to last sentence in
the passage. Choices a, c, and d are not to be found in the passage.
10. B This is stated explicitly in the second
sentence of the passage. Choice a is incorrect because only bad Eris was
defined as violent. Choice c deals with problems that belong in the domain of
mankind, not the universe. Choice d has no support in the passage.
11. A
Again, this is definition explicitly stated in the sixth sentence.
Choice B is incorrect because a choice dealing with mankind alone is too narrow
for a definition of Eris, which deals with the entire universe. Choice c is
incorrect because it only deals with one action of the personified concept in
goddess form. Choice d has no support.
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