Achilles and Yu The Great: Comparing Similarities and Differences

Western Hero Achilles

Achilles was the son of Thetis, who was a daughter of the sea god called Nereus. The gods Zeus and Poseidon wanted to marry Thetis but the prophecy by Prometheus that the son of Thetis was going to be greater than his father deterred them from pursuing her. When Achilles was born, Thetis wanted her son to become immortal, and she took him to river Styx, which stood between the land of the living and that of the dead, where he washed him. However, while washing him, he was holding his heel, and thus water could not touch his entire body. Thus, he was not entirely protected. During his boyhood, his father sent him to Chiron who taught him how to fight and survive in war. Prophet Calchas prophesied that the Greeks would not succeed in conquering the city of Troy unless Achilles joins the war. Despite the protection from his mother, Achilles joined the war. During the Trojan war, his friend Patroclus was killed by Hector. He was furious about it, and he killed Hector. Later, Paris the prince of Troy wounded him and killed the hero (Arrowsmith, 1967).

Given that Achilles was the son of a goddess and born out of a prophecy, he had supernatural powers. His actions were guided by the gods of his people for the goodness and safety of his people. For instance, while hiding among women, he liked the armor and war weapons and thus could not hide any longer. He agreed to join the war and protect his people. The story of Achilles an important lesson; the chosen ones cannot run away from their destiny. Achilles’ mother did not like him joining the war, but since the gods had chosen him, he lived fighting for his people and died fighting (Slatkin, 1995).

Eastern Hero Da Yu-the Great

According to Clark (2008), Da Yu is considered one of the greatest legends in the Chinese history. He was considered a flood savior and a founder of the Chinese oldest dynasty. Yu was the son of Gun, who was given the responsibility of controlling floods of the Yellow River from destroying the fields and homes of the Chinese. It is believed that Gun stole magic soil from his god and he was executed. Three years after his death, it is believed that his preserved body was slit open and Yu was brought out. Yu’s father had spent nine years trying to control the floods, but he failed. As an adult, Yu wanted to accomplish his father’s quest to control floods. Four days after his wedding, he went away to find out the best means of controlling the floods. He took thirteen years to complete the project. He made a good irrigation system by creating canals and dredgers on the river banks that eased the floods and channeled the water into the fields.

As an Archetypal Hero, Yu did great works of preventing the floods through the sacrifice of his time (McNeal, 2012). His deeds can be related to the normal sacrifices made by different leaders in the current world. Yu sacrificed his time and spent thirteen years looking for a solution to the floods without returning home. Moreover, his story has a moral lesson of sacrifice for others. His story teaches us that we should not be selfish. Through his selflessness, he spent most of the time trying to better the lives of his people. Thus, we should always emulate Yu by helping others without considering the personal gains.