Conduct brief research on Achilles during the Trojan War in order to gain a broader perspective as to what Kaufman is alluding to. Jot down some notes in your notebook.
Keep in mind that Achilles was a great warrior in the Trojan War and very famous in Homer's Illiad. He was killed when he was shot in his heel with an arrow. His heel was his weak spot. It was extremely inconspicuous. However, it was extremely significant.
ANSWER THIS IN YOUR NOTEBOOK
In 2-3 paragraphs answer the following question: Why do you suppose Kaufman chose to give his essay this particular title? How does the essay relate to my lecture on "perspective".
Why did Kaufman ignore Hector after graduating from college? What does say about society in general? Provide 2 examples using in -text citation from the reading.
In addition, draw a parallel between my perspective lecture today and one selected reading/article or video discussed in class.
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What to look forward to? What's Next?
-Education and Identity
Start Writing Pub 2
-How to Compare and Contrast
-Love, Friendship, Death and our Identity
I think that Kaufman chose this title because he wanted to show that no matter how strong someone is physically or mentally that everyone has there weaknesses. For many people they struggle with perspective, a person’s perspective shapes their thoughts, feelings, and actions, which affects their everyday lives. When we see people wearing certain clothes or driving a specific car we give them a label based off of our perspective of who usually wears those clothes or drives that car.
ReplyDeleteKaufman ignored his childhood best friend, Hector, because when he saw him on the subway Hector was wearing a knitted watch cap which gave Kaufman the idea that Hector was a longshoreman so Kaufman thought that he was at a higher status then Hector and didn’t feel the need to talk to him. This shows how our society is so concerned about material objects that when we see how people are dressed and how they look physically we try to put a label on that person without actually knowing them. “Mostly, of course, I stayed with my own classmates, with other intellectually gifted students”(Kaufman156), this quote shows how he would hangout mostly with kids in his class just because they were “intellectually gifted” and all the other students weren’t so he didn’t want to be associated with them. “Since then, every time I have seen this versatile and acclaimed actor in movies or on television I have blushed for my assumptions”(Kaufman157), the author is embarrassed with himself that he was so quick to put a label on his childhood friend just because he was wearing a cap that a lot of longshoremen wear.
This idea of perspective relates to Two Ways to Belong in America, which talked about how many immigrants left their old cultural values behind when coming to America because people’s perspective on their foreign beliefs sometimes makes it challenging for the immigrant to assimilate. If a middle easterner comes to America and wears a thawb and has a long beard then people might label him as a terrorist but if that same immigrant shaves his beard and wears jeans and a t-shirt no one will look twice at him.
Nick, great job relating this to " Two ways to belong in America"! Nice analysis!
DeleteAlexander Riley
ReplyDelete“My friend Hector and My Achilles Heel” by Michael Kaufman
10/11/4
The Greek story of Achilles Heel is support to teach that no matter how big or strong something or someone is everyone has a week spot that is a small or major flaw. This is why Kaufman named his essay “My friend Hector and My Achilles Heel”. It’s almost the same story with Kaufman being Achilles, except the major difference is Kaufman’s Achilles heel is his perspective of self-intelligence in relation to ones future success. His perspective of his intelligence was that he was smarter then Hector and was excelling in school much more then hector so he differentiated himself in terms of status. This caused the disconnection between the two. His perspective that was his Achilles heel was so significant that it separated a friend that he forgot he really liked. He even said, “At such times I was glad to Have Hector as a friend”. His own perspective on intelligence and its relation to self-status overcame his decisions and thoughts of identity. And when they went there separated ways they even stopped talking or egnoleging each other. He even says, “I would pretend that I didn’t see him”. The reason for this is Kaufman saw such a status difference between them that he though it was easier to ignore Hector. Rather to not have to think of conversation to go around the awkward situations of intelligence difference that lead to the status difference. Also the awkwardness of the disconnection between them. And the dumbest part was that all of these thoughts that Kaufman was assuming and making, based off of his perspective on intelligence was wrong. He did not have to be so disconnected with Hector. Things didn’t have to be awkward when they did talk because maybe that was not he case. It could have only been awkward because Kaufman perspective made it awkward. They could of stayed good friends. In the end it turns out Hector Is making good business in the movie industry. Kaufman’s Achilles heel caused all of this ideas and its Hectors made identity by Kaufman completely changed when he hears about Hectors success.
Analyzing this story gives the reasons for kaufman's Achilles heel of his one way perspective on intelligence and its outcomes in life, identity, status and succses. Humans in general want to look at the world in black and white. The reason for this is because as we try to figure out how the world works it simply easier for things to be black and white. It’s this or this, no exceptions. And that’s the problem the world does not work like that. Theirs many colors, meaning there’s many outcomes, exceptions, and circumstances that show us how the world works. It was society that put this black and white perspective in Kaufman’s mind that lead to he Achilles heel. Another problem with perspective in people today is that people can’t create their own perspective. They follow one idea or thought that they hear from one person that has a big presence and follows it. Its leading to just going with it rather then creating ones own perspective. Real intelligence is to create ones own perspective that created non bias, one way thinking that create automatic assumptions that will create there own personal truly unique identity.
Alexander,
DeleteThis is a magnificent piece! Your ideas are both profound and impressive!
friend”. His own perspective on intelligence and its relation to self-status overcame his decisions and thoughts of identity.
I suppose that Kaufman chose to give his essay this particular title because he had a weaknesses just like everyone else. Kaufman’s achilles heel was that he thought that he was superior to other people due to being labeled gifted growing up. The essay relates to the lecture on “perspective” because people have a preconceived opinion about other people. Kaufman put Hector into a particular category. His perspective of him was that he was not going to amount to anything with substance in life because he was in the regular track at school.
ReplyDeleteKaufman ignored Hector after graduating from college because he could not relate to him. Kaufman felt that he had moved on in his life to a higher status intellectually than Hector. He felt that speaking to Hector would be awkward because they couldn’t possibly have anything in common. Based on how Hector was dressed, Kaufman thought that Hector was in a lower social class then he was in. What this shows about society in general is that people are labeled and stereotyped at a young age. An example is “I stayed with my own classmates, with other Intellectually Gifted Children.” Kaufman felt that he should only associate with children that are on his level. The school segregated the children by their intellectual ability. Another example is “No, the foundation was laid when I was 11, when I was in 7Sp-1 and he was not, when I was in the IGC class and he was not.” Kaufman realized that he was taught from a young age to perceive people a certain way. A parallel between the perspective lecture and the video “Young, Muslim and French” is that in the video the Muslim women also have an opinion formed about them due to their headscarf. It is a preconceived opinion that has been reinforced by society but is not necessarily true.
Vito,
DeleteIdeas look good. Please expand the preconceived notion secular governments such as France obtain ?
I strongly think that Kaufman name his essay Of my Friend Hector and my Achilles Heel because his friendship with Hector was solid when they were little. When they started to school, the labeling starting and Kaufman starting to see Hector in a different perspective and Hector is the Achilles heel and
ReplyDeleteHis weak spot is the prejudice and stupidity of labeling someone of what you see but seeing the reality that a person like Hector change for the better and I believe that everyone just judge a person without even talking to someone. Kaufman ignored Hector after graduation from college because he thought he was a longshoreman and though he was married with kids because he see him pushing a baby carriage. Kaufman read the newspaper and in the drama section he read that Hector was the replacing Peter Falk in the leading role in “The Prisoner of Second Avenue”. He was conflict to what other people see him that Kaufman just saw Hector as a longshoreman because that how other see him. Kaufman regrets not being friends with Hector and every time he see him the conversation are very short. “ We would acknowledge each other, but by this time the conversations we held were perfunctory-sports, families,weather” (Kaufman 156). When he he see Hector versatile show and seeing that he a famous actor, “ I have replayed the subway rides in my head and tired to fathom why my thoughts had led me where they did” (Kaufman 157).
Kaufman’s essay relate to the lecture of Perspective because Kaufman see his friend Hector in a different perspective than other people and himself see him. Perspective is seeing in three ways one way is What you see, What other see and the reality of the perspective. In society especially in middle school and high school people see you in many different ways and people label people on what they know about them. The reality is to get to know them so then your perspective changes. People judge other people easily because they can just tell by looking at them. For example for me in a classroom environment I am a quiet and shy girl. When I’m with my friends my personalities come out with people that I'm comfortable with and the reality is how it works out in real life. That is how your identity comes out to the world. A parallel between the perspective lecture and in the video “ Young Muslim and French” the women weren’t allow to wear the headscarf. The women form their own opinions on the headscarf and their opinions some other women agree of how they see about the headscarf but the reality is that society is being reinforced but they are not agreeing with the women and they are bias about the headscarf.
Anthony Modica
ReplyDeleteMichael Kaufman titles his story “of my friend Hector and my Achilles heel” because of how he must have been brought up in his home, and his prejudice views of his Puerto Rican friend hector. Whenever he was older and saw his friend hector he would see what he was wearing specifically his hat and his prejudice would kick in and he would assume that hector was a long shore man working on the docs. Basically this is saying that Michaels Achilles heel or his greatest weakness was his prejudice and not allowing himself to not form his own opinion on hector.
This essay reflected on todays lesson about perspective as in Michaels eyes his perspective was not what he knew about hector but what he assumed. He has a perspective of prejudice and that’s all he saw, soon as he saw him with his cap on he assumed that he was a dockworker and nothing more “Usually he would be wearing a knitted watch cap, and from that I deduced that he was probably working on the docks as a longshoreman”. He didn’t think anymore about what he could be. All he did was feel bad for hector and wonder why hector couldn’t be more successful Michael said, “Just because I had become an intellectually gifted adult or whatever and he had become a longshoreman or whatever”. But in reality that was very wrong.
After they both graduated college Michael would avoid contact with Hector because he has graduated from a lower class than Michael did and he did not want to have an awkward confrontation with Hector and have to talk about what they were doing in life now. Michael believed that if he talked to him it might make hector jealous that Michael is doing better in life. Although that is Michaels prejudice thinking again. I think this describes how society is today hugely, almost everyday you will find someone judging someone by how they look or what they drive or how they speak and they automatically assume certain things about then, like the living conditions or beliefs pretty much anything you can think of, we live in a very prejudice society these days and this is a reoccurring event.
Excellent work! Add page numbers and authors last name to in-text citations! Great job analyzing the reading
DeleteThe mythological reference to an Achilles Heel is a point of vulnerability or a soft spot. Michael T. Kaufman refers to himself as having an “Achilles Heel” in the short story “Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel”. When Kaufman discovers that his old friend Hector is a successful man, he feels weak and stupid from the misjudgments he made. Kaufman separated himself from Hector because Hector was Puerto Rican and Kaufman was Jewish but then comes to a conclusion of how prejudice he was for doing that. This can relate to perspective because the way Hector saw himself was different from the way Kaufman saw Hector. Hector saw himself as a normal boy like every other boy in his school with the same goal as every one else, which is becoming successful. Kaufman saw Hector, as a Puerto Rican boy who wasn’t in advanced classes so all his future would bring him is a job as a longshoreman.
ReplyDeleteAfter college, Kaufman would ignore Hector because he believed their lives went in two separate directions so why would there be a need for them to have conversation anymore. This shows how society can be so judgmental and stubborn when it comes to socializing, People feel the need to only form connections with people that are similar to them. Before the discovery of Hector’s success, Kaufman says, “I remember quite distinctly how I would sit on the train and think about how strange and unfair fate had been with regard to the two of us who had once been playmates. Just because I had become an intellectually gifted adult or whatever and he had become a longshoreman or whatever, was that any reason for us to have been left with nothing to say to each other?” Then after the discovery of Hector’s success Kaufman says, “So why did I think he was a longshoreman? Was it just the cap? Could it be that his being Puerto Rican had something to do with it?” Kaufman feels like their lost of connection was fate telling them they are two different people and not meant to be together but once he realizes that Hector is just as gifted as himself, he feels stupid inside that he would ever think something like that.
Perspective is the way you see something and how others see it. In the video “Young, Muslim and French” they talk about how headscarfs are ban in France. The French believe that these headscarfs are a distraction. But these Muslim women talk about how much these headscarfs mean to them and their religion. Each individual has their own outlook on things which makes all perspectives different.
Well done Nicolette!
DeleteSuppose you are in a fight with someone who is all muscled up. You choose to run away or forfeit the match because of the opponent’s size. You’re quick to assume that because that person is a massive and in good physical shape, that person must be a really good fighter and looks as if he can really knock you out. How do you know if all that is true? You won’t know until you step up and defend yourself. Truth is, no matter how big you are, or how strong you are, everyone has weakness; a weak spot that can lead to one’s fall. The perspective you had of this person was based on assumption that wasn’t even proven to be true. It’s not wrong to have a perspective; you just need to confirm what you view to be true. Not taking a few seconds out of your life just to do that, you’re showing attitude in an obtuse manner. After all, Albert Einstein once said “Weakness of attitude becomes weakness of character.”
ReplyDeleteAchilles was one of the greatest warriors ever known. However, even this great warrior had a weak spot which just so happened to be his heel, where he got shot with an arrow. In Kaufman’s case, he chose to give his story this name because his Achilles heel was a symbol for his perspective. The way Kaufman viewed Hector was that since Hector was not at the same level of intellect, he didn’t feel the need to be as connected as they were in their childhood. “Mostly, of course, I stayed with my own classmates, with other Intellectually Gifted Children” (Kaufman, page 156). After college Kaufman would see his old friend around sometimes pushing a baby carriage displaying the fact he was the first from their age group to be married and have a child. Sometimes, Kaufman would even see him on the train wearing a knitted watch cap. Just by what he was wearing Kaufman was quick to make the assumption that he is some sort of longshoreman. “Just because I had become an intellectual gifted adult or whatever and he had become a longshoreman or whatever, was that any reason for us to have been left with nothing to say to each other?” (Kaufman, page 156). Kaufman was being biased. He was classifying someone based on their appearance, and their intellect compared to his. This was his perspective of Hector. Soon his perspective of Hector was proven false, when Kaufman found out that Hector had become an acclaimed actor. Although, they were both at different levels of intellect, they are still human and all the same. Both became successful in their careers. Kaufman felt ashamed for what he had assumed, and for neglecting what the real truth was. “Since then, every time I have seen this versatile and acclaimed actor in movies or on television I have blushed for my assumptions” (Kaufman, page 157).
Perspective is just an illusion of reality. Every single person in society draw their own conclusions based on their point of view and their perspective is what allows them to choose how they wish to interpret those conclusions. Yet, people fail to comprehend reality and confront their interpretation. Prejudice is then where it all leads to. Unfavorable opinions being spoken while there is no understanding of the knowledge behind what is going on. As I stated Einstein’s quote before, weakness in attitude would mean that you would show no concern to something or someone which later weakens your character, showing your true colors and lowering your reputation.
Kamaran! Your writing piece is insightful and impressive! Excellent analogy in the introduction!
DeleteI believe that Kaufman decided to give this article this specific title because of the significance behind Achilles’ heel. In the Trojan War, Achilles was a Greek hero who's body was basically immune to death. Towards the end of the Trojan war, Achilles was shot in his heel and ultimately died. His heel was the only part of his body susceptible to death. Nowadays, we use the term Achilles’ heel to represent a person’s weakness. I think that Kaufman used this term by stating that his prejudice and ignorance about Hector was his Achilles’ heel, or weakspot. In relation to our lecture on perspective, I believe that Kaufman’s perspective on Hector was altered because of his education and his belief that he was better than other students in his school. He saw it as being superior to his peers and looked down on the children who were not “intellectually gifted.”
ReplyDeleteAfter graduating from college, Kaufman ignored Hector whenever he saw him around the neighborhood. Rarely they would nod at one another, but most of the time they acted as though the other did not exist. Kaufman states that he felt “that conversation would be a chore or a burden” (page 156). Kaufman also used to think about “how strange and unfair fate had been with regard to the two of [them] who had once been playmates” (page 156). This meant that he felt as though Hector had gotten “the short end of the stick” and was not able to succeed as well as he had been able to. After finding out about Hector’s actual success, Kaufman had “blushed for his assumptions” (page 157). The way that he felt just proved how judgmental and ignorant he had been just because he believed Hector could not succeed because he was not in the IGC class. In general, many people in society do act this way. They judge people based on education and race, rather than actually getting to know the person on a deeper level. It is sad to know that people are constantly being criticized.
In relation to perspective, the video that we watched about sociolinguistics and identity can play a major role as well. The woman Michelle talked about how she was judged for the way she spoke and pronounced certain words during her broadcastings. In her viewers’ perspective, they were very judgmental and critical because they did not approve of the way that she spoke. This shows that adversity and negativity are present all throughout the world.
Great job Ricky! Excellent correlation to habla Texas video. You create a nice parallel between perspective and the reading in addition to your interpretation!
Delete"Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel" is a reference to the battle between Achilles and Hector during the Trojan War in Greek mythology. I think that Kaufman chose this title because Achilles had killed Hector in battle the same way Kaufman had allowed his prejudice of Hector end their friendship. Kaufman feels that his greatest imperfection or achilles heel was his change in the way he saw Hector as a person because they went from childhood best friends to distant strangers over the course of their lives. This essay relates to the lecture on "perspective" because even those that were once closest to you can have a biased view of you based on assumptions rather then having the facts.For example, Kaufman's perspective of Hector changed once he had saw him with a knitted watch cap and assumed he worked on the docks as a longshoreman because he wasn't as intellectually gifted.
ReplyDeleteKaufman ignored Hector after graduating from college because they were no longer the two little kids making toy pistols, they had become to completely different people with nothing in common. "We would acknowledge each other, but by this time the conversations we held were perfunctory-sports, families, weather"(Kaufman 148).Kaufman felt that any conversation they had with one another would be more of a burden rather then two friends trying to catch up on old times. "Mostly, of course, I stayed with my own classmates, with other Intellectually Gifted Children" (Kaufman 147). After witnessing Hector on the train with a knitted watch cap, this left Kaufman feeling strange and somewhat superior to his long time friend because fate had given them such divergent paths due to their difference intellect.
The acts demonstrated by Kaufman shows how society is quick to judge and classify individuals based on their appearances rather then get to know who they truly are. Kaufman assumed Hector was a longshoreman working on the docks but in reality he was an aspiring actor following his dreams. A parallel between todays lecture and "The Burqa Battle" is the ongoing dispute of the burqa as it pertains to representation in the french way of life. In the video,"The Burqa Battle" the french saw the use of the burqa as an oppression to all muslim women but in reality it was their choice to wear the burqa as it was a sign of their faith. The french also viewed the burqa as trumping "French Life" because it made them feel uncomfortable and they felt it gave the wrong message for women's equality.
Great job Cristian! I like how you incorporated perspective into your response!
DeleteOften times we as human beings associate valiant heroism and gallant individuals with that of unparalleled bravery, eminent fortitude, and divine character the likes of which mere mortals do not possess. As a society, we deem these individuals as icons, exemplars, and embodiments of which we aspire to replicate. Unfortunately, as high of a degree and standard as to which we may hold these persons, more often than not there is generally a major intangible flaw that lies within, and that is a self-inflicted perception of egocentrism. Ignorance may be bliss, but it is the common man who may be able to read between the fine lines of heroic action and narcissistic exploitation that we may justify as the true hero.
ReplyDeleteMichael Kaufman’s essay Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel delves much deeper into this ideology than of what may be superficially interpreted at first glance, and it is no coincidence that Kaufman’s title alludes to a historic war hero who embodies this concept. Kaufman spends a majority of his thesis indirectly referencing himself as Achilles, a warrior in the sense of intelligence and wisdom while reducing Hector to a mere peasant, one of which is refined to the world of “mediocrity” and “ordinariness” due to a lower degree of intelligence in elementary and high school. Kaufman’s true Achilles heel reside in many facets; for one his ignorance and negative attitude toward the potential of his childhood friend overwhelms his ability to clogs his judgment to step down from his pedestal and view Hector as an equal, despite his leap into early fatherhood and his appearance of that of a longshoreman. It can also be argued that while Kaufman may damn Hector to his respective stereotype, it is truly Kaufman’s own insecurities that are his ultimate demise- when one has ingrained a sense of superiority in themselves, particularly at such a young age as Kaufman expressed, it becomes an albatross on our perspective and sense of self-worth, as evidence of his confession, “…so why did I think he was a longshoreman? Was it just the cap? Could it be that his being Puerto Rican had something to do with it? Maybe that reinforced the stereotype I concocted, but it wasn't the root of it. When It Got Started. No, the foundation was laid when I was 11, when I was in 7SP-1 and he was not, when I was in the IGC class and he was not”. However, Kaufman’s true Achilles heel derives from his inability to be secure in his own self-worth and who he has become; Hector merely exemplifies those aspirations and standards of which Kaufman set for himself and perhaps never achieved. This perhaps explains why he never approaches Hector and chose to ignore him- the standard above Hector to which he held himself from such an early age was too great a height to hold securely lower his ego from in order to view his childhood friend as an equal rather than a subordinate. This is an extension of everyday society- it becomes excruciatingly painful to confront those uneasy situations that may force us to swallow our pride and see things from a level playing field as opposed to a birds-eye view, and generally retrospect we come to regret these decisions later on, as hindsight is always 20/20, as demonstrated by Kaufman’s contextual statement, “Just because I had become an intellectually gifted adult or whatever and he had become a longshoreman or whatever, was that any reason for us to have been left with nothing to say to each other? I thought it was wrong and unfair, but I also thought that conversation would be a chore or a burden.”
Not only is the decision to barricade others whom we may not feel comfortable with confronting a reflection of societal perspective, it is only one facet of individual identity that embodies the idea of egocentric perspective. Cultural values are also ingrained in this concept as well. In regards to Habla Texas, the narrator experiences encounters where her viewers request that she change the methods to which she expresses herself in order for them to feel more at ease and comfortable with the integration of her culture in their lives as opposed to just accepting integration in all of its forms with the grace and courtesy that one should always show toward another’s cultural values. Our insecurities that we may bottle up inside build like a raging damn, until the floodgates open and our ignorance is exposed for all to see in a generally demoralizing and degrading fashion that speaks volumes about the speaker rather than the subject matter. As a society, perspectives a majorly influenced by many facets, but our upbringing and childhood particularly during the toddler and infancy stages while our brains are sponges may have the most drastic impact on how one may view themselves or their environment, but also how one may choose to express themselves and as evidence by Kaufman’s passage, generally the more well-off or privileged a person may be during stages of early life, the more difficult it may be to put egocentrism to wayside and embrace the talents and potentials of those who may not have been as fortunate.
ReplyDeletePossessing an intense spirit of self-worth and value is an essential element to integrating in a melting pot of society, but there exists a fine line between arrogance and humility. Those who choose to remain humble shall be able to see the beauty in the struggles or obstacles faced by those who may not have had as simple of a path in life as they, while the vast majority who condemn others based on their ill-informed sentiments and prejudices are the ones who truly have the greatest internal mountain to climb. After all, when one points a finger at another, four point directly back at themself.
Your response is compelling and profound joe!
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteKaufman chose to give his essay the title, “Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heal,” because he realized that no matter how strong minded someone might seem, everyone has their weaknesses. His perspective on his childhood friend, Hector, was not only completely wrong but a weakness of his. Similarly, Achilles was a strong, unbeatable warrior, but he had one flaw. His heel was his weak spot. Someone’s perspective is his or her point of view on someone or something. Even at a young age, Kaufman started profiling Hector for being less intelligent. This is seen when Kaufman states that, “Mostly, of course, I stayed with my own classmates, with other intellectually gifted students”(156). Trying to fit in with the social Hierarchy Hector was officially with the “normal” kids making him an afterthought. He stereotyped Hector throughout his entire life and because of this ignorance he lost a great connection that he would never find again. The reason why he ignored Hector was because he felt superior to him, and this mindset led him to believe that Hector didn’t deserve his valued hand of friendship. This major flaw that Kaufman has would haunt him for his adult life, as he would reminisce on what could have resulted in a great relationship.
ReplyDeleteThis “what could have been” friendship uncoiled into a series of head nods and awkward encounters on the street. “Some nights as I took the train home I would see Hector in the car. A few times we would exchange nods but more often I would pretend that I didn’t see him, and maybe he also pretended he didn’t see me”(Kaufman 156). Stereotyping is an Achilles’ heel that a vast majority of the population does, even when they don’t realize they’re doing it. This could result in citizens feeling inferior to their counterparts that feel they’re better then them as people. Profiling is a disease that plagues all cultures, to see the bad in people for having different colored skin, or wearing a head wrap that you think is weird and abstract from “society”.
Andre Pereira
ReplyDeleteEnglish
10/1/14
I suppose that Kaufman chose to give his essay “Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Hell” because it is all based on the Greek warrior Achilles. This is also an illusion because some people may look strong, but they always have a weak spot like the Achilles heels. Achilles was a Greek warrior during the Trojan War. He was strong but he had one weakness, his Achilles heel. He would later get shot in the Achilles heel by an arrow. An Achilles heel of Kaufman was he would lose touch of his childhood friend, Hector. “Sometimes I would see him in Riverside Park. We would acknowledge each other, but by this time the conversation we held were perfunctory- sports, families, weather” (Kaufman 156). They both have lost touch of each other and are just having small talk.
The essay relates to your lecture on Tuesday about “perspective”. In your presentation, you tell us that there are three ways of perspective: What I see, what other see, and reality subjective. In the essay, Kaufman sees Hector on the train and saw Hector had a beanie and he thought he worked on the docks. ”That is pretty much what I thought about Hector, if I thought about him at all, until Sunday in the mid-70s, when I read in the drama section of the newspaper that my childhood friend, Hector Elizondo, was replacing Peter Falk” (Kaufman 156). In the perspective of Hector, Kaufman would just see the beanie on Hector and think just because he looks Puerto Rican that he works on the docks. But what Hector saw was that maybe he was on the train just going from work to his acting classes. Kaufman would ignore Hector sometimes on the train, because it had gotten to the point that they don’t want to talk to each other because how do you start a conversation with your childhood friend. He had ignored Hector to save the embarrassment of not talking to each other for losing touch. Sometimes Kaufman would see Hector and give him a nod.
This essay shows us that society has many points of view. There will always be two views on something. You can travel around the world and see the many views on life and culture. In the essay, Kaufman has a perspective on Hector because the way Kaufman sees Hector. The perspective of what you see is a good on seeing the many points of view. Two people seeing different viewpoints are good because it also helps with self-identity. Being who you are and the views you see about life make you different from everyone else.
Perspective not only shapes a persons point of view, actions and feelings, but shapes who they are as an individual. I believe Kaufman chose to title this story " Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel" to demonstrate that no matter how strong you are physically, mentally or intellectually, everyone has a vulnerable spot.
ReplyDeleteIn Achilles case, he was the mightiest of all Greeks, but was killed unexpectedly in the only vulnerable place on his body, his heel. " And I wonder, too, that if they affected the behavior of someone like myself who had been placed on the upper track, how much more damaging it must have been for someone consigned to the lower" (Kaufman157). Kaufman who had gone to a much more prestige high school and college than hector, taught to think more critical than an average class. Had made a simple conclusion about his old friend simply upon the sight of unappealing clothes, instantly labeling him as a longshoreman. "I have replayed the subway rides in my head and tried to fathom why my thoughts had led me where they did" (Kaufman157). At a young age we were taught to "not judge a book by its cover", but in society you are automatically judged based on the latest shoes, bags, ect. Not everyone possesses the ability to put aside the judgments, assumed, stereotypes and social categories and see the potential in people we never saw coming. Kaufman was blinded by his own assumption to recognized the ability of his childhood friend hector. Hector was his weak spot, through Hector Kaufman realized the skewed perspective he had gained, and the innocence lost from the childhood boy who simply enjoyed making pistols out of rubber bands with a boy he viewed as an equal
I believe that Michael Kaufman titled his story “Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel” because it showed the weakness he had. It shows that no matter how strong or powerful someone or something is, there is always that vulnerability and weakness within. In this case, Kaufman's Achilles heel was his perspective of self intelligence and the thought and belief that he was better and superior to others. When Kaufman and Hector were younger they were very close friends but as they grew up they began to part and disconnect with each other. This was mostly due to how they were labeled and grouped from a young age. In school, Kaufman was in the intellectually gifted class and hector was now. Because of this Kaufman believed that he was smarter than Hector. He believe that he was better than him and that it would always be that way. Kaufman had stated that “Mostly of course, I stayed with my own classmates, with the other intellectually gifted students”. He also said, “No, the foundation was laid when I was 11, when I was in 7Sp-1 and he was not, when I was in the IGC class and he was not”. These two quotes in the passage shows how Kaufman felt of more importance compared to other student and didn't want to associate with them.
ReplyDeleteYears later, Kaufman had seen Hector on the subway but ignored him. He saw what Hector was wearing and had assumed that he was a longshoreman. He was, however, completely wrong. He had made the assumption that Hector was of a lower social class based on his attire. Kaufman believed that he was better than him and of a higher class so he didn't feel the need to talk to him or associate with him. This shows how perspective is seem in many different ways; how we see ourselves, what others see and the reality of the perspective. It shows how our society is very quick to assume things based on a physical of materialistic level. Our society can be very judgmental and stereotypical and characterize people based on their physical appearance. We are so quick to judge others based on what we see without knowing who they really are as a person. Kaufman was so oblivious and blinded by his own way of seeing things that his assumptions led to losing such a close childhood friend.
I believe Kaufman chose the title “Of My Friend Hector and My Achilles Heel” for his essay because it refers to his own strengths and weaknesses. Kaufman was intellectually smart just like Achilles was strong and powerful but like Achilles, Kaufman had a weakness. Achilles weakness was his heel because that was his weakest point and he was eventually killed by being shot by an arrow. Kaufman’s weakness was his prejudice perspective towards Hector. He believed Hector was not as smart as he was because they were not in the same class. Kaufman was not even sure what class Hector was in but it did not matter because he was not as smart as Kaufman.
ReplyDeleteWhen Kaufman was in Junior High he was glad Hector was his friend. When kids at school teased the intellectually gifted, Kaufman said “At such times I was particularly proud to have Hector as a friend. I assumed that he was tougher than I and my classmates and I guess I thought that if necessary he would come to my defense” (Kaufman 156). Did Kaufman perceive Hector to be tough because he was Puerto Rican or because he was not as smart as he was? Why did Kaufman assume that Hector was tough? As Kaufman and Hector became adults he believed there was more of an intellectual difference between them and “that conversation would be a chore or a burden” (Kaufman 156). Kaufman’s perspective of Hector was based on what he looked like and what classes he was in when he was younger not on who he was. He judged Hector because of his “knitted watch cap”, and the late hour that he was coming home. In reality Hector was starring in the lead role of an Off Broadway show. He was successful in his own right. Kaufman could not see Hector as the good friend he was as a boy and he let his prejudice perspective get in the way.
Like the video “Habla Texas”, where viewers thought Michelle was from Mexico just because she spoke Spanish, Kaufman thought Hector was a longshoreman just because of the late hours he came home and the “knitted watch cap” he wore on his head and he did not think he could be a successful man like himself. Kaufman ignored Hector after graduating from college because he felt that Hector was not good enough to be friends with. His “prejudice and stupidity” kept him from staying connected to a childhood friend whom he once had a great relationship with. Society in general as prejudice perspectives towards all races and society prejudges people according to what they wear, where they are from, how much they earn and how smart they are.
I suppose Kaufman chose to give his essay this particular title because he was using an achilles heel (a weak spot of the human body) in order to represent the weak spot Kaufman found in himself. First, "I knew I was in the SP class and the IGC class. I guess I also know other people were not. Hector was not" (Kaufman 147). To explain, just as Achilles was this favorable hero who people saw as incredible, Kaufman thought he was intellectually incredible. Due to this confidence, Kaufman percieved Hector to be less than him because Hector participated in the lower educational class rather than the more advanced one like Kaufman. Next, "Usually he would be wearing a knitted water cap, and from that I deduced that he was probably working on the docks as a longshoreman" (Kaufman 148). To elaborate, Kaufman's perspective from high school carried on through after his college years where he uses old perspectives to judge Hector. Since Kaufman viewed Hector as "less than him," he felt it was a chore or burden to spark up a conversation with him and just sees him as a longshoreman. Kaufman was shocked to find out that Hector ended up becoming a greater success than Kaufman by making it famous. In reality, Kaufman's "achilles heel" is his perspectives and judgmental thoughts against Hector throughout the essay which appear to all be false.
ReplyDeleteIn today's society, people see themselves differently from what other people view them as. For example, in "Young, Muslim and French," the Muslims see no problem is practicing their favored religion while the society in France sees a problem. It is all perspective. The Muslims see themselves as doing no harm by wearing headscarfs and practicing their own cultural religion while the rest of the French society sees the Muslims as a group who does not want to assimilate into the culture. Furthermore, these perspectives create judgemental thoughts between the Muslims and France leading to discrimination and racism.
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ReplyDeleteI think that Kaufman used this particular title because just as Achilles had in the Trojan War, Kaufman had a weakness in his life. Kaufman’s weakness was his assumptions and judgment towards his friend Hector. Kaufman’s perspective of his friend Hector changed throughout time; especially from when the two of them stopped talking and grew apart to when Hector became a famous actor. He always thought lesser of Hector as they were kids because Kaufman was always in smarter classes and with the majority of students “when I was in the IGC class and he was not.”(157). Kaufman assumed that Hector wouldn’t do much with his life but Kaufman didn’t even try to see Hector from any other perspective other than his own. This lead to be a big surprise when he saw Hector in the newspaper,
ReplyDeleteKaufman and Hector stopped talking after college because around this time they both realized that there lives are going to separate ways and they aren’t the little kids they used to be anymore. They had no more similarities and because of this they began to stop talking “that conversation would be a chore or a burden” (156). Judgments, assumptions and impressions basically run the world. More people think they know someone because of these things rather than actually getting to know one another or looking at life from their perspective. Judging people should only happen after you completely understand someone’s life, but by that time they’d most likely be your best friend or a family member. You never know what kind of potential a person might have until you get to know them,
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ReplyDeleteI believe that Kaufman used "Of my friend Hector and my Achilles Heel" as his title is because he feels that Hector is, in a sense, his own Achilles' heel. To be assume so much of Hector and then proven wrong after 40 years is pretty strong, to say the least. The person that he thought was a longshoreman turned out to be an actor (Kaufman 158). It really made Kaufman think about what he thought about Hector and say "Maybe I was wrong about him."
ReplyDeleteIn Kaufman's perspective, he felt like Hector wouldn't change after high school. Looking back on all the times they made linoleum guns and played punch ball together, Kaufman then realized that Hector wasn't intellectually gifted as he originally thought, and that Hector was only a tad bit tougher than the kids that teased him during lunch (Kaufman 156). I believe Kaufman had avoided Hector after college because he felt like Hector could "take care of himself." It tells us about how perspective works in our society. Society's perspective is that sometimes, we take our experiences with other people and put blunt assumptions on them that get so carried on for as long as up to 40 years, only to be swept away as the person we made assumptions on changes, for better or for worse. Sometimes, these perspectives get overboard, and we're made to put these people into very specific stereotypes, like in the video, "Habla Texas", where people just assumed that just because you speak a certain language, it means your from another country.
I suppose Kaufman chose this particular title because Kaufman felt Hector was holding him down. As kids, Kaufman and Hector made toy pistols. When they were in the seventh grade, Kaufman was in 7SP-1 while Hector was in 7-2. The essay relates to perspective because Kaufman saw Hector as a longshoreman because of their past encounters. The way you see a person could affect the way you think.
ReplyDeleteKaufman ignored Hector after college because Kaufman thought Hector would amount to nothing in life. He would be wrong about that as Hector became an actor. Society in general moves on and forget about past relationships because you move to a new place or lose the spark that made your friendship. “I remember quite distinctly how I would sit on the train and think about how strange and unfair fate had been with regard to the two of us who had once been playmates”(Kaufman 156). Kaufman became jealous of his friend Hector’s success because Kaufman was used to being successful. “I thought it was wrong and unfair, but I also thought that conversation would be a chore or a burden. (Kaufman 156)” Kaufman did not think Hector was intelligent enough to talk to him. Kaufman felt like Hector’s vocabulary was not up to par with his vocabulary. In class, we talked about how perspective could lead to assumptions. After 9/11, Americans assumed anybody who is Muslim is a terrorist.
Kaufman chose the title "Of my friend Hector and my Achilles Heel" because he feels like Hector is his weakness or his Achilles Heel. He feels this way because Kaufman would always see Hector around his town and when he took the train and he always assumed he was just another longshoreman. Kaufman lost a lot of contact with Hector because after college Kaufman felt like he was going bigger and better places then Hector was."I knew I was in the SP class and the IGC class. I guess I also know other people were not. Hector was not" (Kaufman 147). When he found out Hector was actually a famous actor he felt almost ashamed that he could judge someone and make assumptions without actually knowing the scenario. He always though that he was going to be the more successful one. “I remember quite distinctly how I would sit on the train and think about how strange and unfair fate had been with regard to the two of us who had once been playmates”(Kaufman 156). I believe that this shows that in society people do actually judge a book by its cover and make predictions about people on first glance. Just like in the Video "Habla Texas" because other people assumed the girl was a Mexican because she was Spanish and actually wanted her kicked of the air.
ReplyDeleteAchillies was the greatest warrior to ever live in Greek Mythology. Achillies was strong and courageous during the Trojan War and it seemed as though nothing could possibly kill him. Surprisingly, a simple arrow to the heel would happen to be enough to kill this legendary warrior. This shows that no matter how strong, smart, or great someone or something is everything has a weakness. Kaufman chose this title to show the similarities between the irony of Achillies being killed in such a weak way and Kaufman being wrong about his childhood friend Hector. Kaufman convinced himself for many reasons that Hector would not be successful in life. For one reason, Hector was not in any advanced classes in high school. This caused Kaufman to separate himself from Hector. Kaufman felt that because he himself was in these classes he should only associate with children that were on the same intelligence level as him. Kaufman believed that only those that were in advanced placement would go on to live extraordinary lives. This idea would turn out to be Kaufman’s Achillies heel because Hector would go on to become a very successful actor. Hector’s success was surprising to Kaufman and man him feel weak and idiotic for not believing Hector would amount to anything great.
ReplyDeleteThis can relate to the in class lecture on perspective because this shows how people view things differently. From Kaufman’s perspective Hector was an average boy who could not be anything other than average. Kaufman’s perspective leads him to believe this because in high school they were separated by their different intelligence levels. This caused Kaufman to think that because he was more intelligent than Hector he would be successful and Hector would be normal. Hector however, believed he could amount to something great and did not see him being in normal classes a valid reason that he could not follow his dreams. The perspective we have can greatly influence or ideas and behaviors. I think that negative thoughts we form about people in society because of our perspective are wrong and unfair. Just because someone is lower in social class or less intelligent does not mean that they can not become successful. Everyone has potential and our perspectives often hide that truth and make it shocking to find out when our thoughts are proven wrong.
After college Kaufman ignored Hector because he thought that since their lives were so different now that they would not have anything to talk about. Kaufman was a successful man and assumed that because of how he was dressed and the classes he was in in high school that Hector was not a success. “I remember quite distinctly how I would sit on the train and think about how strange and unfair fate had been with regard to the two of us who had once been playmates. Just because I had become an intellectually gifted adult or whatever and he had become a longshoreman or whatever, was that any reason for us to have been left with nothing to say to each other?” Kaufman shows in this quote how judgemental and wrong he was about Hector. When Kaufman discovers that he was wrong about Hector he feels terrible for what he had assumed about his old friend. Kaufman says to himself, “So why did I think he was a longshoreman? Was it just the cap? Could it be that his being Puerto Rican had something to do with it?”. Kaufman realizes that his Achillies heel was his inability to form his own thoughts about Hector. He allowed societies perspective of normal children lead him to believe Hector would not be successful.
Perspective is the different ways people view things. Different perspectives can cause many conflicts and changes in everyday life. In “Young, Muslim and French” they talk about how headscarfs worn by muslims are banned in France. Muslim people wear these headscarfs to express their religion and the French view it as a distraction. This led to the ban of all headscarfs in France. This shows how perspectives can change everyday lives and how influential they are to us.
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ReplyDeleteDamian Radomski
Achilles was a Greek hero during the Trojan war in Greek mythology. He was this unstoppable warrior that was killed because he got shot by an arrow in the heel. Later on Achilles heel was used as an expression for somebodies weak point or weakness.
The reason Kaufman chose to title his essay “Of My Friend Hector and my Achilles heel” was because he was showing that his weakness was his perspective. How he saw hector changed his friendship. When they were living in the same apartment building they were best friends. As they grew older Michael started to see Hector differently. Probably because Hector was on a lower academic level. This was the beginning of his perspective changing. “ I stayed with my own classmates, with other intellectually gifted children”. This quote from the essay shows that Michael wanted to be with his peers and equal others rather than somebody labeled less than him.
After graduating college Michael ignored Hector. Their friendship slowly fell apart. “So why did I think he was a longshoreman? Was it the cap? Could it be that his being Puerto Rican had something to do with it? “ This quote was showing that because of his perspective he saw hector as less even though Hector was a successful man.