Literature and Nursing Diagnosis Care Plan
Literature and Nursing Diagnosis Care Plan
Introduction
In Homer’s Iliad, the two most notable characters are Achilles and Hector. The former was a Greek war hero synonymous to a demigod. The latter was a Trojan prince who was also famous for his role in the wars Troy fought (Homer, 2008). In many aspects, the two come about as among the most known historical figures. Their battle at the Trojan gates is among the most revered duels. Even with their greatness, the two figures were ailing in one way or the other. Their overly ambitious mentalities were the reasons behind their eventual downfall. This paper examines in detail the two characters of Homer’s famous poem. The paper also enumerates the shortcomings of these characters. Finally, the paper suggests how these characters can handle their shortcomings to overcome their ‘mental sicknesses.’Achilles Perhaps the most known of the two, Achilles is today used in the famous “Achilles’ heel” phrase, in reference to one’s weakness. As the main focus in the Trojan War, Achilles’ feats of courage include his famous combat with hector at the Trojan gates. In the war that ensued after Achilles had murdered Hector, the latter’s killed Achilles with an arrow to the heel. Being the son of spiritually superior parents, Achilles' mother had dipped him in the river to make him immortal. She held him by the heel and thus it became his weakness. To this day, Achilles' heel refers to an individual’s weak point in regard to their general might. In todays' world, people remember Achilles’s greatness by using his name on warships (Homer, 2008). People also appreciate Achilles's greatness by giving nicknames to individuals who display cunning behavior and ruthlessness in a delicate measure.
According to how Achilles handled issues in his life, he could be said to have been overconfident and ignorant of danger in his life. Several cases show this throughout Achilles's existence. First of all, he is said to have risked being burnt alive by hiding in the famous Trojan horse. Secondly, he also risked dying by the Trojan army when he went to the Trojan gates and forced Hector to fight him. Having killed Hector, he brutally pulled him with his cart in the eyes of all of Troy. Thirdly, on the day of his death, Achilles went to fight Troy with a small army unaware of the dangers that stood in his way (Haugen & Galura, 2010). In his life, he never imagined that a little wound in his heel would kill him as was the case. The Iliad records his conquest with the famous poem about him which says that his rage “brought great suffering to the Acheans” (Homer, 2008). For such an individual, care should be taken while treating them given that their lives receive gratification from their activities. Achilles would be reminded that one’s life is not all about conquests and wars. He would be reminded that also that, by waging war every other day, he risked dying himself. In death, he would not be able to conquer more territories or win any more wars. In as much as he was a demigod and of high qualities, he would be reminded that he lived among men who would find his weakness one way or the other (Gulanick & Myers, 2013). He would be, thus, discouraged from war this way. After releasing Achilles from my care, I would keep him from the war front by all means possible. He would be required to visit the treatment facility every week to assess his progress on the view of his life. It is critical to ensure that Achilles does not make the mistake of returning to the battlefield with high levels of confidence and ignorance (Gulanick & Myers, 2013). This would involve exposing Achilles to a life that lacks war. However, such a life should have significant levels of challenges so as to satisfy him.
According to the Iliad, his aim on the night of his death was to retrieve a lady the Trojans had taken. However much he would have been in love with the lady and his skills on the battlefield he would be advised to take another method in retrieving the lady. This would involve resorting to methods such as negotiation and less-risky combats such as unarmed wrestling as was the norm in his days.Hector Although Hector was a fierce Trojan soldier and prince, his remembrance lies in more for his failure at killing Achilles than for his exploits on the war front. Among his most famous duels include that with Ajax, Protesilaus and the one with Achilles that saw to his death. Unlike Achilles, Hector comes across as being a lover of peace and one without dark motives in his life. His reverence lies in his courage and skill on the battlefield. To this day, Hector remains in people’s minds as a figure of courage and nobility in delicate measure. His remembrance lies in as the face of Jack of diamonds in French playing cards (Haugen & Galura, 2010). Even though Hector comes across as a level-headed individual devoid of any shortcomings that befall famous men, his weakness manifests during his duel with Achilles. While, in full knowledge that Achilles was the greatest warrior in the enemy camp, Hector refuses to fight him. According to the Iliad, Achilles says that Hector showed no interest in fighting him. He says, “There he stood up to me alone one day, and he barely escaped my onslaught.” In this way, it can be observed that Hector was not dealing with the main problems facing him. It can be said, thus that he was an escapist. He evidently fails to face up to Achilles up to the last minute when the later forces him to a combat in which Hector losses. Had he prepared himself for this duel, Hector could have killed Achilles in an earlier battle or won the duel between them at the Trojan gates. When placed in my care, Hector would be exposed to tasks that have both rewards and punishments.
The rewards would be for performing the task on or before its time. The punishment, on the other hand, would be for avoiding the performance of given tasks. The aim is to cultivate and reinforce in him the initiative of dealing with problems before they outgrow his effective control. Being a sensible man who sought reasons for doing given tasks, I would include tasks that totally made no sense to him but had consequences. In this case, the aim would be to invoke in him the spirit of finding out people’s motives, even though it may seem nonsensical (Haugen & Galura, 2010). In the case of his duel with Achilles, Hector even told his opponent that he had no intentions of fighting him right before the start of their duel. Instead of that, he would have prepared himself for war and sought Achilles motives beyond the norm. After releasing Hector from the facility, I would keep tabs on him to ensure that the behavior I intended to cultivate in him receives reinforcement all along the way. In all his activities, I would ensure he does not forget that each one of them has consequences in the form of punishments and rewards (Haugen & Galura, 2010). This would include simple daily tasks in his life such taking meals on time and seeing the doctor as soon as he notices any anomalies in his body. It is highly likely that this would make him face up to his problems whenever he comes across them.Conclusion In conclusion, it can be deduced from the information above that historical figures have problems in one way or the other.
Other characters, such as Alexander the Great, had the world before them due to their great skill in leadership and combat but died without ever seeing their conquest at peace. All these were due to their ignorance in one area or the other. Considering the individuals I have mentioned above, the field of psychiatry is new (Gulanick & Myers, 2013). It can be safely said that they never had psychiatrists handle their issues to determine the correct course of action. They merely had advisors who rarely had their interest at heart and never had adequate training in the field of psychology. Therefore, they could not handle psychological matters. Given that great people handle matters in unconventional ways, their history of success reinforces their behavior. Consequently, it makes it difficult for such people to change the way they do things. To this end, therefore, psychological help depends on the willingness of the patient.
References
Gulanick, M. & Myers, J. (2013). Nursing Care Plans: Nursing Diagnosis and Intervention. Chicago: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Haugen, N. & Galura, S. (2010). Ulrich & Canale's Nursing Care Planning Guides. Chicago: Elsevier Health Sciences.
Homer. (2008). Homer's Iliad. New York: Wildside Press LLC.
