Many years ago, in ancient Greece, Plato started a debate on the usefulness of literature by declaring that poetry had no place in the ideal society, mainly because it was full of lies and because it evoked undesirable emotions. His student Aristotle, however, took the opposite side of this dispute and argued that literature was, in fact, useful. Aristotle agreed with Plato that literature induces undesirable emotions, but claimed that it does so only in an attempt to cleanse us of these harmful feelings, a process he called “catharsis.” The events of Homer's Iliad, although used by both Plato and Aristotle to defend their theories on literature, lend themselves to the defense of Aristotle's ideas more than those of Plato. Specifically, the juxtaposition of Achilleus' intense lament with the depiction of Hephaestus' shield, the description of Hector's growing pride, and the account of Patroclus' impulsive nature in battle perfectly exemplify Aristotle's idea of ​​catharsis and demonstrate the true value of literature. In the Iliad, Homer masterfully juxtaposes the very specific, emotional, and individualized scene of Achilleus' grief with the creation of the all-encompassing image that Hehpaistos forges on his shield. Near the beginning of the book, when Achilleus learns of Patroclus' death from Nestor's son Antiolcus, Homer describes an intense scene of grief as he writes, “The black cloud of grief closed over Achilleus. With both hands he scooped up the filthy powder and poured it over his head and face, smearing his beautiful face. And he himself, with his mighty strength, lay for a long time in the dust, took and tore his hair with his hands and defiled it" (Iliad book 18 lines 2...... half of the sheet.... .. r to defend his ideas about the eradication of literature, the Iliad contains countless powerful and cathartic passages that essentially invalidate Plato's theories about poetry. After a study of the Iliad, the reader has trained his emotions characters and fears that if he acts in the same way and allows himself to be overwhelmed by the same emotions that proved to be the bane of the characters' existence in the work, then the same fate awaits him, reading the Iliad, or any other good work of literature for that matter our rational nature to overwhelm our sentimental nature. In this sense, literature is the highest form of study one can undertake, as we are constantly inundated with a sea of ​​emotions. To ensure that we act rationally in response to these emotions it is necessary read as much literature as possible.