Examples Of Tenacity In The Odyssey

Odysseus, King of Ithaca, and the main character in homer’s The Odyssey, was gone for twenty years before finally returning to his family and his homeland. He struggled through many hardships and lost many loyal companions. The King of Ithaca would not have made it home without the assistance of the Greek gods. Despite all of the help and advice that Odysseus receives from the gods, he is a very brave man because his courage and daring in the cave of the Cyclops, his inability to give up and abandon his men on Circe’s island, and his flawless following of the gods instructions are acts of bravery that is uncommon in most men.

There are many traits that are believed to make an individual a true hero. Some of those traits being physical strength, mental toughness kindness, compassion, bravery, and intelligence. In both today's world and during the times of ancient Greece, there is one trait that prevails among the rest, that trait is mental toughness. Both Odysseus and Chen Si hold this trait within them.

“Are you flesh and blood, Odysseus, to endure more than a man can? Do you never tire? God, look at you, iron is what you’re made of” (12.162-164). In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, the focus is on the journey of Odysseus, the island of Ithaca’s king, after he defeated the Trojans in a war that spanned ten years. He travels far and wide in an attempt to get home to his wife and son, but is repeatedly blocked from doing so by gods, nymphs, and monsters alike. He’s a skilled warrior that fears next to nothing and this poem follows him as he uses these facts to his advantage. Odysseus is persuasive and clever and refuses to shy away from a challenge that requires either one of these characteristics.

Every person has strengths and weaknesses. These strengths and weaknesses are never more evident than during conflict. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is forced to find his way home and his character traits both save him and cause him great hardships, and throughout the Epic Poem he is forced to use his incredible wit to get out of a situation mainly caused by his own thirst for glory. However, it is also noticeable that Odysseus is learning his ways and he changes his glory seeking ways by the end of the poem. Throughout the Odyssey it is evident how the strengths and weakness of Odysseus and his allies interplay with the strengths and weakness of enemies in conflicts.

One of the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey is the importance of cunning over strength. This also happens to be the case with Odysseus and his long ten year journey home from fighting in Troy. Odysseus uses his intelligence over strength to ‘fight’ through tough times and bring himself home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses his intelligence when he has his men tie him down while passing the Sirens, so he himself will be able to hear their beautiful song, but not be entranced by their singing. He also uses cunning to escape from the Cyclops’ cave without being harmed. He then uses his cunning by storing away all of the armory, shields, and knives from the suitors so he is able to kill them easily.

What does it really mean to be a hero? Being a hero does not just mean you save the day, or defeat the giant monster. To be a hero, you must be a leader. People should look up to you for guidance and help. A hero would help whenever he is needed. Odysseus is not shown as a hero in The Odyssey because he is selfish, cruel, and arrogant.

The Odyssey: Wisdoms not Heeded Through both the raging seas and curious lands Odysseus traverses in the Odyssey, wisdoms can be found from both gods and mortals alike. Yet, often these wisdoms are ignored and disaster strikes because of it. One such occasion is faced when Athena advises him at the horizon of his journey home. She looked upon his crew and warned that they would someday be his folly, and that he loved them too much. Odysseus scoffed at the idea, but soon he would see them in the same light as the wise goddess.

Odyssey’s life begins in the mundane. He is feared and respected by his men. Odysseus is feeling invincible and is blinded by his own arrogance in thinking that all his conquest were done by his own hands with no help from the Gods. So the Goddess Athena sends Odysseus on a call to adventure by telling him that he will have to fight in the Trojan War. Eventhough, Odysseus is reluctant to take the call to war at first, he answers it and goes on his ten year journey, leaving his wife Penelope and new born son behind. The Goddess Athena protects her hero Odysseus through the paths of trials he must face. Nevertheless, Odysseus’s persistent arrogance angered the (the god of water) Poseidon, by not

Had it not been for the meticulously executed intervention of Athena and sympathetic gods, Odysseus would have been a victim of his own desires and urges and would have driven himself into despair. Odysseus gives thanks to the gods and recognizes their power, often praying to Athena and praising her as “tireless one” (Homer 178, L356) in her efforts to aid him. Though Odysseus is weary from his journey, he returns to Ithaca in book 13 with just as much if not more strength than he had possessed before his departure, described as having a “fire” in his eyes (Homer 299, L458). Odysseus grew stronger in character through the trials and tribulations that he endured over his journey, proving that the one who endures the most suffering comes out the

The Odyssey is an epic poem that showcases the heroic actions contrasted with the grave disasters of Odysseus, a tragic hero on his way home from the war in Troy. The author, Homer, shows through Odysseus’ actions that even a hero such as he, has flaws. Flaws that if not acknowledged and learnt from, can spell grave disaster in the journey yet to come. Many Greeks recognize Odysseus as the most renowned hero of the Trojan war, thanks to his own accounts of his years away from Ithaca. Following the Greek beliefs, many believe that Odysseus couldn’t have kept himself away for so long, for only the gods can do something like this, and Odysseus can’t be the cause of the crew’s deaths, only the gods could be so cruel. While

Throughout Odysseus’ journey he is able to persevere against the overwhelming odds he is faced with. The driving force behind Odysseus’ perseverance is his hunger to get home; his crew however does not share this passion and therefore lacks the strength of character to fight on. Odysseus looks back on his life or death struggle as his ship is lost in Poseidon’s storm, " out of the ship my comrades fell and then like sea-fowl were borne by the side of the black ship along the waves; god cut them off from coming home. I myself paced the ship until the surge tore her ribs off the keel, which the waves then carried along dismantled. The mast broke at the keel; but to it clung the backstay, made of oxhide. With this I bound the two together keel and mast and getting a seat on these, I drifted before the deadly

The Characteristics of Epic Heros Homer’s Odyssey is an epic poem that centers around the travels of Odysseus and his men on their prolonged journey home, against Poseidon’s will. In The Hunger Games, the protagonist Katniss Everdeen sacrifices herself in order to protect her family and to enter a land of great dangers. The most basic perception of an epic hero is a person who embodies kindness at its finest and out of the goodness of their heart. However, if one were to delve deeper into the meaning of an epic hero, they would find that a hero also expresses compassion for their friends and their enemies.

Throughout his journey, Odysseus shows the trait of perseverance in times of hardship which illustrates his embodiment of a greek character. Perseverance is one of the key traits that can illustrate what it takes to have a strong and determined soul. In the time when Odysseus shipmates let loose all of the winds which caused a major setback on their journey, in response Odysseus thought, “should I leap over the side and drown at once or grit my teeth and bear it… I bore it all, held firm, hiding my face, clinging tight to the decks” (X. 56-69). In having the choice to leap over the side and be free of troubles, Odysseus chose to fight it out and showed the quality of being able to persevere through difficult times. His mental toughness, grit, and steadfast nature were developed through his action in clinging to the decks. Not only do the direct actions develop Odysseus persevering nature, but they also show how his desires and self-determination

In the Epic Poem ,The Odyssey, by Homer the story portrays the protagonist Odysseus, facing many tribulations on his journey home to Ithika, after his battle at Troy. However, Odysseus’ strong pride and boastful character provoke Poseidon, god of the sea, to not let him return home easily. During his absence, suitors raid his kingdom intending to marry his wife Penelope, and take Ithika for their own. Helping the hero, but also resisting lord Poseidon wishes, Athena, goddess of wisdom, attempts to bring the hero home. With disguise, Athena brings Telémakhos to venture off on his own journey to find his lost father whom he has never met. Even early, deception and disguise help Odysseus through tribulations; however, can trickery continue to fool the minds of his foes and loved ones? Odysseus must maintain his patience and self-control and not let envy and hatred for the suitors consume him.

In The Odyssey, Odysseus or Ulysses, is considered a hero. Odysseus portrays all the qualities of a hero in this epic. He portrays courage, wisdom, and endurance throughout the work, which makes up the qualities of a Pagan warrior’s idea of a hero. Zeus says “Great Odysseus who excels all men in wisdom, excels in offerings too he gives the immortal gods who rule the vaulting skies?” (Ody. 1.78-80). When speaking about Odysseus, he describes him as wise. Odysseus uses wisdom in the various obstacles he crosses on his journey home. Wisdom is all about knowing who you truly are and where you are going. This means denying temptation and not forgetting where you are going. On his journey home, he must turn down, possibly one of the greatest temptations, which is immortality. In hopes of keeping Odysseus with her, and not leaving to return home she says “