Hero's Journeys: Odysseus And Percy Jackson

In “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus faces many people, monsters, and obstacles. The “Hero's Journey” by Joseph Campbell represents the journey Odysseus took which can be seen by his use of supernatural aid, Allies/Helper, and Entering The Unknown.

Published in the 8th century B.C.E and 1997 respectively, both The Odyssey by Homer and Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone by J. K. Rowling are universally known arts of literature. The Hero’s Journey is a commonly used trope incorporated in numerous amounts of tales. This trope involves a hero who goes on a journey, finds himself in a crisis, defeats his enemies, and comes home changed. Harry Potter, the main character in Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, encounters many conflicts and meets helpful mentors on his adventure. Similarly, Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, encounters various monsters and obstacles, too. Both Harry Potter and the

Novelist and poet, Rainer Maria Rilke once said, “The only journey is the one within”(Rainer Maria Rilke Quotes). Meaning, what makes a journey important is how one changes and learns from the experience. The claims made in this quote are well proven in relatively new literature and even one of the oldest poems still studied today. The Odyssey is a famous, well known epic poem. It was written by the renowned poet, Homer, in ancient greek times. The Odyssey follows a man known as Odysseus, he just left fighting in the Trojan war after years. Odysseus has quite the adventure due to the gods’ and goddesses’ constant manipulation, all in the hope of reaching his homeland, Ithaca, and beloved family. Quite the opposite, much younger and shorter “The Journey” is a poem written by Mary Oliver in the 1900s. This poem relays what a journey really is and the purpose of going on journeys. Despite the differences between The Odyssey and “The Journey”, the two both use figurative language to convey a very similar message. People embark on journeys to fill an empty void and learn what they appreciate in life.

The Hero’s Journey is a situational archetype of every story made, whether it’s a poem, narrative or film they all tell this Journey.

Two books can seem completely different from each other when judged by characteristics such as genre, plot, and theme. However, if people were to look at the books together and as a whole, they might notice one striking similarity between the two. That striking similarity is known as the hero’s journey. First observed and documented by Joseph Campbell, the hero’s journey is a concept in which heroes, or people who commit actions for the greater good, follow a three-step cycle known as departure, fulfillment, and return. At the first stage of the hero’s journey, the hero receives a call to an adventure that takes him from the comforts of his home. Next, at the most important stage of the hero’s journey, the hero begins to experience life

On a Journey In most forms of literature heroes go through their own journey. In The Princess Bride by William Goldman, Westley must go on an adventure to save his one true love, Buttercup. During the film The Wizard of Oz a girl named Dorothy is taken by a tornado to the land of Oz and must go on a quest to return to her family. The hero archetype is found in many religions and mythologies.

The definition of a journey is: “A traveling from one place to another, usually taking a rather long time.” (dictionary.com). However, most modern novels have characters that go through emotional or mental journeys that serve as the main plot for their story, thus contradicting the meaning of the word “journey”. In older works of literature such as The Odyssey by Homer and The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini, it is more common for the protagonists to step into physical journeys that are often made to signify an important lesson or meaning by the end of the novel. Factors such as symbols, themes, and character change plays a role in helping the characters along on their adventures and adds to the connotation of the whole story.

During, Homer’s, The Odyssey many strengths were tested throughout the entire book. This book was a mythological Greek folk tale that was created between the eleventh and eighth century B.C, therefore it is filled with many exaggerated stories about the Gods and treacherous adventures Odysseus had ventured on. He encounters a cyclops and after battles a six-headed monster. His crew discovers their talent for making mistakes such as being turned into pigs by Circe and letting strong winds out of the bag sending them farther from home. Odysseus experiences battles with his emotional stamina as well. His depression about his travels are shown through his lamentation on Calypsos’ island and his will power to discover the loyalty of his house mates is tested by Odysseus disguising himself as a beggar in his own home. Throughout, Homer’s, The Odyssey perseverance holds significance emotionally, physically, and mentally when enduring the battles and setbacks he experiences.

Odysseus, the main character of The Odyssey, is an amazing example of an ancient hero that went through many different challenges. Heros, to me, are people who do great and help many different people in a lot of different ways. Odysseus is a good example of an ancient hero because he helped his city defeat Troy with his great trickery, courage, and strength. A great example of a modern day hero is Superman. Also known as Clark Kent, Superman is an outstanding hero. He helps out his city whenever they are invaded by evil super villains. He is able to accomplish these challenges with his superpowers, his willingness to protect the citizens. I believe that Odysseus has a lot of similarities with Superman in a hero’s journey.

Why are not all humans exactly the same? What separates humans apart from each other, aside from their external appearance? Each individual human being is unique and extraordinary, due to the different characteristics they possess. Granting the fact that humans having similar qualities is a frequent occurrence, no two individuals attain identical personalities. Comparing and contrasting the characteristics of Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, an Epic Poem taking place in ancient Greek culture, and Percy Jackson, the main character in the novel The Lightning Thief, likenesses and differences within their

The Hero’s Journey is a pattern of writing that is displayed in both the texts of The Odyssey and The Secret Life of Bees. In the epic poem and book, each protagonist undergoes a journey where they mimic a similar pattern of events referred to as the Hero’s Journey. In The Odyssey, Odysseus must travel home which is his ultimate goal, but he gets thrown of course many times as does Lily, from The Secret Life of Bees. The Hero’s Journey is a model outline for how tough situations can be handled, and is still used today because of its great lasting impact. Lily and Odysseus display the qualities of the Hero's Journey throughout their journeys when they encounter trials, and bond with others they trust, in addition to the battles they fight for

Based on clues throughout The Lost Hero, I predict the heroes will journey to Camp Jupiter and find Percy Jackson. The first clue, which is mentioned many times is the prophecy. A line in the prophecy says “foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.”. Some characters believe the two foes are Camp Half-Blood and Camp Jupiter, as they have been at war for

The Hero’s journey, or in its more correct terminology the Monomyth is an object from the area of comparative mythology. Its definition in the most basic of forms, it is a pattern or outline that is used in storytelling, usually the myth. This pattern is found in many famous pieces from all around the world. In the book The Hero with a Thousand Faces from 1949 by author Joseph Campbell, this pattern is described in detail. Campbell describes that numerous myths from different times and areas of the world seem to share an identical structure in their storytelling. He summarized this with a well-known quote found at the intro of his book:

In “ The Odyssey ” by Homer, Odysseus goes on a journey to get home after twenty years the trojan war. The “ Hero’s Journey “ by Joseph Campbell represents the important journey the hero's take on their journey as a hole in the story. The fundamental parts of most stories consist of twelve parts to the hero's journey and some supplementary points. The three parts of the hero's journey supernatural aid, test and supreme ordeal , and reward and journey home. These are some of the most vital parts of the odyssey.

Percy Jackson and the Olympian and its sequel series Heroes of Olympus, both by Rick Riordan, took the history and culture of Roman and Greek mythology, which many would find lackluster or uninteresting, and crafted it into a fantastic story that keeps readers engaged from page 1. Riordan uses his unique style of writing to keep the inhabitants of the universe unique and realistic, shaping them into relatable, tangible people, including a temper-prone satyr who teaches gym, a 12-year-old fire-proof cyclops who can smell bulls and loves hugs, two snakes on a caduceus who can shapeshift & harass their UPS boss Hermes, and a young boy caught up in it all with only his friends at his side and a sword disguised as a pen to fight off the supernatural