Martin Luther King Jr And Odysseus Comparison

    Most people think of a hero as a strong, superior, good-looking person that could never make a mistake. However, in a story called The Odyssey, a connection to real life reveals imperfections to be common in heroes. Each person has their low points and highlights, regardless of their “rank”. The author and epic poet, Homer, exemplifies our main character, Odysseus, to take on this idea of a hero throughout his writing. The time period took place in Ancient Greece, allowing Greek culture to relate to the poem. Different aspects of such culture and history may have influenced the works and creativity of Homer as well. A major point includes The Trojan War because it focuses in on Odysseus’ journey to bring Helen back home by devising a plan to destroy warriors in the city. Acknowledge this factor when reading The Odyssey, for not only evidence of heroism, but also other major points of archetypes, in which the device reflects the insights of readers in modern time and what is seen from Ancient Greek culture.

and Odysseus are both effective leaders because of their courageousness, willingness to sacrifice themselves for their fight and their bravery. Martin Luther king showed his courageousness on the many occasions when he received death threats and still was brave enough to deliver his speeches, knowing there could have been an assassin in the crowd. In one of his most famous speeches in Memphis Tennessee, he stated that “I may not get there with you, but I want you to know tonight, that we as a people will get to the promised land”. This shows that even though Martin Luther King Jr. knew he may get killed he was willing to stand up as a lightning rod for civil rights so that all men could make it to the goal of the end of segregation and equality. Odysseus shows bravery when he is trapped by the cyclops Polyphemus and does not back down.

Martin Luther King Jr. also showed great bravery when he was threatened. During one late night, he received a threatening phone call saying that if he did not leave town, the caller would “blow [his] brains out and blow up [his] house” (White 2). Even though he was distraught, Martin Luther King Jr. refused to back down from the civil rights movement, and continued to lead. Like bravery, both of these leaders shine when it comes to

Joseph Campbell mentions another characteristic of a hero, which is a hero undergoes trials and tests to see if he or she has the courage, the knowledge and capacity to survive. (The Power of Myth, 1998) Dr. Martin Luther King knew that his life was at a high risk of being killed. He knew that many people viewed his opinions as wrong and bias. In return, the officers in this time, would take water hose, point them toward African Americans and it pushed them into the wall so hard. People died from this type of action that occurred. Dr. King still strived to make this country as equal as possible. Dr. King had a strong desire to help young black women, men and children be able to associate themselves with young white, women, men and children. Dr. King led marches, made speeches, attend churches which eventually led to his death. He was assassinated on a balcony on the second floor of a motel. The bullet when through his fast and his shoulder. He knew what the outcome might be and still set out to fight for equal rights and freedom.

Heroes solve problems, deliver justice and give people a sense of hope when darkness occurs. Merriam-Webster defines a hero as a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster). Exploring the nature and work of Odysseus and Churchill, both have the essential qualities that qualify them as heroes. By comparing the values of intelligence, courage, and perseverance, Odysseus, the king of Ithaca in ancient Greek mythology, and Winston Churchill, the leader of Great Britain during the Second World War, the similar characteristics displayed reveal their heroic nature and bravery.

Martin Luther King Jr. is one of the most popular people associated with the civil rights movement. He started becoming popular for his non-violent protests and his strong willed opinion. He was a big part of American history and helped end segregation. This is different from Odysseus leading style. Odysseus is a warrior in the book The Odyssey, and will kill anything that gets in his way to get home.

Odysseus was very brave, almost to the point of throwing away his men 's lives to take a risk. While Odysseus was on the island of the Cyclopes, he explored more than most men would have when he walked into the cave of Polyphemus. He did find lots of cheese and milk, but the result of this was death for some of his men when Polyphemus returned and found them there.

Odysseus went anyway, ignoring his fears. A prime example of his courage was when he fought in the Trojan War. Odysseus could have not made it home, but he fought anyway. Lastly, Odysseus was an extremely clever and intelligent man. The only way Odysseus got home from his 20 years of traveling was from him using his clever tricks. He came up with the Wooden Horse Trick, which led his men to win the Trojan War. Most people would have never thought to lie in order to save their life, but Odysseus cunningly did. He told the people of Troy that the horse was a peace offering. Another example of his cleverness was when Odysseus told the Cyclops a fake name to make sure he could not find Odysseus and his men later in life. Those are only a few examples, for Odysseus used his brain a lot throughout his lifetime. Even though Odysseus had many heroic aspects, he also had many negative aspects. He was not a hero because more people around him died, rather than survived. Odysseus killed all of the suitors that had moved into his kingdom. He could have done the right thing and sent the suitors on their way, but he instead murdered them in an unruly

Heroic, Strong, Brave, Confident. A hero is these things and many more. Two heroes who are very alike are Odysseus from the Odyssey and Hercules from the Disney movie Hercules. Not only did they both battle fearsome monsters, they were both working against an angered Greek god and shared many common characteristics. Odysseus and Hercules may have been uncannily alike but in the beginning they had their differences in motive. Although towards the end their purpose became more alike than ever.

The Trojan War was more than a series of battles between opposing forces, it was the climax of an age of heroes. The retrieval of Helen brought together many of the mythological characters of that time onto a single stage. Of the thousands of brave men who fought at Ilion, two men stood above the masses, sharing the title of hero. They were born in the line of those on Mt. Olympus, favored by the gods. Excelling in courage and skill, adored by those who followed them into battle, the actions of Achilles and Odysseus achieved a high place in Greek mythology. Through analysis we see that Odysseus and Achilles were close variations upon the same theme.

Martin Luther King fought for many things but one of the most important topics he talked about was peace. Peace is hard to achieve but that did not stop Martin Luther King. “ I refuse to accept the view that mankind

Dr. King had the courage to face the risk and pursed non-violent call to arms. He led a social movement of equality during a time when he wasn’t supported by most. He was threatened and despised by many but he did not show reluctance or even shaken. In fact, he encouraged others by telling them cold facts

During his lifetime, Martin Luther king dared to not only dream about a better future but also fight for it. He was not afraid from having confrontations in order to promise a change. We can see his decisiveness when his arguments for stopping discrimination against black were not enough to change the situation. He decided to make a direct action in order to make society confront the issue.

Homer's two central heroes, Odysseus and Achilles, are in many ways differing manifestations of the same themes. While Achilles' character is almost utterly consistent in his rage, pride, and near divinity, Odysseus' character is difficult to pin down to a single moral; though perhaps more human than Achilles, he remains more difficult to understand. Nevertheless, both heroes are defined not by their appearances, nor by the impressions they leave upon the minds of those around them, nor even so much by the words they speak, but almost entirely by their actions. Action is what drives the plot of both the Iliad and the Odyssey, and action is what holds the characters together. In this respect, the theme of humanity

Martin Luther King, Jr. was the mirror image of a moral and courageous leader. Dr. King upheld his morality principles as well as set examples for his followers. Dr. King had special virtues in which he lived and they was love, courage, hope amongst others. " Love, courage, hope, non conformity, and impatience were embodied in the sit-ins, boycotts, and marches, in which King himself was often a participant" (Rice 2004). Dr. King wanted his followers to be