Modern hero Martin Luther King Jr. and ancient hero Odysseus share many of the same characteristics. Although the exact specifications of a hero evolve over time, the virtues that describe a hero remain largely the same. In his lifetime, civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the single bravest people on Earth. He risked everything, his family, his livelihood, to fight for equal rights for African Americans. Hateful letters and threats were common to receive in the afternoon post, and he even had a brick thrown through a window in his home. Martin Luther King Jr. himself explains, "like anybody I would like to live a long life . . . but I'm not concerned about that now. I just want to do God's will . . . [even though] I may not …show more content…
Along his journey, he encountered a vicious Cyclops, a scheming witch, and tempting mermaids, yet overcame them all because of his courageous choices. For example, when "the others had all disappeared . . . Odysseus himself went to explore" (Rouse 5). Although he was facing the unknown, he did not shy away. Instead, he did the opposite, knowing the only way to succeed was if he risked his life and explored the shadows. These heroes' bravery rooted in another common trait: determination. Rather than cowering meekly when choices and actions became more difficult, they hardened their resolve and methodically tackled each problem. Martin Luther King Jr.'s circumstances forced him to be extremely determined because he was one of the first people to lead a charge against the white supremacy of Washington D.C. He was often fiercely opposed, yet his beliefs were so strong that he was always able to brush off his cynics. These naysayers, however, placed King under a significant amount of …show more content…
Unlike the warrior Odysseus, Martin Luther King Jr. fervently practiced and advocated for peaceful protest over violent riots. King himself explains “peace cannot be kept by force, it can only be achieved by understanding . . . hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that” (peacealliance.org). The traditional hero wields a bloody sword, but the modern world often requires people the likes of King, who stand up for their beliefs, but still respect their opponents. Ancient heroes would have been regarded as weak for this same behavior. Society has not remained stagnant for the last thousand years, so it is only natural that the definition of a hero has changed, too. Greece’s Odysseus was the opposite of Martin Luther King Jr. when it came to peace; his blade bore the blood of many man and beast because of his involvement in the Trojan War and his penchant for adventure. Instead of talking to his enemies, he found it easier to defeat them through force. For example, while in the Cyclops’ cave, “he took the olive sapling, and buried under the ashes; and when it was red hot . . . [he] pushed the point hard into the eye of the Cyclops” (Rouse 3). While King saw violence as a distasteful, sinful act, Odysseus saw it as just another part of success. He did not have the pacifist attitude of heroes today,
Martin Luther King Jr. displays similar courage in fighting for justice rather than accepting his situation, and the situation of all African American people, for what it is. Even though Martin Luther King Jr. lived in a democracy, the laws that governed him were not democratic. African Americans had little say in the laws that they were expected to follow, for many could not vote. As King says, “Who
Martin Luther King Jr. lead with humility. One example of his humbleness is that he did not even begin speaking with the goal of becoming famous. Martin Luther
In the latter, however, some of his more ignoble traits are revealed: he is a braggart, he almost dishonorably uses poisoned arrows, and he shows conceit in his victory over the Cyclops. It is sometimes difficult to reconcile this man with the one who willingly gives up eternal life for the moral condition and the chance to return to his wife. Largely, the problems with understanding the moral position of Odysseus stem from his immense experience and cleverness, which make him at once mortal and fantastic.
Martin Luther King Jr and Rosa Parks are two examples of a historical heroes. According to Biography.com, “Through his activism and inspirational speeches he played a pivotal role in ending the legal segregation of African-American citizens in the United States, as well as the creation of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.” In other words, King did not sit all day and watch African-Americans get treated unequally, due to the color of their skin. He took action and stood up for what he believed in. This took a great deal of courage and determination because, people involved in these peaceful protests, suffered from violence and harassment. Additionally, Rosa Parks is a prime example of a hero who not once lacked
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.
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.
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.
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.
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
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 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
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.
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
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.