My Last Example Of Odysseus In Homer's The Odyssey

In my eyes a hero is a person who shows courage, is humble, does not give up, and is someone everybody can relate to. The protagonist in “The Odyssey” by Homer, Odysseus is a hero because although he is emotional throughout the book and lets his emotions take over his actions, he displays immense courage and perseveres through his journey and hardships.

Odysseus is the main character in an epic poem called the Odyssey. In the poem Odysseus has had some bad luck getting home, with some of the gods helping him and some hindering him; his journey towards home is a constant struggle. In this poem we see a man being broke and rebuilt, through constant irony his faith was damaged and without the help of Athena he probably would have given up on his journey. Through his hard work and wise spirit he finally does achieve his goal.

Heroes are everywhere, no matter how small their heroic actions may be. However, what is a hero? A hero is someone who helps others without regard to themselves. A person like Atticus Finch from To Kill a Mockingbird, who put Tom Robinson in front of his own reputation, and was called a “black lover” in the racist community for doing the right thing. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus has done this more than once on his journey home, however he also has been selfish. Odysseus is a man who has been both heroic, like when he rescued his men from Circe, but he has also done unheroic actions, like when he didn’t tell his men about the dangerous bag of wind.

Imagine you’re on a ship in the deep dark sea attempting to find your way home, but instead, you discover yourself farther and farther from your loved ones. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus faces the hardship of this exact scenario. In a time of hardship, personalities are revealed, ranging from heroic to cowardice. A hero is someone who is valued by his intelligence and confidence, allowing him to be a leader. Odysseus is a hero because his leadership is valued by his shipmates, his intelligence was exemplary when a plan was needed, and his confidence was indisputable when theirs was uncertain.

To be a veteran is a matter of being in near perfect mental and physical condition and state. Veterans have to endure life changing events and most of the time, it is hard to cope with. Veterans fight for our country so that we may have the privileges we do today. I think the legendary protagonist from Homer’s well-known epic “The Odyssey”¬ – Odysseus, is similar to all veterans.

Have you always read books where the main character is usually the hero of the story? What if I told you that in the book The Odyssey the main character isn’t the hero. As a matter of fact, there is no specific hero in the The Odyssey. Although Odysseus is the main character of the story, he is definitely not the hero. Odysseus has acquired some qualities of being the hero, but have acquired numerous of qualities of not being one. First of all, Odysseus has shown quite a few time of where he showed no respect towards others. In addition, how can he be considered a hero when he killed a mass of people. Lastly, he has been unfaithful towards his wife Penelope. Overall, Odysseus have proven that he isn’t a hero through his traits that appeared throughout the story.

The admirable character or hero in Homer’s The Odyssey is Odysseus. Odysseus shows multiple heroic traits throughout the story, but a clear trait is displayed when Odysseus and his men are sailing through the land of the Sirens. Some might argue differently, that Odysseus has methods that are to cruel or harsh for a leader, but there is evidence to prove this wrong, and support the claim that Odysseus is the hero in The Odyssey.

Whenever I think of a hero, visions of characters such as Superman, Wonder Woman, and Batman often come to mind, as these strong figures have save their respective communities from danger using their remarkable skills. Odysseus from the Ancient Greek epic The Odyssey by Homer is often considered a hero, although he does not share the same characteristics that most people who are considered heroes in today’s popular culture have. This led me to wonder, what characteristics qualify or disqualify someone to be considered a hero? The thematic idea of heroism plays a key role in The Odyssey, as there are several occasions throughout the epic where Odysseus puts himself at risk to keep others out of harm’s way. After careful analysis of these textual

The king of Ithaca, son of the god Laertes and Anticleia, married to Penelope and father to Telemachus, was the hero Odysseus. Odysseus is known for his cunning and brilliant intelligence. During Odysseus’ lifetime, he went on many adventures including a few that involved a cyclops, the Land of the Dead, and the Suitors.

A quote from Epictetus, a Greek stoic philosopher, describes skillful pilots as gaining their reputation and glory through surmounting their storms and tempests. In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, one man named Odysseus shows his glory and builds his reputation in different ways. Odysseus is a skillful pilot in which he overcomes a long journey, a suppressed identity, and a battle in his own home.

During the episode on Polyphemus’ island, Odysseus needs to improve on using wisdom/logic. Odysseus takes his men into the cave and they very quickly get the idea that the Cyclops do not want them there. His men tried to turn him back, but they stayed despite the Cyclops obvious bad intentions and Odysseus acted as if he would be treated as a well-respected guest. Only after many of his men are devoured by Polyphemus does Odysseus start to formulate his plan. While in the cave, Odysseus says that Polyphemus “beat their brains out, splattering the floor” (Homer 194). Odysseus should have thought through the situation and tried to create an escape plan much faster. He needed to use his judgment and common sense to spare several of his best men’s lives instead of telling the Cyclops that “any gifts/ you give – as custom is to honor strangers”

The Odyssey conveys that the journey is far more important than the destination. Odysseus’s main goal is to reach home, and while going through his journey he’s having great learning experiences along the way. His greatest learning experiences are a result of the journey rather than the destination. While Odysseus is on his expedition, he is learning to conquer the resistance of temptation. The most important example that reveals the journey is more important than the destination is, “As soon as they tasted that honey-sweet fruit, they thought no more of coming back to us with news, but chose rather to stay there with the lotus-eating natives, and chew their lotus, and good-bye to home.

I completely agree with your statement about time never stopping, if you aren't right there with it, it will pass you in a heartbeat. Odysseus was gone for twenty years and had to come back to a kingdom that was completely different from his memory, suitors in his house, his son being an adult, having to be disguised as a beggar allowed him to study how his kingdom had changed and how it was affected while he was gone. “I am that father whom your boyhood lacked and suffered pain for lack of me. I am he.” (295, lines 221-222) Odysseus has to come back to a grown son and has to prove to him that his father has really returned, he came back to a completely different place that had gone through many years without him there. This often times occur

After arriving on the island of the phaeacians, Odysseus is trying to prove to the court that he is odysseus by telling them of his life between leaving troy, and arriving on their island. It is in this part of the retelling that Odysseus and his men have been trapped by the cyclops Polyphêmos, a son of poseidon. There are other cyclopes in caves nearby. Polyphemos is a shepherd and goatherd, every morning he takes his flock out to graze and every night he brings them into his cave to be milked. Many of Odysseus’ problems stem from Poseidon being angry with him, and he is repeatedly angering him further.

A traditional Greek hero possesses qualities including bravery, confidence and a desire for glory. The character Odysseus in Homer’s Odyssey additionally displays a characteristic guile in his depictions. While presented largely similar in the passages from books IX and X, small changes are observed through his interactions with Eurylochus, Polyphemus and Hermes.