The Journey To Greatness For centuries, tales of legends and heroic figures were written in Greece. These tales were about everything from the conquering of unknown lands to the quarrels of god-like beings. Although, these legends are widely praised for bravery in fearless leaders , Ancient Greeks had another theme of importance. Tales such as The Odyssey focused on heroes that still possesed fatal flaws and were forced to accept their imperfections. In this way, the hero learns to embody excellence in all things including their already given strength in battle, this is key component of most heroic characters, Greek writers believed that a true heroic figure must well rounded in all aspects. The Odyssey illustrates Odysseus’s journey to his homeland, but at the same time also contained his personal journey to excellence. Throughout his voyage, the epic portrays the motif of overcoming hubris as an action of becoming a humble and well rounded leader. Odysseus gained the skills that he needed in order to help the people of his city Ithaca, grow as well. This ideology remains true today in the sense that a leader must possesses excellence in all qualities in order to make the country in which he rules excellent; today society’s citizens must follow a leader like Odysseus. When a leader possesses arete that then influences the community he leads to embody those same traits as well. Throughout his journey, Odysseus grew in countless aspects. Odysseus left Troy as a
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.
The Odyssey written by Homer highlights the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, in his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus is accredited with many strong traits including his nobility, smarts, and bravery. Having one tragic flaw, being his arrogance, was put to the test throughout his heroic journey. Homer stripped the protagonist of his arrogance as the story goes on, by giving him many challenges, giving dire consequences for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus’ journey was to reach his home as a humbled man. The hero’s journey can be used as a way to look at life’s morals. The reader is able to see the protagonist continue to make mistakes, because of his arrogance and continue to be punished by the gods. Once he overcame this, he is greatly awarded with the security of his home. This essay will analyze the arrogance of Odysseus along with his extraordinary traits, the molding of his identity, and his new found lesson of humility.
Heroes, as shown in literature, often undertake the most difficult tasks and place themselves in mortal danger in order to bring back, for themselves and their societies, both knowledge and treasure. Their stories follow “Hero Journey.” The Odyssey, as the epic story of the hero Odysseus, follows closely the complete cycle of a Hero Journey, both as a physical and as a psychological undertaking. The Hero Journey, used as a framework for both Odysseus’ physical and mental journeys, serves to bind the two together. Each of Odysseus’s physical difficulties can be viewed as a metaphor for a psychological hardship that he must overcome, and by overcoming these hardships, Odysseus matures—achieving a more complete understanding of himself and
Homer’s The Odyssey is very much an epic tale of a man’s heroic quest. The protagonist, Odysseus, is a cunning, brave, strong, and tenacious character who is given the title of a hero. This “hero”, however, does not always show characteristics of a hero, which leads many to believe that Odysseus, is not a true hero after all. In fact, Odysseus cheats on his wife multiple times, is willing to sacrifice his men in order to get home, and slaughters all his maids even though he did not have to. In The Odyssey, Homer attempts to create a complex portrait of a hero, but fails at his attempt when making Odysseus unforgiving, self absorbed, and a philanderer.
Kamren Prince World Literature 1 Dr. Newman March 28, 2024 Essay 1 The Odyssey is the story that continues the epic of the Iliad, where the hero Odysseus sets on the journey back to his homeland of Ithaca. Throughout the trip, Odysseus and his crew will be tested and tested. The men that left Troy were not the same men that made it back to Ithaca. This paper aims to analyze the many obstacles that met Odysseus on his journey that sparked the need for his personal development, which made him face his flaws and learn to mature to complete his journey and become a better leader and individual.
Odysseus, the protagonist in The Odyssey by Homer, is quite like a juicy burger. Just like a burger, Odysseus’ physical qualities is like a bun, and all his other traits are covered under that bun. He utilizes ideal qualities such as brute strength, he is able to persevere despite desires to give up, he is helped by gods and mortals, and he regains his glory and power at the end. It is these traits that aid him to overcome the ravaging roadblocks in his way, thus also making him an Ancient Greek epic hero. These 4 traits show that Ancient Greeks valued men who were able to remain stalwart even through tough times.
The Iliad, Odyssey, and Epic of Gilgamesh all demonstrate the transformational process of their respective epic heroes through their strengths and weaknesses. Epic heroes such as Achilles, Odysseus, and Gilgamesh all possessed superior qualities that separated them from other individuals. Although their incredible abilities may support the societal perception of strong leadership, their weaknesses caused these characters to hold vices that went against the cultural expectations of what a strong leader should be. Furthermore, they all shared similar experiences in terms of undergoing a difficult situation and changing their approach in an effort for redemption. This paper will be examining the virtues of these epic heroes and the
The Roman Catholic Church responded treatment of Luther, Huguenots in France, relationship with the Holy Roman Emperor, the Jesuits and the Council of Trent, treatment of Galileo and other scientists very differently. Luther was called before Emperor Charles V to recant his beliefs. Although some German Princes sided with Luther, it was still declared an outlaw. He protected by a German Prince Frederick the Wise. He translates Erasmus’ Greek Bible into German. Holy Roman Emperor and the RCC were political allies. Prince’s allied with Luther to indirectly challenge the emperor. Huguenots in France worked to reform the rest of France, but the Catholic King Henry III was not about to let that happen. King Louis XIV revoked the Edict of Nantes, this resulted in driving out hundreds of thousands of his best citizens abroad. The monks at Cluny were challenging the power of the Holy Roman Emperor, there was also the idea of separation of church and state. By 1050, King Henry III appointed the Pope he liked which was Clement II. After his death the archbishops were able to elect the Pope. Henry IV had a serious threat to his stability. He made his bishops swear loyalty to him. When Gregory excommunicated Henry he begged for forgiveness and he got it; after Henry was back to placing bishops, he was excommunicated again. The Germans were eager to see a weakened king siding with the church. The Holy Roman Empire was no way united, still very strong, but they had no control over its
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.
Amidst every human attempt at conveying ideas, the novel remains one of the most effective means. Countless styles of writing have been created for this very reason. One such style involves a juxtaposition between plot and other elements, which is utilized in John Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath. In it, there are intercalary chapters spaced in between the book's main chapters about the migration of the Joads. They describe the migrant plight objectively and communicate successfully because they give the story a sense of fullness, and strike the reader in a way that makes its themes poignant.
A hero isn’t shaped by his strengths but by the values he possesses. Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reveals the moral and ethical constitution of the ancient Greeks. Over time, certain cultures have grown to value a number of human characteristics. Those who acquire such values become respected heroes. After the fall of Troy, the protagonist of the epic, Odysseus, set sail for his home, Ithaca, where his faithful wife and son were waiting for him. Over the course of his journey, Odysseus faced some of the most ferocious opponents known to the Greeks. Even through this formidable journey, Odysseus and his family have stayed true to the diverse aspects of the ancient Greeks. The Odyssey exemplifies the human ideals of hospitality, loyalty and
Homer's epic tale The Odyssey is a story of the triumphs and downfalls that are in store for one warrior's long pillage home. Odysseus, the hero from the Trojan wars, has led his people of Ithaca and other Achaean soldiers to victory and now wishes to return home to his wife and family of Ithaca. Through his twenty year journey Odysseus is often tested not only of his physical strength, but his wits as well. The many accomplishments he achieved earned him great status and recognition throughout ancient Greece. The mistakes he made caused the deaths of many men. Consequently, we as readers are able to see the many personas that Odysseus carries with him.
When people think of a hero, they think of a tall, handsome, loyal, brave, and a type of man that could do no wrong. The “hero” that is portrayed in the Odyssey is a man named Odysseus. This “hero” may be tall and handsome, but he is often arrogant, disrespectful, conceited, and rude. Odysseus consists of positive and negative characteristics that is shown in the text by Homer. These characteristics impact the characters day to day, or in the book’s case, the quests. In the Odyssey, Homer values the characteristics hospitality and cunning, but he objects bad leadership.
The Darkling Thrush" is a poem occasioned by the beginning of a new year and a new century. It is formally precise, comprised of four octaves with each stanza containing two quatrains in hymn measure. The movement of the first two stanzas is from observation of a winter landscape as perceived by an individual speaker to a terrible vision of the death of an era that the landscape seems to disclose. The action is in how the apprehension of this particular moment of seeing changes as the emotional impact of the scene solidifies.
A key element of the heroic ideal in a society is attitude and mentality. In The Iliad, Achilles is widely known for his brute force and rash actions. Homer establishes the importance of this trait to Achilles’ character by opening the epic with a description of Achilles’ anger: “Achilles’ rage, / Black and murderous, that cost the Greeks / Incalculable pain…” (The Iliad I.1-3). The heroic ideal exhibited in The Odyssey is different because of Odysseus’ deviation from the use of brute force. The epic opens the same way as The Iliad, with a description of its hero: “Speak Memory—Of the cunning hero… After he plundered Troy’s sacred heights” (The Odyssey I.1, I.3). While Achilles key traits are his rage and violent tendencies, Odysseus’ most significant characteristic his mind and his ability to think his way out of a