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The Importance Of Perseverance

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Homer’s The Odyssey, an epic poem about the trials of Odysseus on his return journey, demonstrates that perseverance is at the heart of every hero. The ability to endure hardships is not a quality that is attributed to many characters, and in The Odyssey, a character’s lack of perseverance will bring him his demise. Similar to Odysseus, Penelope, his wife, perseveres by staying faithful and unmarried for twenty years, while waiting for his return. Through The Odyssey, Homer suggests that those who are loyal to and homesick for their homeland are willing to persevere for their homecoming, and thereby they complete the journey that proves them a hero. Perseverance in the Odyssey, is directly influenced by a character’s feeling of …show more content…

This is another demonstration of the lack of heroism in those who refuse to persevere, as weeping is often interpreted as a sign of weakness. Meanwhile, in Ithaca, Penelope also weeps day and night, but unlike Odysseus’ crew members, her tears motivate her to persevere. Although she does not embark on a treacherous journey, Penelope goes through her own emotional hardships caused by the loss of her home and family. The homesickness that motivates Odysseus, also motivates Penelope to persevere and wait faithfully for his return. Penelope’s loyalty to Odysseus, and Odysseus’ strength and courage to continue on with his journey demonstrates their heroic qualities. Perseverance and homesickness also keeps Odysseus from giving into the temptation to become immortal. During his captivity on Ogygia, he was tempted by Calypso to become her immortal husband. He perseveres however, because he is so desperate to return home, that he “(sits) weeping on the shore as of old, with tears and groans and griefs racking his heart.” The polysyndeton shows that staying on Ogygia has brought him numerous sufferings, and that there are many reasons why his desire to return home is stronger than that to become immortal. First of all, becoming immortal would mean that Odysseus will never return to Ithaca, and he will never return to his family. As a traditional male epic hero, Odysseus must complete his monomyth, the journey that all traditional heroes undergo. If he marries the nymph

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