When I think of the word hero, one of the first things that comes to my mind are the Greeks back in ancient times. There are different stories and theories of different men and women who all had wild adventures and journeys, but theres one thing they all have in common, they were all heroes in one way or another. What exactly is a hero though? Someone who always saves the day? Maybe someone who defeats the big monsters that attack cities? Or just someone who’s strong and just looks like a hero. For instance, Perseus and Odysseus. Both strong, looked up to type of men who are considered to be heros. But which one is actually the better hero? In my opinion, Odysseus is the real hero between the two, and here’s why.
He was a leader for his men as they tried to get back home after the Trojan war, and kept their spirits up. The people of Ithaca looked up to him and respected him after he got back from the war years later from when he left. Although he got caught up at (goddess’s name here) kingdom because he slept with her to turn his men back into men, he continued his journey back home as soon as he got out of her spell. He spent days and nights searching for a way to get home back to his family and the people of Ithaca. Odysseus was faced with many trials but he never gave up on his task and that is why he fits the definition of a hero better than Perseus.
Odysseus showed great courage by taking a stand and leading the Greeks to fight against Troy in the Trojan War by
In the Odyssey, Odysseus is an amazing leader because, time after time, get his men out of difficult situations. For example, Odysseus gets his men out of a difficult situation on the island of cyclops. He does this by blinding the eye of the cyclops, then riding out on the sheep when they get let out, saving most of his men. He felt the urge to get his men out because they were getting eaten. He is a good leader because he cares for his men and gets them out of difficult situations. Odysseus also saves his men when they are with Circe. She turns half of them into pigs, so to keep the other half human, he slept with her. So she let them stay safe with her for a year because of Odysseus. He saves his men once again by doing this. Some
Odysseus is known for being a great war hero and leader who must go through many obstacles to reach his homeland of Ithaca. Many of the obstacles are caused by the gods, however Odysseus is the cause of his own troubles. He does not learn from his mistakes and his main flaw is pride.
First, Odysseus is not a hero because he is a foolish leader who makes many mistakes on his journey back home to Ithaka. His first mistake is his decision to let his men raid and
He is hero who is portrayed as someone can get out tough situations with his intelligence and cleverness. For example, when Polyphemos, son of sea imprisoned Odysseus and his men in a cave, he cleverly made Polyphemos drunk and told Polyphemos his name was “Nobody” and blinded him with one eye and made his escape from the cave with his men. Odysseus called himself “Nobody “ because when Cyclops came to Polyphemos, he told his men “Nohdy, Nohdy’s tricked me, Nohdy’s ruined me!”(IX pg.157 44) So, basically when his men came to help him, they though noone was hurting Polyphemos and Odysseus was able to leave his men. This shows even in the toughest situations, he was able to stay calm to protect his comrades and himself from danger and also execute a brilliant plan to free
For generations, heroes have always fascinated people and people have strived to achieve certain qualities of their heroes. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is considered the hero of the story. While Odysseus does demonstrate some qualities that are not heroic, he is still defined as a hero because of his better, more heroic qualities in which he is far superior in than any other man. The qualities in which define Odysseus as a hero are courage, intelligence, and leadership.
Odysseus is a hero because he acts courageously while facing the many challenges he encounters. Odysseus’s shows great bravery when he engages in physical challenges. Odysseus daringly fights against the suitors, while significantly outnumbered: “For I must
Odysseus was known for his many of his mental traits, but his most useful ones were his bravery cleverness, and wisdom. Without these helpful traits he probably would have died from the very beginning. Fortunately, he was granted with these traits so that he could come back to his kingdom of Ithaca to see his wife and son for the first time in twenty years and to also kill the suitors that tried to kill his son and take his wife, land, and possessions from him.
Odysseus was a great leader and hero throughout the story in many examples as I have listed below. My first example is when Odysseus was able to make a spear when he was in Polyphemus's cave. He then took the spear and drove it through the eye of the beast, blinding him. The cyclops then moved the boulder and the men escaped by hiding under sheep.This example shows that O. is a hero because he is daring. If the cyclops was to find any of them or he had missed and woken him then this surely would have meant death for them. The second reason is in book twelve when O. must pass the sirens. To do so he slabs beeswax on the ears of his shipmates. This will make it so them can not be lured into the captivity of the sirens. O. then lashes himself
Many think being a hero is having super powers, but on the contrary it's more than that. A hero is one who is distinguished for their courage and bravery, and looked upon for their great deeds. A hero like this is not just found in modern society today, but in mythology as well. In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus earns the title of a true hero by conveying many qualities such as: determination, courage and leadership.
Both men exemplified courage, perseverance and leadership. Odysseus showed his courage through many of his acts when trying to save his men, while Aeneas showed courage when he went head on with Turnus the leader of the Rutuli. Odysseus showed perseverance when he never stopped trying to get home to Ithaca, and Aeneas showed this virtue by never stopping his search for Italy. Lastly, leadership is observed in Odysseus through the respect and dedication paid to Odysseus from his men throughout the long and tedious journey. Aeneas also portrayed leadership in combat, specifically when he led his army into battle against the Rutuli’s and defeated them.
Being a legitimate hero is not all about having the extraordinary supernatural powers commonly seen on television. Heroes are people who aid others, often putting themselves at risk to do so. They made the decision to fight, not necessarily physically, for their values. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, should be considered a hero. He put his own life in jeopardy to protect his men from the supernatural threats that they faced throughout their journey. Odysseus should be regarded as a hero because he is brave, clever, and cautious.
Odysseus embodies courage in that he has the ability to something that maybe considered frightening to another. Odysseus’s boldness comes at full force first when he fights along his men in the Trojan War, then it makes another appearance in the second act when he fights against a man eating Cyclops. Another great display of courage he portrays is when he takes his men into battle he leads them in strong fighting with them and not just standing idly by while each of them are picked off. Odysseus lead his men into battle, fought a Cyclops, and fought in the Trojan War, he was not frightened, but strong against his many ordeals.
In the beginning, he was asked to fight for his country and win back Helen. He left his kingdom and his family and sailed to Troy. Known for his intellect and strategy, he defeated Troy by coming up with the idea to offer a “gift” of a gigantic wooden horse to Troy. When the army accepted it, Odysseus and his men popped out and slaughtered all of Troy, winning the battle for Greece. “Oh man! You can't count how many good things Odysseus has done for the Greeks, a real leader in council and in battle....” (Iliad 2.294-6) This proves that Odysseus is a hero because a hero would not have gotten the main goal done. The Greek army could not have defeated Troy without his skills. No one else would’ve come up with such an unanticipated strategy. Though defeating Troy is not the only evidence of heroism. Odysseus also had the strength of
Ironically, Odysseus’ need for his own gains/earnings lead to many losses, whether they were mental roadblocks or physical casualties of not only his men but his loved ones back in Ithaka as well (for example, his mother who died of old age and stress over her dear son being gone for so long). According to Barry B. Powell, the ancient Greeks favor the type of man “who loses everything than the man who regains all”, which is actually really unusual but it fits perfectly with Odysseus’ character (Powell). Another instance that leads the ancient Greeks to calling Odysseus a hero is the fact that in the Odyssey he is viewed as a comic-typical hero wins and gets the girl. The ancient Greeks evidently like the intellectual man whom displays honor and intellectuality in their everyday life, and Odysseus is a clear title-holder for the position that they’ve been looking for to call their
Odysseus is a courageous leader because he saves his crew in combat many times. One way Odysseus shows he is a courageous leader is by proving his worth in combat. Odysseus is obviously a good fighter because he survived the Trojan War, if he had not have been a