Why Do We Consider Odysseus to Be a Hero

Merriam-Webster defines a hero as, “A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” For Odysseus to be a hero this definition is supposed to fit and describe him and his character, but why does this definition not describe or fit him and his character? This is because Odysseus is not a hero. Odysseus has done unethical things on his journey that makes him a person that should go unadmired. For example, when Odysseus ignored the death of his man in order to make more progress on his journey since he claims a task was pressing and waited for the Cyclops in order to be offered more gifts (his men die as a result), these examples prove he is a person who does unethical things. Odysseus is not a hero because he is disloyal, selfish, and greedy.

As a final point, being brave, strong, and making a quick decisions was many kinds of being a hero and that’s what Odysseus had that make him a hero. Odysseus with his men going through a lot of challenges but in the end he is the only one survived and alive. With this in mind, the epic poem showed us how big the difference between the people 3,000 years ago and people in this generation. The author shows in the epic poem how whimsical the world 3,000 years ago and how powerful the gods in their maturity.

After establishing ways Odysseus is not a hero, let us discuss ways he is. Odysseus was a hero in some ways, one including how he outsmarted the Cyclops. When Odysseus stabbed his eye, he had previously told Polyphemus that his name was “Nobody”. When Polyphemus cried out for help, he screamed “Nobody, Nobody’s tricked me. Nobody’s ruined me!” Making it sound like nobody has has hurt him.

People may have their own opinion on whether Odysseus is a hero or not, but there are many reasons why he is a hero. Odysseus is a hero because he is smart and brave.

Is Odysseus a hero? Well Odysseus can be a hero in some aspects but is not. Here are some reasons why the great Odysseus is not a hero. A hero does the best for all his people, when he did not thank the Greek God Poseidon. That was not a heroic, he should of thought of his crew and said thank you, even though the crew did not say thank you. His cockiness led to several deaths. If Odysseus would have been a real hero he would have put aside his cockiness and said thank you to the Greek God. A hero also never leaves anyone behind. Odysseus left his soldiers to die and fend for themselves in some situations he put himself first when he should of put his crew before himself.

In addition to his physical strength, Odysseus also displays craftiness and cunning in tough circumstances. Odysseus knows how to analyze a bad situation, create a plan of escape, and execute it. Book 9 gives a great example of Odysseus’ cunning when he finds himself stuck in the cave of Polyphemus. He notices that the Cyclops lets out his sheep each day and creates an incredible plan to sneak out his men underneath the sheep. It works, and the men safely sneak out of the cave and reach their boat. Odysseus’ cunning contributes to his great success as a hero, as he repeatedly finds himself in difficult situations and consistently creates clever plans to get out of them. In contrast to many other heroes, Odysseus has an incredible mind and uses it to his advantage.

Odysseus is a hero because he sacrifices himself many times to save his men. He put his life on the line for his men. For example, he stabbed the cyclops in the eye so they could escape. He also was thinking ahead and told the cyclops that his name was Nobhdy. He uses his cunning brain and good looks to get them out of situations. For example, he used his brain and looks when he offered to sleep with Circe in order for his men to rest. He did this because he knew his men needed to take a break and Circe hated them, so he helped them out and himself) by sleeping with Circe, something was in it for him too. He was also a hero when he came up the idea when they had to sail past the Sirens, he but beeswax in his men’s ears and had them tie

The cunning displayed by Odysseus in this section of the text confirmed his role as the hero of The Odyssey. Odysseus shows bravery in the adventure of the sirens as well. It took great courage for him to say that he “alone should listen to their song,” (Homer 581). Odysseus also shows the the quality of strength in the section of The Cattle of the Sun God. Odysseus states, “ Nine days I drifted in the open sea,” (Homer 589). This impossible strength and endurance shown by Odysseus may have been an embellishment from Homer. Exaggeration of the hero’s capabilities encourages readers to recognize and revere that character as the hero. Heroes reflect “what society deems as valuable and moral,” (Harris 2). The qualities of Odysseus convey the qualities Ancient Greeks valued in a hero. The Greeks admired strength, bravery, cunning, and success in their heroes. Odysseus had all of these characteristics. Therefore, he revealed the qualities Ancient Greek culture valued. Readers still learn about Greek values from The Odyssey 3,000 years later because of the hero archetype. Of course, the hero would never get anywhere without a guide.

Once upon a time, in a land far, far, away a legend once lived. The legendary one went by the name of Odysseus. He was a brave, strong, and determined man, and in many of his people’s eyes he was seen as a hero. He ran into some obstacles on his journey, and he had to make some tough decisions too. Odysseus goes through these hardships as he try to make it home safe. His first encounter was with a giant, and this changed everything for Odysseus and his men.

Along with that, he was able to keep his men together showing strong leadership skills and trust. Odysseus is definitely unlike any other character in the story proving his intelligence and smart way of thinking. Also, If it wasn’t for him, his team of men would have definitely had no idea what to

All great hero have similar qualities. There are many great character and heroes that are all very courageous. Can you think of a time when Batman, George Washington, or Odysseus were courageous? There are many times when real life heroes or heroes in a story have been brave. That is a great quality to have in a hero.

To begin, there are gray areas when considering whether Odysseus is a hero or not. There is contemplation about Odysseus's true colors because he exhibits both the evil and virtuous in himself. One affair where Odysseus’s lack of moral is when Odysseus spent seasons, even years with two beings that he had intimate affairs with even though he claimed that he was always striving to return to Ithaca, his home, when he reunites with Penelope, his wife. Odysseus is not a hero because he spends six years with Calypso, chooses to steer his sheep towards Scylla knowing that six of his men would die, and allows the maids to be killed after they clean up the massacre of the suitors.

We have all read heroic stories of a cartoon character, celebrity, or superhero. Have you read a story about Odysseus and how he became a role model and a hero? Odysseus has shown several heroic situations that make you want to consider him as a hero. After reading the story, I have concluded that Odysseus has leadership skills, makes sacrifices, shows teamwork, and save others' lives. In this essay, I will be telling you multiple reasons why Odysseus play a heroic ruler.

Odysseus is considered a hero because he risked his life. He did that by protecting his men through their journey, which came along with supernatural threats. He then also shows his hero traits on the journey back home, he is determined and is very clever.

Ralph Waldo Emerson, a famous poet said, “Every hero becomes a bore at last” (Bartleby.com). A hero is short lived unless they die being a hero. A hero fades into darkness and we forget how we imagine them with respect and reverence this is what Ralph Waldo Emerson is telling us in this quote. Odysseus saves a lot of his men by getting them out of situations. He shows no fear throughout the story he makes up the plans to escape and always talks to the enemy's. He got his men out of situations where they could die but with his bravery most of his men survived. He talked to Aeolus to get wind for his men and him to get back. I think Odysseus is a hero for saving a lot of his men's life but by his men's foolishness they