A hero, someone modernly seen jumping off buildings, and fighting the bad guy in an epic duel to the death. But what really makes a hero? Is it wanting to save someone just to look good? Maybe something deeper like the willingness to give up part of oneself so that another may have a better life. A hero should be a person who has the right motives for their heroic actions. The Odyssey, a Greek epic written by Homer has many characters that could be considered heroes, but none as greatly debated on whether he should be called a hero as Odysseus. Odysseus is a hero due to the fact that he wants to protect the ones he loves, shows courage through his actions and words, and as a leader is able to inspire others to have courage. Odysseus’s family …show more content…
One example that sticks out is in book 9, Odysseus and his crew find a cave filled with food and sheep. Odysseus chooses to linger a while longer and soon the Cyclops living in the cave returns. The Cyclops imprisons the crew and Odysseus to keep for a meal. Odysseus comes up with a plan in book 9, Odysseus tells his men, “Then, in my courageous heart I formed a plan to move up close beside him, draw the sharp sword I carried on my thigh, and run my hand along his chest, to find exactly where his midriff held his liver, then stick him there” (Homer). Odysseus changed his plan to stabbing the Cyclops in the eye instead of the chest. He succeeds in stabbing the Cyclops in the eye, even though it could have gotten him killed. Through Odysseus’s actions in this book, it is clear to see that he is willing to risk injury and even death to help his crew escape from the Cyclops. To be a hero one must show great courage, and Odysseus does show courage in this book of the Odyssey by risking his life to save his men. Odysseus values his family greatly and shows bravery nevertheless these are not the only two reasons why Odysseus should be considered a
What makes a hero a hero? If a so-called hero has major flaws, is he still considered a hero?Odysseus did many great and heroic things but some of the things he did make him look less like a hero. Odysseus can be thought of as very brave in the physical and spiritual sense but because of his failure to get his men back home to Ithaca and his unfaithfulness to his wife, he was not truly a hero. Odysseus is thought of as a hero in the physical and spiritual sense because of his bravery while facing the many dangers of creatures, goddesses, and many other things for almost 20 years trying to get home to his wife and son. He never failed to remember his main goal was to get back to his wife and son in Ithaca.
Just like in the story of the cyclops, he put his men first to put them to safety. He isn't greedy and looks out for others. He did everything he could to ensure that they would all get off the island safely. Even if some of Odysseus's men were unlucky enough to get eaten, Odysseus still felt sorrow for them. A hero is one to care for others and not himself.
Secondly, the Cyclops asked Odysseus about his ship. However, Odysseus quickly thinks of a story that will keep the chances of his escape and soon get him back to Ithaca. Odysseus explains to the Cyclops, “My ship? Poseidon god of the earthquake smashed my ship, he drove it against the rocks at your island’s far cape” (9.319-321). This shows Odysseus as strategical because he makes up a story about Poseidon breaking his ship.
The Epic Hero Odysseus In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows determination and curiosity which demonstrates that he is an epic hero. Odysseus shows that he is determined to get home when he says, “ I grew sick with fear but presently I gave command to my officers” (Homer 388). He shows that he is determined to get home when he could leave The Land Of The Dead but he needs to talk to Tiresias. Accomplishing this task makes Odysseus heroic because he will do what it took for his men and himself to get home.
A hero is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. In the movie, Odysseus shows that he is a hero by showing off his bravery and courage to defeat several monsters. He showed courage when he faced the Cyclops, when he met Lotus Eaters, and when he went back to Ithaca to see his wife. Odysseus and his men went to the cave to show the Cyclops that they are better than him. The Cyclops got angry when he got back to his cave since Odysseus and his men were eating the Cyclops’ food.
Odysseus is not a hero because he stabs Polyphemus in the eye and blinds him. Odysseus is still a hero because he is a leader. Moreover, after Odysseus and his men fight the Cicones, he orders ¨Back and Quickly! Out to sea again!” (Homer 984).
Some think Odysseus is a hero for many reasons, mainly because he helps many people including his family and his crew. Even when terrible things happen to him and his crew he perseveres and continues on his journey home. Even though Odysseus and his men do bad things like eating the sun god’s cattle there still are many reasons why he is a hero. One reason to support my claim is that he saves his crew many times. One example is when they sailed by the Sirens.
Although literary scholars of The Odyssey have argued that Odysseus has the qualities of a hero, it turns out that he would most certainly not be considered, at the very least, a respectable hero in this century. The way Odysseus treated his men, family and even enemies was overly expectant and rude. He used many stereotypes and skewed rumors to judge his views of other people. He also accomplished many unnecessary goals that ended up putting other people in danger because of his actions, just so that he could boast about himself, saying that he overcame a great obstacle that was, most likely, not a threat to other
“ A person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” Is the definition of a hero. In modern society, Odysseus is not a hero. Odysseus should not be considered a hero in modern day because he is not a good leader,Odysseus also does not have a good heart like heros should, and he was disloyal to his wife. One of the reasons Odysseus is not a hero is because he is selfish and does not care about other people's lives.
The Odyssey When you think of a hero you probably instantly think of Superman and Batman. But have you ever thought about Odysseus? Probably not because he’s not as popular as the 21st-century heroes. Odysseus and other heroes have a lot in common even if you don’t think so. Odysseus is a modern hero because he was a good leader, brave, and strong.
A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus.
What would it feel like to have the whole world targeting you? What would it be like when it took you 20 years to get back to your home? I doubt you’d know. Unless you’re Koro Sensei (a yellow, octopus-like creature who can fly at mach 20 and plans to destroy the Earth in less than a year’s time, and trains a class of 27 students to try and assassinate him) or Odysseus (goes to fight the Trojan war for 10 years and due to bad luck and misfortune, and the [very angry] sea god Poseidon, it takes another 10 years to voyage home). It is true that Odysseus is a hero because he is brave, powerful and smart, but he does these things in a selfish way.
Heroes are, “People who take risks despite fear”(Source 2). In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus faces many challenges that make him a hero. He battles monsters, goddesses, and enchantresses. Odysseus is a hero in the way that he uses his brain to think about and approach dilemmas. When he and his men are on the Cyclops’ island, Odysseus tells the cyclops that his name was Nobody.
Odysseus an epic hero What makes a person an epic hero? An epic hero is someone who possesses courage, strength, and have a desire to achieve immortality through heroic actions. The only ones that are considered heroes are those who are recognized for saving the day or for doing something heroic to the world. Many is considered heroes for only some are remembered like those who made a great change. For example Odysseus is an epic hero.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus was a major hero of the novel. He had both heroic traits and human weaknesses. Odysseus defeated the Cyclops, defeated the suitors that were courting his wife, and overcome other challenges throughout the novel. A special trait that made Odysseus a hero was that he was a courageous