Kailee Paquin
Cassie Wendt - 3
Odyssey Essay
June 9, 2023 Tamora Pierce once said “It's not just children who need heroes.” and that is why readers still need and read mythology today. Specifically, readers need heroes who are thoughtful, altruistic and consider the consequences of their actions. Such is the case with the Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer that shows Odysseus the main character trying to get back home from the Trojan War. Nevertheless, the main traits of a hero are bravery, thoughtfulness, and courage. Odysseus does show recklessness, rashness, and crudeness in this epic poem. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey it is undoubtedly clear Odysseus is not a hero, because he shows poor judgment, is irresponsible, and is
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Poor judgment means or refers to the inability to make appropriate decisions. Odysseus and his crew found themselves in a Cyclops cave, and his crew wanted to leave and take his belongings, but Odysseus wanted to stay and see “The Caveman”. One occasion where poor judgment is evident is when Odysseus says “Ah, how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the “cave-man”, what he had to offer-no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends”(Homer 968). His crew wanted to take the “cave-mans” possession from the cave and leave but Odysseus wanted to meet the “caveman”and it cost him. The Phrase “how sound that was”(Homer 968), so this phrase shows that Odysseus's crew wanted to leave but Odysseus wanted to stay and meet the caveman. So the trait of poor judgment is something you don’t want to see a lot of in a hero, so in this case it can pose a threat to others around odysseus because he is the crew …show more content…
Irresponsibility means showing a proper sense of responsibility. They found themselves near an island and Odysseus was warned not to go there, but his crew went anyway he tried to stop his crew, but he turned out to be a failure. One instance of irresponsibility is seen when Odysseus states “I had forewarning from Tiresias and circle to both told me I must shun this island of the sun, the world's delight. Pull away, then, and put the island astern” (Homer 986). And he could not stop his crew. Odysseus was warned not to go to the island but his crew went anyways. To start with the Phrase “forwarning from Tiresias and Circe too” (Homer 986). Odysseus is showing how irresponsible he is when he can’t even stop his crew. Another part of this is irresponsible is one specific trait you do not want in a hero because it could be very bad in the end for
He hurled that stone and drove our ship right back to land. We thought that we were going to die (Homer 425).” Ignoring their plea for safety and survival, Odysseus shouted out again disregarding the consequences, resulting in the gods had “planned to ruin all of my ships and all of my loyal men (Homer 427).” Odysseus was wrong to have risk the lives of all
Odysseus’ trait of being risky as a leader overrides the crewman’s idea of quickly leaving. Even though Odysseus survives, many of his crewmates die to the cyclops. This not only makes his crew weaker because they have less men, but it also decreases the crewmates’ trust in Odysseus, harming them as a whole. His idea satisfied his personal desires, but it ended up being harmful to his crew. Odysseus and his men later end up blinding the cyclops and escape his cave.
Andrew Son Mrs. Slater English 1 April 3, 2023 Odysseus Cannot Be A Hero Poseidon keeping Odysseus away from his family would have saved all of Ithaca. Odysseus’s poor behavioral attitude of Hubris that both violates Greek values and modern standards shows how he should not be considered a hero. According to the Long Island Psychology Center, Atara Wertentheil explains that “arrogant thinkers are likely to have less adequate performance at work, in daily tasks, or in their personal endeavors” (Wertentheil). A hero’s strife to protect their fellow men has not been shown in most of the epic poem yet shows off violence to the people he loves most. In Gareth Hind’s adaptation of Homer’s
(Wilson, 481). Because Odysseus let his pride and hubris get in the way of making smart logical decisions, he threatened the lives of himself and his men when taunting the Cyclops which proves to be terrible
Kayleigh Curran Olivencia English 9 15 February 2023 Essay About The Odyssey Greek Poet Homer is considered one of the greatest and most prominent poets who is credited for writing The Odyssey. The Odyssey lays the foundations for Greek history and culture through the classical era. Known for its dynamic style of writing, use of repetition, and similes, The Odyssey demonstrates how ignorance does not always correlate with selective knowledge, but exposure. In the epic, Greek hero, Odysseus, embarks on his journey to his native land, Ithaca. Unbeknownst to him, his son Telemachus, seeks news of his father while his wife with the help of the gods and goddesses.
Due to his endangerment of his men and distraction from their objective, Odysseus was a terrible leader. Odysseus often allowed his pride to put his and his men’s lives in danger. As they were escaping the blinded Cyclops, Odysseus yells to the Cyclops that he will remain victorious and tells the Cyclops he was unintelligent. In frustration and defeat, the Cyclops hurled a boulder at Odysseus’ ship, almost
Odysseus had been instructed by Circes to travel past the Sirens which is a very dangerous task. Odysseus did not back down and showed bravery and leadership when he fearlessly said “We must avoid the voices of the otherworldly sirens” and directed his crew to keep him “upright at the mast, wound round with rope” in order for them to safely pass (Homer, 306). On the other hand, Odysseus showed selfishness toward his crew, burdening them with too much work than they could handle. Odysseus' crew told him “You are unfair to us, Odysseus. You may be strong; you never seem to tire; you must be made of iron.
Throughout Odysseus’s adventures he shows the reader his heroic qualities as we learn about his strengths, weaknesses, and other personality traits. The most important components of a hero are the journey they take, their leadership, and the change they show over the story. In the Odyssey, Homer illustrates how a hero isn’t just someone who defeats the villain to save the city, but rather something much more complex by displaying Odysseus as the hero. Heroes often
The first trait is that he is a very arrogant person and this often puts him and his men in danger. Secondly, Odysseus can be deceitful and not fully communicate the facts of each situation. Odysseus was a weak leader and his lack of vision in not seeing the strength and possibilities in his men combined with his inability to effectively communicate to those around him ultimately led to his failure of not being able to safely deliver his men back to Ithaca. The story of the Cyclops in Homer 's The Odyssey illustrated how Odysseus '
Talon Nilsen Wendt- Period-2 Q4 Final Exam: Odyssey Essay 5/24/23 The author Brodi Ashton is an american author that has wrote a hand full of books and she once said “Hero’s are made by the paths they take not the powers they are graced with”. This quote is perfect because it showcases that Odysseus a hero because he had the gods on his side but because of the choices he made and how he followed them through. Many people debate if the protagonist is a hero or a cold blooded killer. The definition of a hero is someonewho is selfless and will save the lives of others before the thought of his or her life crosses their mind.
During these trials, many burdens were put on Odysseus’ crew, which led to all of his crew eventually all being killed before returning to Ithaca. The 2nd instance where Odysseus made a wrong choice that affected his crew is when he didn’t even really trust his crew. So he stayed up for days straight and
When Odysseus and some of his crew stumble across Polyphemos’ cave, his crew suggests they take the goods from the cave and run. But Odysseus refuses and “‘wished to see the cavemen, what he had to offer- no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends’”(151). As illustrated Odysseus refuses to listen to his crew’s advice, and as a result, several of them are eaten. Odysseus throughout the story shows several other instances of hubris, where he does what he wants regardless of the advice given to him by others. Ultimately his crew pays for his hubris, as they all die due to Odysseus’ refusal to listen to Kirke’s advice and avoid the island where Helios keeps his cattle.
In fact, many quotes have been written about judging people from their mistakes, one of many being “To judge a man by his weakest deed is like judging the power of the ocean by one wave” (Elvis Presley); in the end, Odysseus was a hero, not a
The Odyssey by Homer is a book that involves the Journey of Odysseus and his men and the Obstacles they come across. The Odyssey portrays many themes including vengeance, hospitality, courage, bravery and more. Odysseus experiences some good and bad during his journey. He comes across people who help him, but also comes across creatures who hold him back. Odysseus is an Epic hero because of his quick thinking skills, bravery, and confidence for himself and his men.
Odysseus progressively got better at understanding this moral. Throughout Odysseus’ travels, his crew was extremely greedy. When Odysseus’s crew arrived at Ismarus, where the Cicones lived, they killed the men, sacked and robbed the city (9.46-49). Eventually, the Cicones fought back to Odysseus and his crew, making him lose many of his fleets. Odysseus’s crew continued to give into their greediness by sacking and robbing more places and continues to lose fleets.