Characteristics Of Odysseus

Odysseus from The Odyssey is similar to Marcos Urgurte, a teenager who saved somebody from a burning building, in heroic acts; They are both brave and selfless.

Odysseus displays heroic traits, such as bravery, when dealing with the suitors. Odysseus is talking to one of them when the abhorrent suitor says, “How do you think you shuffle off and get away after that imprudence?” (Kinsella 1028). Even though Odysseus is in the presence of multiple burly people who do not like him, he still will talk back to the point it upsets the suitors. If he was not brave, he would not do that. Odysseus is not only brave but selfless too. After Odysseus bravely deals with the suitors, a bystander says, “a hunter owned him--but the man is dead…when lord Odysseus left him…you’d see him swift and strong” (Kinsella 1028). While the act of Odysseus ascending the people trying to steal his wife and kingdom is controversial, it is kind and unselfish nonetheless. Odysseus has morals. He knew he had to kill the suitors for his wife and Ithaca’s sake. If he did not

Urgurte, while doing his homework, heard screams, then went to investigate; then he was able to go down a ladder so he could break through a screen and then force open a window and carry the scared child to safety (Patterson). Going into a burning building is not easy, even human instinct was telling him to run from danger, not towards it; but Urgurte was able to fight his instincts and be extremely brave. Urgurte also displays selflessness. He “was doing homework when he heard screams,” (Patterson). It would be so easy to ignore somebody in distress and continue doing anything else; Urgurte had different plans. He immediately stopped the important thing he was doing to go save that young boy. The fact that Urgurte would drop whatever he was doing to go try and help somebody he does not even know illustrates how noble he