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Essay On Pride In The Odyssey

524 Words3 Pages

1st paragraph- Mahatma Gandhi once said: “Anger is the enemy of non-violence and pride is a monster that swallows it up.” Pride is seen by many as a weakness but pride is what encourages many to prove themselves. Odysseus’ major flaw is believing he is greater than any other human, sometimes even the gods. Odysseus demonstrates this weakness when he encounters the Cyclops and enrages him by trespassing into the one-eyed beast's cave. When Odysseus finally escapes he yelled his name to the Cyclops, out of pride, when he could have used a decoy name. Zeus decides to teach Odysseus a lesson for hurting his son and provides many obstacles for Odysseus on his journey home. Odysseus’ common flaw of pride is relatable to a present day hero because …show more content…

Risk-taking is a trait of many successful people. Unnecessary risk-taking can lead to the endangerment others around you, which can lead to recklessness. Odysseus shows this weakness during his confrontation with the Sirens. Odysseus and his men were warned that they must have ear wax in and he must be tied up or they would hear the deadly song. Although there was no consequence of Odysseus hearing the Sirens song he imposed the risk to his crew. He took an unnecessary risk of listening to the song where he could have plugged his ears with wax. Heroes must be willing to take risks in order to help the greater good.

Conclusion- Pride, curiosity and risk-taking are Odysseus’ flaws that are relatable to the common man. Odysseus is known to many as a courageous king that won the Trojan War and returned home to rule Ithaca but in order for him to complete these heroic actions he had to face many of his flaws. No one is perfect, but what makes a hero a hero is their ability to overcome their imperfection and help the people around them. What makes the Odyssey a classic is that even though it was written 2666 years ago the values of a hero portrayed in the poem can still be related to by today's

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