Odysseus: The True Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

In The Odyssey an epic poem by Homer, Odysseus, a hero from Ithaca, is trapped on his way home from Athens and Troy. His son, Telemachus, goes on a journey looking for his lost father. Both son and father want to reclaim their house from the suitors who wish to marry Penelope, Odysseus’ wife. Genghis Khan, Choi Yuna, my brother, An Thai, and Odysseus have traits like strength, thoughtfulness, and attractiveness. People need heroes with these traits because they need role models and someone to guide them through life.

Odysseus of Ithaka. Some historians have argued for years that he is a noble hero, and others say he is just a man trying to get home from many hardship and challenges, however Odysseus is the definition of a hero. During Odysseus’s journey it becomes evident that Odysseus is a hero like the legends say, he meets all the criterias of being a hero such as being brave, smart, fighting against evil, and protecting others from danger. For generations people have been correct to honor the great Odysseus, for his actions along his adventures. Although there has been some evidence that points to Odysseus not being a hero, this essay will give three reasons why Odysseus should be respected as a hero. The first reasons why Odysseus is a hero is because he risks his life for crew multiple times throughout the story.

Odysseus is a typical example of a hero. He is able to pull off miraculous things to save himself and his crew seemingly without fail. The story of his journey is well known, and a great tale of his adventures. In the two parts we have read so far, we see what he is willing to do for his crew, and his intelligence and quick thinking in difficult situations. The first challenge that waits them is the island of Cyclopes. They begin by checking out the island to see if there is any danger, but they are caught. Odysseus then has to lie about the ship saying it had been destroyed. Then after his friends meet a terrible fate, he tells Polyphemus, the giant, his name is Nohbdy. After he stabs the cyclops in the eye, this leads him to say that nobody hurt him. After this Odysseus makes his escape, and is almost caught as they leave, so Odysseus taunts them, telling them his name and story. This is the end of act one. In act two they tell us of the island of Aeolus which ends up giving them a worthless gift, and then the land of Laestrygones, that destroy all of their ships but one. They then end up at Aeaea, and split up into two groups, one to search the island, and the other to watch the ship. The exploring group then gets trapped by Circe’s cunning magic. Following this news, Odysseus is offered help from Hermes for ways to avoid Circe’s magic. He then enters and tries to avoid the fate of his crew. Eventually he is told to bring all of his crew there, and he ends up

“A hero is someone who understands the responsibility that comes with his freedom.” (Bob Dylan). A modern hero is recognized by the goodness in their heart. Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s “The Odyssey”, is not a good example of a modern hero. Heroes cannot be cross cultural, and Odysseus’ heroics do not transcend time and apply to the modern world. A good example of a modern hero would be the First Lady, Michelle Obama. With Michelle’s humanitarian work and benevolent attitude, she helps those in need while trying to better society.

Even though everyone perceives Odysseus, main character of Homer’s Odyssey as the ideal hero, Superman is obviously the real hero. So what Odysseus went away from home for 20 years? Superman left his home 35 years ago, and can’t even return home because his is completely destroyed. Odysseus can only use his “special bow” only he can string while Superman has superhuman hearing, sight, and strength. Superman also has limitless speed, nigh-invulnerability, heat vision, flight, and freeze-breath to defeat all of his foes. Superman is a hero because of the multiple lives he has saved. Odysseus is only a hero because, according to Homer, he was loyal, compassionate, and cunning. Superman was all those except he saved multiple lives while expressing those traits.

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.

A hero is traditionally thought of as a man with an admirable past or personality, or as a person brave enough to commit an act of heroism. But what does heroism really mean? Some say it has to do with courage, others say valor, and a few toss around words like worthiness, honor, and sacrifice. A hero is one who is bold enough to stand up against the odds. Heroes must prove their worth by being selfless, brave, and intelligent, not deceitful, unfaithful, or ignorant. Under these guidelines, Odysseus, the main character of the Odyssey, can not truly be considered a hero.

A hero is a person who is recognized or idealized for his or her outstanding achievements and noble qualities. The deaths of his men are the result of Odysseus’ weaknesses. The possession of the character trait, arrogance, does not help him in escaping, but rather puts him closer to danger. Another trait that ends up killing a number of his men is his lack of leadership skills, or rather the lack of respect and trust from his men. In some parts of this epic poem, Odysseus also displays the characteristic, foolishness, in which that also results in the deaths of a number of his men. In the epic poetry, “The Odyssey,” by Homer, Odysseus exhibits his arrogance, foolishness, and his lack of leadership in which it leads to him going home by himself.

Everyone has their favorite super hero, whether it be Superman, Batman, or even Ironman. These heros helped anyone they saw in need, even if it put themselves in danger. People describe them as brave, daring, and trustworthy. This is not how I would describe Odysseus from the book The Odyssey by Homer, everyone always thought of Odysseus as the “hero” of the story, but he was quite the opposite. He does not deserve the credit for his getting home from the war at all. Odysseus doesn’t deserve the title of a hero because he made bad decisions that affected his crew poorly, Athena did almost all of the work in getting him home, and he cheated on his wife multiple times throughout his journey home.

    In the Odyssey, Homer beautifully illustrates Odysseus’ qualities that make him a hero. While reading the Odyssey, a reader learns of the hardships Odysseus and his crew face on their treacherous journey home from the Trojan War. They experience dangerous traveling conditions and terrifying monsters, and only Odysseus makes it out alive. This was a journey full of unfortunate events and learning opportunities. Odysseus proves he is a true hero by showing throughout his endeavors that he is clever in his actions, devoted to the people around him, and good hearted in all aspects of his life.

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.

The definition of a hero is a person with supernatural abilities at performing specific tasks that normal people cannot typically achieve. In the epic poem called “The Odyssey” written by a poet named Homer, there is a character named Odysseus who contains these characteristics. During Odysseus’s journeys, while trying to find his way back home, he goes through many adventures showing off these characteristics of a hero.

In The Odyssey Homer makes Odysseus’ journey to his beloved Ithaca excruciating. Odysseus encounters many friends and foes throughout his journey and has to be a leader throughout his experiences. As an example, he encounters Polyphemus and Poseidon, both of whom make his journey mentally and physically painful. Odysseus faces countless scenarios in which he has to save multiple people in those situations. He also encounters the suitors, who are a group of men that try to marry Penelope, when he returns to reclaim his home. During these situations, Odysseus gains leadership and tactical skills from fighting in the war in Troy, which costs him 10 years of his life and another 10 years of sailing out on the sea from Poseidon 's curse. Odysseus is therefore a heroic and efficient leader because he plans his moves ahead of time and is vigilant at all times to ensure his safety. Yet, though Odysseus possesses these heroic leadership qualities, his arrogance sometimes leads to his downfall and inability to lead.

The concept of hero has been interpreted in many ways throughout the ages. Hero have gone from knights slaying dragons and rescuing the princess, to heroes who save the world with their supernatural-like powers, to a modern day hero who is someone who has noble qualities and is regarded as a role model. In the epic, The Odyssey, by Robert Fagles, the heroic Odysseus is a well known in Greek mythology. However, although Odysseus is the most respected, honorable hero of Greek mythology he is not a modern hero. A modern day hero is someone who puts their life on the line to save the lives of other innocent people. In The Odyssey, Odysseus’ characteristics do not fit in the definition of a modern hero, he illustrates a naive and a arrogant epic hero.

The Odyssey is a tale of a great hero trying to get home. An epic hero. An epic hero is a courageous and honorable person. Homer’s character Odysseus exemplifies this in many ways. No matter what is thrown at him he never stops trying to get home, getting past a Cyclopes, the Lady Circe, and sirens. He even gets through the Underworld and lives. Despite this, Odysseus does have faults about him, though not as many as there are qualities. He is a worldwide symbol, an archetype, of both nobility and bravery. Odysseus, the epic hero of the Odyssey, a great leader with many attributes as well as flaws, is no ordinary man.