A lot of the heroes in Greek Mythology were extraordinary people back in their day because of certain traits they possessed. But would they still be considered heroes today if they were still alive? I believe that the heroes of ancient Greek times held traits that, if in our society today, would be extremely frowned upon. But, few heroes have traits that would be positive in today’s world. The three heroes that are being evaluated are Theseus, Hercules, and Perseus.
People of Uruk complain about the nature of Gilgamesh’ tyranny to gods as they can no longer tolerate the king’s unjust behaviors: “His companions are kept on their feet by his contests, [the young men of Uruk] he harries without warrant. Gilgamesh lets no son go free to his father, by day and by [night his tyranny grows] harsher. (Gilgamesh, I.166-170)” People rely on the king to protect their rights and the country, but Gilgamesh does the opposite by taking away their sons and daughters for his personal needs. The people of Uruk feel oppressed under Gilgamesh’s rule as Gilgamesh gives himself the right to sleep with women on the first night of marriage and to take away sons from the household to appease his appetite for war games. Instead of feeling safe under a divine ruler, people feel threatened and pray to gods to protect them. Gilgamesh oversteps the family boundaries, and this constant violation causes Gilgamesh to lose favor and love from his own subjects. A good king can lose the favor of his people because without them, the glory of being a monarch diminishes, losing the respect and loyalty from his subjects. As a result, Gilgamesh’s corruption prohibits him from calling himself a great king among other
Bravery, cleverness, and determination are three traits a good leader has. In Homer’s epic “The Odyssey,” Odysseus, the hero in the story, is trying to return home to Ithaca after his victory in Troy. On their way back home, Odysseus and his men hurt the cyclops, Polyphemus, and angered his father, Poseidon. With a god angry at them, Odysseus and his men had to overcome many obstacles. These obstacles led them to strange islands that had goddesses and dangerous creatures. Odysseus used bravery, cleverness, and determination to be a good leader and get his men through all these dangerous obstacles. Odysseus is a good leader as seen through his bravery, cleverness, and determination.
When you are young you are taught what is generally right or wrong. You are not given a chance to choose what you believe in since you are only a baby, and can not fully comprehend the concept of things such as religion. Once you are old enough you are exposed to the variety of cultures that may fascinate you, and will help influence how you think. The majority of individuals tend to follow their own beliefs when they are well into their adult life, since they were taught to believe what their parents believed in. In Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, Antonio a young Catholic is left to question his beliefs when a curandera named Ultima exposes him to her own beliefs. Thus introducing Antonio to Ultimas paganistic ways which is causing him to not only explore more of his beliefs, but Antonio is discovering many ideas that go against the Catholic religion. This causes him to not only question his beliefs but to explore other cultures as well as determine which religious ideas he decides to pursue.
Throughout the story “The Odyssey” by Homer Odysseus, the main character counters countless amounts of trouble. As king and leader it is his job to keep his men save and get the job done. Odysseus does whatever it takes to keep his men unharmed, and more importantly, alive. All his crew and him dream about is getting back to their homeland, but first they have to pass the obstacles. Odysseus demonstrates good leadership qualities by doing whatever it takes to get the job done, using his advanced cunning abilities to trick his enemy, and constantly saving his crew from dangers.
In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.
A great leader views the world like he is looking through 3D glasses, always seeing the depth and vibrancy of the possibilities around him. A bad leader is like a cyclops wearing an eyepatch, never able to see his mighty hand in front of his own face. In The Odyssey, Homer illustrates the journey home to Ithaca taken by Odysseus and his men. Unfortunately, Odysseus makes poor choices throughout his travels and his actions often do more harm than good. Two character traits define Odysseus and shape his poor leadership style. 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 Odyssey is often cited as an epitome of the hero’s journey and the monomyth. The hero of the story, Odysseus is on a 10 year battle homeward from the Trojan War to see his wife and son again. With the help divine intervention, Odysseus is able to return home and save his wife from the evil suitors who have continuously tried to win her. One could easily argued that Odysseus is an exemplar of the hero, but there is another story: Odysseus is the opposite of a hero and is not worthy to be called such. He is the villain where the gods are the hero. Odysseus is cruel and quick to anger, arrogant, and does not truly win in the end.
Hercules and Theseus, two great heroes from mythology, seem to be similar in many ways. Both extremely brave and noble; with a love of danger and adventure mixed with compassion, creates the perfect heroes. Their stories intertwine with one another’s when Hercules has to save Theseus from the chair of forgetfulness in Hades. Theseus saved Hercules when he was distraught with intent to kill himself. In a similar way, they both stood by their friends no matter the cost.
There is a constant tension or conflict between good and evil in the world. At times evil appears to be so dominant and powerful that we may even think evil to be supreme. But, sooner or later the momentary supremacy of the evil gives way to the ultimate triumph of good. We often blame the society or the political system for the evils that are being perpetrated in the world. But a close analysis will tell us that it is not the political system or the society that is responsible for the evil, but some individuals within the society or in the political system that perpetrate evil. Therefore, it is the individual who needs to bring-forth the change in
The pathos and ethos of cultures is often discernable in literary narratives as expressions of the sentiment of approval or disapproval. Thus, the impact of literary narratives on cultures cannot be understated; the arts do impact and influence culture in both positive and negative ways. This is not a new phenomenon and can be observed in cultures as early as 6 Century B.C. and can be traced throughout human history. An example of this can be seen in Homer’s Odyssey, in which there are certain characters within the narrative that portray what is known as “arete.” Arete is viewed as a desirable character trait which some define as the display of perseverance, quick-wittedness, prowess, valor, etc. The term arete was very prominent and influential in
Donald Kraybill wrote a book called The Upside- Down Kingdom to illustrate his idea of what an upside down kingdom looked like during the time of Jesus’ ministry. In this book, Kraybill flourishes how the kingdom of God, while Jesus lived here on earth, appeared to be upside- down, for the fact, that Jesus focused on being victorious by being a servant and succeed by losing. This was not an usual act for people in His time. Jesus was against the teachings of that time, the poor became more poorer, and the wealthy became more wealthy. During His time, both classes never assorted together, and it was common for the rich not to help the poor. Kraybill aims to help the readers to see Jesus’ teachings from a different view. Kraybill believes
Bart D. Ehrman. The New Testament: A Historical Introduction to the Early Christian Writings. New York: Oxford University Press, Fifth edition, 2012
At the start of the early-modern period of European history, feudalism was dying, and countries looked to strong, centralized governments for leadership. The popular political theory to address this new development was absolutism. Absolute monarchs reduced the power of nobles in order to consolidate the nation’s leadership under one banner. During the 17th and 18th centuries, Europe’s political landscape was dominated by this form of government. Monarchy was seen by the early modern Europeans as the best form of government for a variety of reasons. It held religious justifications, followed the natural order of authority, and brought great wealth and power to its nation.
Matthew and Luke were both evangelists. They both helped to spread the Gospel, the good news of Jesus. Their telling of the Gospel is very similar, yet very different at the same time. They are similar because they both tell the same story. Meanwhile they are different because the events aside from the fact that Jesus was born are all very different. Specifically the infancy narratives differ in particular ways that may cause the audience to question which infancy narrative is more correct. This essay will compare the infancy narratives of Matthew and Luke and will show how the infancy narrative of Luke previews the themes of Luke’s Gospel.