The Heroism Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

In The Odyssey, the character Odysseus can be considered a hero because he demonstrates many characteristics that are attributable to most heroes. After the battle at Troy, Odysseus strives to sail back to his homeland (Ithaca); however, he encounters some issues along the way and Poseidon attempts to make it impossible for Odysseus to return home. At the beginning of this journey, Odysseus wants to make it back to Ithaca with all of his crew alive. This selfless goal displays Odysseus acting for the greater good because he knows that these men have families that depend on them and would like for them to come home. Along the journey home, Odysseus and his crew come across a cyclops and become trapped in the cyclops’ cave. Odysseus’ over eagerness

For years, people have viewed Odysseus as a lousy hero with many faults and mistakes. His flaws include his arrogance, his treatment to his crew, and his lack of faith to the gods and his family. While initially reading the Odyssey, these reasons are obvious, but once reading the whole epic I was able to see through his flaws which actually led him home. Although Odysseus tripped on many occasions, he stood up and protected his men, escaped many monsters and immortals, and made wise and clever decisions. Odysseus went through a long, rough adventure and survived the entire voyage while managing to keep his family intact.

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.

“A hero does good for good, not for glory” (Unknown). This quote summarizes exactly what a hero is supposed to do. A true hero is selfless and caring, not prideful and unloyal. A hero does what he/she thinks is best and plans accordingly. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, the character Odysseus has just won the ten-year long Trojan War with the help of many loyal Greek soldiers. Odysseus is the king of Ithaca and is trying desperately to get home to his country and family. Along the way, Odysseus and his men are faced with many struggles, most of which are extremely dangerous, but never lose their hope for home. Although he may seem great, Odysseus is conceited, extremely unfaithful, and lacks in leadership. Odysseus may be strong and brave, but he is not what a true hero is.

A hero is someone who is revered for his or her exceptional achievements and bravery. Anyone who puts themselves before others not for recognition or an award, but because it is the right thing to do, is a true hero. In "The Odyssey," written by Homer is an epic poem about a man named Odysseus and his crewmates competing against the power of the gods to return to their homeland, Ithaca. Throughout his journey, he loses almost all of his men, but Odysseus finally arrives home, concluding his prolonged twenty-year voyage. Odysseus must battle the suitors that have taken his wife Penelope, and may soon kill his son Telemachus. Odysseus defies the suitors and wins his wife and kingdom back. Despite Odysseus' overconfident nature, Odysseus proves he is a hero by showing bravery and intelligence.

Odysseus has grown from the man he was before, as now he finds comfort and safety in obeying the gods when in the past he did not consider their wishes. Odysseus has only returned due to Athena and he has recognized that and his compliance is founded in his appreciation and respect for her. Odysseus is now a hero due to the obedience he now has to the gods, founded in a sense of humility. Through Odysseus’ experiences on his journey, he learns the value of obedience and dangers of arrogance and ultimately, become a hero through the lessons learned.

Odysseus is a hero because he is smart. For example, when Odysseus and his men approach the giant he offers him ¨liquor to wash down your scraps of men¨ (Homer 991). Odysseus is clever by doing this because he can predict that the liquor will make him fall asleep. He knows that the boulder that is blocking the entrance is heavy so he doesn 't kill Polyphemus. Instead, Odysseus only hurts him.

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.

Sometimes being a hero is difficult. You don't always have to save a person's life. You can just put effort into it and try as hard as you can. Being a hero is loyal and responsibility. Odysseus is in between.

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.

Odysseus uses his strength and wisdom to finish what he has already started. As well as being courageous, Odysseus shows his wisdom when he plugs the sailors' ears with beeswax when going through the Sirens because, “no

T. S. Eliot, a publisher and playwright, has said, “Only those who will risk going too far can possibly find out how far one can go.” Courage has many ways of presenting itself to people. Whether it is through physical ways or moral ways depends on the situation. Most people see courage as physical, like a small dog saving a helpless kitten from a fire or a man jumping in front of a bullet for a loved one or complete stranger. There is also the moral side of courage. This can be the act of standing up to the authorities over certain beliefs or being pressured into doing something you know is wrong and not doing it, regardless of the consequences. Perseus, Odysseus, and Wesley Autrey are courageous.

Odysseus, a war hero, struggles to return home with his men.(CD) Odysseus acts with much bravery, as is shown in his conflict with Polyphemus, however he sometimes allows his pride to get the best of him.(CM) Odysseus often shows guile, being the mind behind the Trojan horse. (CM) Odysseus tries to work together with his men so they can get home.(CD) This does not work well at times, as his men act somewhat mutinous.(CD) Overall, Odysseus maintains a very strong motivation, and he displays usefulness in difficult situations.(CM)

The OG Archetype Hero Ever since the story of The Odyssey was written, people have deemed that Odysseus was not an archetype hero. At first, you may not think he was. Odysseus was considered arrogant, irresponsible and unfaithful. Have not a lot of people been like that though? Odysseus has been heroic in many circumstances.

Some characteristics that contribute to being a hero include doing tasks that benefit others and being fearless, but the greatest characteristic is making decisions without the help of others. Again, Odysseus falls short of what he is expected to do. Throughout his entire journey, Odysseus did not make one decision without the help of a god and frankly, Odysseus would not be alive without the gods telling him what to do. “Then Skylla made her strike, whisking six of my best men from the ship.” Watching six of his best men get eaten by a six-headed monster could not have been easy for Odysseus because those men were the people that had kept him alive thus far.