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Perseverance In The Odyssey

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Obstacles make heroes’ perseverance stronger. Numerous stories display treacherous situations in which the protagonists use determination to survive. The Odyssey, written by Homer in the Archaic Age, captures a leader’s, Odysseus, hardships and will-power to keep going. Similarly, The Martian, a film adapted from Andy Weir’s book, exhibits Watney’s strong perseverance to continue on his journey, no matter the extremity of the problems he experiences . Although both epic adventures highlight creative problem-solving and questionable decision-making, Watney’s crew shows greater loyalty because of the friendships shared.
In both universal journeys, Odysseus and Watney are creative problem-solvers because they do not panic when forced to …show more content…

The crew of Odysseus rebels multiple times throughout their journey to Ithaca by disregarding their commanding officer’s directions. King Aeolus gives Odysseus winds in an ox skin bag as a going-away gift to arrive back on Ithaca, but does not include the crewmates in the gift. Odysseus’ sailors become jealous of the favoritism shown by King Aeolus, so they open the ox bag and “all the winds burst out” while Odysseus is sleeping (Fagles 10.52). The crew does not like how Odysseus, a unilateral decision maker, receives more attention and gifts from the King, so they become resentful of their captain. Differently, Mark Watney’s crew trusts him and focuses on their new sole purpose: saving their fellow crewmember. Once Watney’s comrades learns that he is alive, they risk their lives to rescue their friend. The astronauts of the Hermes vote whether to extend their mission by 533 sols and travel back to Mars to retrieve Watney or to stay on track and leave their comrade; of course, they choose to save him because they are a team (The Martian). Watney’s fellow crewmembers show their loyalty by endangering their lives to save his because they have shared jokes, tears, and forgiveness; they have a closer bond. This relationship propels Mark Watney’s adventure from a book to a popular American

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