A hero is a person who has super powers or can do things normal people could not do. A hero is strong, smart and ladies call them “attractive”. A long time ago, a poet named Homer had written an epic poem called “The Odyssey”. In “The Odyssey”, there is a person with these traits named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through adventures for a long time trying to get home. Odysseus is an epic hero…
What is an epic hero? Homers’ “Odyssey” is about an epic hero named Odysseus and his quest home. “The Odyssey” begins after the Trojan war had left Odysseus trapped, pointlessly seafaring for 10 years after angering Poseidon, the god of the sea. He tries desperately to return home to Ithaka and his wife, Penelope, and newborn son, Telemachus. Odysseus then has many hardships upon which he overcomes through his intelligence and wit. Odysseus is an epic hero because he is intelligent, he listens to the god’s advice, and he is witty; able to think on his feet. With the help of the gods he can survive things most men couldn’t.…
Odysseus, man of exceptional wit, bravery, and intelligence, epic hero The Odyssey written by Homer, is nothing short of extraordinary. He fearlessly leads his remaining men home to Ithaca, doing everything in his power to get them back alive and well. While this is undoubtedly a noble deed, Odysseus slips up more than he does any good, therefore making it unfit to call him a hero. A hero is someone who is compassionate, selfless, and wise. He is selfish, disloyal, hypocritical and harsh; everything a hero is not. Odysseus may be an epic hero, but he is far from a true one.…
Cited: Homer. “The Odyssey.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Second Edition. Ed. Peter Simon. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2009.…
The general populous has hailed Odysseus as the epitome of the epic hero for several centuries, but to the modern reader, he comes off as anything but. While he was extremely driven by one goal, getting back home to his family, he performed some not-so heroic deeds on his quest and once he arrived back in Ithaca. Odysseus had many affairs and was disloyal to his wife, slaughtered hundreds of people in the name of righteousness, and above all, exemplifies hubris, or arrogant pride. These traits and behaviors are not acceptable for anyone, especially a person considered to be and hailed as a hero. Odysseus is not the epitome of an epic hero.…
Hero? What makes someone a hero? Well, the definition of a hero is : a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.…
When we think of someone who is a hero, we think of someone who is idolized for their bravery or amazing achievements; is Odysseus one of these heroes? “ The simple acts of heroism are often overlooked-that’s very clear to me not only in war but in peace” (source 2). Heroism can mean different things to different people and some people are heroes, but don’t get recognized. They can do many small acts of heroism and never become acknowledged as a hero, yet when they do something horrendous they are labeled as a villain. In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus can be seen as a hero or villain based on his actions. In this case, he is a hero in this story because…
Odysseus is the hero that appears in The Odyssey, Homer's epic about Odysseus’s 10 year struggle to return home after the end of the Trojan War. In this epic, Odysseus battles mythical creatures and endures the wrath of the gods. All while being the epic hero of the story. Being the protagonist of this epic, Odysseus has many qualities that make him the hero.…
Certainly, people can argue both ways and support their arguments from evidence in the reading. According to our views, Odysseus is definitely one of, if not the one, ideal hero of the ancient Greek world.…
In the book The Odyssey by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, is depicted as being similar an epic hero. There is a question, though, as to whether or not he actually was an epic hero. I believe that, while he did have a major difference, he had more similarities than differences to the characteristics of an epic hero and therefore was one.…
On the subject of heroism, Maya Angelou once wrote that “I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people” (Angelou). The general picture that comes to mind when the word “hero” is said is the idea of Superman or Wonder Woman; however, a true hero is anyone who tries to make their world a better place. Odysseus, the hero in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, fought in the Trojan War and embarked on a ten year journey to return to his kingdom, Ithaca. During his quest to return home, he encounters many supernatural forces that show both his heroic, and not so heroic actions. He faces countless challenges, meets new people, and has to make sacrifices for the overall benefit of his crew (Bowler and Homer 645-705).…
In the story of the Odyssey, Odysseus was put through many ordeals through which we see his moral and physical characteristics. After evaluating such characteristics we can see that Odysseus is a great epic hero. We can see that not only is he superior to most mortal men, he also shares many of the same desires, therefore fulfilling all the technical requirements of a "hero". Odysseus has insight about his own fate and destiny, but lives intertwined with the Olympic Gods. He also shares many of the same desires as the common man, but has more insight and strength to obtain them. Lastly, the story of Odysseus is tragic, and involves both love and death, which then shows his true strength.…
All heroes have a certain attribute or character that made them stand out from the rest of the crowd or society. Some are very strong, some are very smart, some are very rich that they can afford to create gadgets to make them do unnatural things, like Batman and Iron Man. Odysseus is no different from the common heroes we hear today. The most heroic attribute of Odysseus was that he was smart. He was also courageous as well as confident.…
Odysseus’s tale has been told several times, and most depict him as an epic hero. In fact, he shows several qualities one finds in classic Greek heroes, such as Achilles, Hercules, and Theseus. Like most epic heroes, Odysseus has been mostly harmed by the gods. From him angering Poseidon by blinding his Cyclopes son Prometheus, to Zeus striking down his ship, Odysseus did not have the gods on his side during his journey home. Athena, however, aided him when he arrived to his homeland. Although she did not help during his travels, Athena assisted Odysseus in his battle against the suitors in his kingdom. She was one of the only goddesses on his side. Odysseus also possesses the personal qualities of an epic hero. He is confident and cunning,…
Having superb and honorable characteristics establishes one a hero. A hero consists of anyone who puts their best selves forward in service to humanity. Odysseus was a legendary hero in Greek mythology. He was also the king of Ithaca and the prime protagonist of Homer's epic, the Odyssey. Odysseus was also a prominent character in another Homeric epic, the Iliad. Odysseus was a authentic persuasive speaker and genuinely intelligent. Odysseus also used these qualities to aid and strived to prevent oodles of his men from dying throughout the Odyssey, which establishes Odysseus to be viewed as a modern day hero.…