Preview

Why Odysseus Is Not A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
715 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Odysseus Is Not A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey
aaliyah Outline
Intro
The Odyssey is about a man who goes on a journey to get back home after 20 years at war and after being stuck on an island for years. On his journey he faces many obstacles and also get help from many gods. His man were killed and faced many obstacles with him. When he gets home after his journey he also faces life or death obstacles.
Thesis
Odysseus is not a hero because he was told everything that was going to happen on his journey nothing came as a surprise and he was told how to face those obstacles, he also killed many people he didn't save them or try to reason with them.

Body paragraph
Reason 1 he was told everything that was going to happen on his journey, nothing came as a surprise and he was told everything that was going to happen
Selfish
No problem solving skills
Reason 2; he killed people not save them or try to reason/ solve the problem without harm
Shows no empathy and
…show more content…
In the story, Odysseus only helped himself. When he got home he killed everyone in his home even the people who surrendered to him. He also didn't try to save his men from being sacrificed. For example “As they were lifted up in the mouths of six heads they called out to me in agony. But I could do nothing to aid them.”pg 173. Even though Odysseus says he couldn't do anything, he still didn't try; he just stood there and just watched as his men were being killed. A true hero doesn't give up and never leaves a man behind, and he did he gave up and left all his men behind.

In conclusion Odysseus isn't a hero because he lacks problem solving skills he was helped throughout his entire journey and the gods paved the way for him. He also showed no empathy and no compassion, he killed people instead of helping or saving them. For these reasons Odysseus isn’t a

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    I will be writing a essay of the book The Odyssey written by the person Homer. The main reason why I am written is so that you can know Odysseus is a hero because how he helps other people before he would help himself.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus Is A Hero

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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…

    • 482 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus to me is a hero, but then at sometimes he isn’t. He’s a hero because he is always saving people and putting himself into danger, and making sure his men, friends, or family don’t get hurt, just like when he went to the island that threw fire, he could have easily died, all of his men wanted to come with him, but he wouldn't allow it. He didn’t want any of them getting hurt. He risked his own life because he wanted to go home and see his family again. Knowing that he might not come back alive, knowing his wife could have been moved one. But, he didn’t give up…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus was a leader who would sacrifice anything for his crew just like when he put the spike into the cyclops eye as it said "Just so that his eyeball hissed around the spike." (P.768). Which explained his courageous act against the cyclops. There was other signs of courage for example, when he sacrificed himself for the crews safety agains the Sirens "They tied me up, plumb amidship, back to the mast." (P.784). Which is another sign of courage and shows how much of a hero Odysseus really is.…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus: An Epic Hero

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages

    While true heroes are portrayed as selfless beings, Odysseus is the exact opposite. Odysseus kills his men with his own selfishness.…

    • 619 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus As A Hero

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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.…

    • 388 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus Epic Hero

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Despite all of the good deeds Odysseus performed, the fact that he needlessly killed hundreds of people is hard to overlook. Upon returning home to Ithaca, he slaughtered all of Penelope’s suitors and disloyal maids who had affairs with some of the suitors. As the CliffsNotes article on Odysseus’ character mentions, “Odysseus can be merciful, as…

    • 691 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is Odysseus A Hero

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Do you consider Odysseus a hero? The Odyssey by Homer is about a king from Ithaca named Odysseus and his warriors who go to war and have to go through alot of difficult obstacles to get back home to Odysseus' wife Penelope and his son Telemechus. Odysseus is extrodinarly strong but he doesn't rely on his strength, he relies on his mind. Odysseus is brave, prideful, and self-centered.…

    • 351 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Superheroes have become increasingly popular in recent times and most people have their favorite from Superman to Batman to the Avengers. Not all heroes have to be superheroes with superpowers. Many people can identify heroes in their everyday life as well. Heroes can be someone that helps a person, for example many people consider their parents to be heroes because of the support they provide them in life. The difference between a superhero and a hero is that heroes are normal people just trying to be there for others while superheroes are made up characters in a book or movie with extraordinary powers. Mistakes are part of everyone’s life, but the difference between a normal person and a hero is that when a hero makes a mistake they work to fix it or overcome the problem. In the book the Odyssey, there are many problems and obstacles that Odysseus has to overcome in his attempt to get home. Odysseus has many traits that make him a hero, for example he is both physically and mentally strong. His…

    • 932 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Odysseus An Epic Hero

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Not every hero can lift cars or fly, some are heros for a much smaller reason. Odysseus is a epic hero because he went on a large journey and was a leader to his crew. Unlike Odysseus singer Taylor Swift is considered a hero since lots of people look up to her with the fame she has and the songs she writes about. Although they are both considered heros they have different reasons why they are considered to be one (a hero). There are many heroes that are all considered heroes but a different reason for why they are “heroes”. In the Odyssey Odysseus goes on a long journey along with his crew of men who battle with monsters and other civilians from different cities. They fight a cyclops by stabbing a large stick into his eye after he (the cyclops)…

    • 448 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus is not a hero because he let down a lot of people. What a hero is a person that will give everything that they have to save another person from any harm. Such as next a reasons why Odysseus is not a hero is because he was the cause why his own mother died.…

    • 398 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Flaws In The Odyssey

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In conclusion, Odysseus is not a hero. Heros are supposed to be role models, not god-angering crew killers. In fact, Odysseus himself barely survived his journey. Heros must influence society by proving how doing the right thing and being a commerable citizen leads to a happy things. When we accept someone as a hero, we also accept their flaws. Odysseus just has too many flaws to accept as a true…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus as an Epic Hero.

    • 624 Words
    • 2 Pages

    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.…

    • 624 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    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.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In the novel, it is clearly shown how Odysseus got his men into many life threatening situations, for example “Humbly those wolves and lions with mighty paws fawned on our men- who met their yellow eyes and feared them.” (lines 547-549). It really is quite fascinating how Odysseus managed to get all of his men killed from multiple occasions. It seems like he could not learn after numerous failures to save the lives of his men. It it almost sickening to know Odysseus talked about these vicious attacks with no remorse for the event. It is almost as if he could use it to tell another story in his basking of glory at the hands of King Alnicus and the Phaeacians. It most certainly is displeasing to see how Odysseus is celebrated after having all his men killed solely under his responsibility.…

    • 765 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays