...The Odyssey by Homer is the story of Odysseus, who is trying to get home after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many obstacles throughout his journey. He was held captive by Calypso, and faced many deaths until he was able to get back home to his wife after 20 years. In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer puts Odysseus’ courage to the test, to make his venture home page-turning. In the story The Odyssey, Odysseus shows his courage by saving his men from the Lotus Eaters.Odysseus and his men came to the coastline of the Lotus Eaters, and whoever ate the Lotus longed to stay there forever, and would eventually forget their homeland. In part 1 the text states, “...who showed no will to do us harm… only offering the sweet Lotus to our friends… I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships and tied them down…” (Homer 816) This shows that Odysseus is courageous because instead of leaving his friends on the island, he tied them in the ship to take them home. This shows that Odysseus because he cares about the wellbeing of others. This also shows that Odysseus cares about his friends well being enough to not leave them on the island against their will. This shows that Odysseus because he cares about the wellbeing of others....
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...In The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates courage in a variety of situations, predominantly on the Island of The Cyclopes, as well as when he passes Scylla and Charybdis. On the Island of The Cyclopes, when stuck in the cave of Polyphemus, a cyclops, Odysseus and his crew are ravaged by the Cyclops, his men being eaten up by the monster. As a result, they begin formulating a plan to escape the grasp of the Cyclops. They decide to blind the cyclops, “...[drawing the wooden spike] from the coals…[lifting] it, and [ramming] it deep in [Polyphemus’s] crater eye, and [Odysseus] leaned on it turning it as a shipwright turns a drill”(ln. 312-317). This clearly demonstrates Odysseus’s courage, as well as his willingness to attack, and challenge, a monster...
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...How would you feel if you were away from your family for twenty years? Odysseus is the main character in Homers epic poem. The great Odysseus king of Ithica was sent to Troy to fight in the Trojan War. Throughout the poem Odysseus exhibits arrogance, intelligence, and courage on his journey home to Ithica. Everyone knows that Odysseus has courage considering that he and his army defeated Troy during the Trojan War. For example is when Odysseus had to go to Hades and sacrifice a ram to be able to find his way home. Also another example is when Odysseus gave Polyphemus wine to get him drunk so he and his men could stab him in the eye. Because Polyphemus is the only one that could let them out because a massive boulder was in the way of the opening to get out. Those are just two of the many ways that shows how much courage that Odysseus has....
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...An Odyssey of Honor We all know what an odyssey is; for some each day is an odyssey and for others life is The Odyssey. For Odysseus, returning home to his land and his loved ones is the Odyssey. In scenes of deep sorrow, crying serves as a personification of Odysseus’s honor. Furthermore, Odysseus’s sobbing is a vehicle to memorialize the honor of his comrades. In moments depicting this grief, Odysseus illustrates a hero must have legendary achievements and noble qualities, but above all, Odysseus shows a hero must value honor. We will now examine passages depicting Odysseus sorrow in this epic, and through these passages we will show honor as the most important feature of a hero in the Odyssey. We commence our reading of the Odyssey with a common dictionary definition of what the word hero symbolizes in our mind. According to Merriam Webster, a hero is one with distinguished...
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...In The Odyssey, Homer tells a tale about the main character Odysseus as goes through many trials and tribulations on his journey home. Homer’s tales shows many important things about the Greeks and their views about life. One of things he shows through his story are the qualities of leadership. The Odyssey shows many important qualities of leadership, three of the most important qualities of leadership are determination, courage and intelligence. The Odyssey shows that one of the most important qualities of leadership is the ability to be determine and not let the bumps in the road stop you from reaching your goal. In book 5, although Odysseus has been stuck on a beautiful island with a beautiful women he still longs to go home. “Yet it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home,” replied Odysseus to Calypso. Calypso tried her best to try and convince Odysseus to neglect his goal, but Odysseus stayed strong and kept his goal in sight. This is an important quality for a leader to have, because a leader must be able to keep his men strong and help them remember why they are still working. A leader has to be able to stand firm even if his men begin to give up hope. The Odyssey show what a determined leader looks like through the character of Odysseus....
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...In Homer’s The Odyssey, the author tells us of a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism. The Odyssey is a display of a journey of determination, willpower, patience, and virtue. The author tells the tale of Odysseus, on his voyage home to Ithaka. This is happening after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus, the main character, goes through a series of many unforeseen trials and tribulations in this exemplary journey. This exemplifies his character and displays him as a hero in the eyes of the audience. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character. Odysseus is displayed as not only a hero but also as a good leader to his men. Throughout all their trials such as the Sirens, Polyphemus (the cyclops), and the enchantress Circe, Odysseus is displayed as clever, patient, cunning, and fearless. Odysseus made decisions not only for himself but also for his men as well. For example, he did not leave his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters when they clearly had no desire to go back to Ithaca; he knotted them onto the boat and left the island. He was determined to get home with as many of his men as he possibly could, though they repeatedly disobeyed him. Odysseus is one of history's greatest leaders and this is a vital part of what makes him such an epic hero Another characteristic that stand out and makes Odysseus a hero is his ability to overcome his obstacles in order to reach his goal. Odysseus is faced by many...
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...Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus exhibits his most prominent heroic trait of courage, but unfortunately, also demonstrates the human characteristic of arrogance. Even though Odysseus is seen as a hero, he has bad qualities too. Odysseus has the two main qualities of courage and arrogance which he demonstrates while fighting the cyclops and traveling throughout the seas with his crew. Homer exhibits these traits all throughout the story by presenting Odysseus as a war like hero with no flaws, when further throughout the story you are able to see all of Odysseus most human like qualities. . Odysseus has many characteristics that he portrays all throughout the book of the Odyssey. A couple of his most prominent heroic qualities are courage...
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...The story of the Odyssey starts with Odysseus, a Greek war hero in the Battle of Troy. He is trying to make his way back to his home in Ithaca. His wife, Penelope, is waiting for him to return home from war. She does not know if her husband is still alive, but still remains faithful to him. Even with all of the suitors that have bombarded Odysseus’ home trying to take his place, Penelope still remains loyal to her husband. Their son, Prince Telemachus, is still at the home with all of the suitors. He desperately wants to remove them from the home, but does not have the will power or fighting experience to take down all of the men. Many men want to take over the palace, especially Antinous. He plans to kill Telemachus and control the palace. Odysseus meanwhile is alive on the island of Ogygia. He is bound here under the control of Calypso. The Greek goddess, Athena, wants to help Odysseus out. She goes to his son Telemachus disguised as Laertes. She persuades him to approach the suitors in a meeting, and also prepares him to journey to Pylos and Sparta. Nestor and Menelaus tell him that his dad is still alive but stuck on Calypso’s Island. Zeus sends Hermes to save Odysseus from the island. Hermes talks Calypso into letting Odysseus build a ship and leave. While sailing, Poseidon sends a storm to stop him from getting home. Athena saves him once again and lands on Scheria. He spends the night recalling all the adventures he had experienced on his trip. After he tells his...
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...What is a hero? A hero is someone who is admired for their courage, bravery, and noble qualities. Heroic acts are often celebrated because they show the strength of the human spirit and the ability to overcome challenges. In literature, we often see characters put to the test in various ways to determine whether they are truly heroic. In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, we see the protagonist Odysseus facing numerous challenges on his journey back home to Ithaca. In this essay, we will explore what constitutes a heroic act and whether Odysseus acted heroically on his journey. First, one of the key aspects of a heroic act is courage in the face of danger. In Book 9 of The Odyssey, we see Odysseus and his men facing the danger of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus shows bravery as he devises a plan to blind the Cyclops and escape his clutches. He says, "I tied them [ram's wool] silently together, then slung a man under each middle one to ride there, shielded right and left by the others" (Book 9.). This shows Odysseus' quick thinking and bravery in taking on a giant who could easily overpower him and his men....
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...Ashley N. Arvie English 2315-02 Dr. Emily E. Stelzer 15 September 18 Learnings from the Great Wanderings, Book 10: Circe Instinct, united with courage, obedience and wisdom, rooted in a reverence for the supernatural gods (polytheistic or The Greek Pantheon) or God (monotheistic), is an assured formula for victory and triumph when faced with destitution and crisis in life. This ideology rings true for ancient Greeks as well as modern day Christians and humans alike. Throughout the exploit on the Aeaean Island, the home of Circe, hero, Odysseus and his men were forced to utilize both innate and acquired tactics to advance to the next episode in their journey home. The reader is inescapably presented with examples of the king and his crew displaying the powerful characteristics of instinct, courage, obedience and wisdom as god-fearing men. Odysseus shows his fear of the gods most consistently through trust, though it is many times accompanied with disturbing obstacles. HEROIC CHARACTERISTICS AND LESSONS LEARNED After two days and two nights of a restless breather in their journey, upon sunrise, Odysseus immediately and instinctively sought a sign of human industry. (Odyssey 10.161) The irrefutable necessity of food and rest presented itself, though coupled with uncertainty of who or what may be encountered, brave Odysseus presses onward. The noble warrior and his countrymen are obligated to exude faith in the gods and themselves while diving into the unknown, yet again...
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...is no doubt that a good story like The Odyssey by Homer includes the major emotional theme of love. The idea of love is emphasized throughout The Odyssey in a variety of different ways: Romantic love, familial love, and love within a helping hand of someone. These types of love all come together in perfect harmony to make The Odyssey the amazing story that it is. In life we often look and search for someone to share the love and journey with. Odysseus and Penelope’s strong and powerful relationship was no different when it came to a pure representation of love. Their relationship stayed strong throughout all the hardships they both faced. Odysseus was gone on a journey for over two decades,...
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...The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer. The Odyssey is about the ten year journey of Odysseus trying to get home. He faces many challenges but eventually makes it back home. An epic poem must have a epic hero, plot, setting, archetypes, and themes. The Odyssey has all of these characteristics. The three that are the most present are epic plot, archetypes, and epic themes. Epic plot is a very present in The Odyssey. Epic plot consists of a long journey with many complcations. Throughout Odysseus’ long journey, he faces many challenges and peril. One instance of epic plot is that in the ninth book where Odysseus encounters the cyclops, Polyphemus. Polyphemus traps him inside his cave. Odysseus uses his intuition to get out of the cave. Another instance of epic plot is in the twenty-second book during the mass killing of the suitors. Divine intervention occurs on the behalf of Odysseus. “Athena’s presence becomes known to all, as the shape of her shield becomes visible above the hall” (1260,1261). Athena interferes by protecting Odysseus from the suitors’ arrows. Epic plot can also be...
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...The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer telling the story of the King of Ithaca. Odysseus displays the traits of a true hero; strength, nobility, confidence, courage, and the love of glory. He gains fame through his journeys, victories and skill. As with all Homer created heroes, Odysseus possesses pride which causes him to do very unwise things. The Iliad is another epic poem written by Homer entertaining us with a story about Achilles. Achilles was the greatest warrior in the Achaean army. The most significant flaw of Achilles is his excessive pride. He is willing to subvert the good of the whole army and to endanger the lives of those who are closest to him to achieve emotional blackmail. The plot of the Odyssey is Odysseus’ 10 year struggle to return home after the Trojan War. While Odysseus battles mythical creatures and faces the wrath of the gods, his wife Penelope and his son Telemachus fight off suitors or fakers trying to steal Penelope's hand from Odysseus and Ithaca's throne long enough for Odysseus to return. The Odyssey ends with Odysseus winning a contest to prove his identity, killing the suitors, and retaking the throne of Ithaca for himself. The plot of the Iliad is about the final year of the Trojan War, a conflict in which Greek warriors sailed the Aegean (Turkey) and surrounded the fortress of Troy for ten years, three millennia ago. The plot also includes the greek hero...
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...Character traits define who we are as a person. It gives people a sense of who they are, what they want, and what their motivations are. These traits sets people apart from everyone else. In the novel, Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer, there was a young man who started his life over to venture out into the wild to find himself and his purpose. He was able to do so because of the qualities he had. Chris McCandless had many different traits which makes readers think differently of him and what his motivations were. McCandless had qualities such as self-reliance, courage, and passion to motivate him for his adventure and life philosophy. Self-reliance was one of the many attributes McCandless had. He portrayed how he was self-reliant as a child and growing up. According to Krakauer, Carine, McCandless’s little sister, stated “He needed his solitude at times, but he wasn’t a...
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...Amaya Snyder Philipp English I Honors 16 March 2018 Title There is not a day in ones life where they won't encounter obstacles. It is how one handles these obstacles that defines them. Whether they take the lead, or stay back and follow in the footsteps of a leader. Homer exemplifies this concept throughout his epic, "The Odyssey". Odysseus, the main character, goes on a journey lasting 10 years, as he tries to return home after the Trojan War and reassert his place as the rightful king of Ithaca. During his journey, he is confronted with many dilemmas, revealing his true traits as a leader. In Homer's epic "The Odyssey", Odysseus's bravery and cleverness portray him as a commendable leader and demonstrate how one with these qualities has...
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