“Great heroes need great sorrows and burdens, or half their greatness goes unnoticed. It is all part of the fairy tale.” ― Peter S. Beagle, The Last Unicorn. We can see Peter Beagles, an award winning american author, quote still apply to heros of now. From fictional heroes such as superman or real heros such as Nelson Mandela; both went through hardships. Superman lost his civilization and faced many difficulties when he was transferred to earth. Nelson Mandela faced the racism that took grip of Africa causing his rise to power to be a long and enduring journey. Even old heros of ancient times faced hardships making them the legends they are remembered as. In The Odyssey by Homer, the brave hero Odysseus, was loved by the people of ancient Greece. He goes through many hardships after winning the war at Troy. …show more content…
Now in contemporary American society we see view dissipate. When comparing Odysseus to Ishmael Beah, a modern hero who endured the dangerous Sierra Leone Civil War and now a civil rights activist, we see can see a few comparisons. Both of these men committed murders. Yet, while Odysseus was not forced into these situation while Ishmael was. When delving further into their lives we see that Odysseus was brutal, selfish, arrogant, and surely not the hero he was claimed to be.
In today’s contemporary society, brutality is frowned upon. Odysseus; however, is a person of brutal nature. We see this exemplified when Odysseus return from Ithaca and murder every suitor who took over his house, mercilessly killing people even when it was unwarranted. Though countless men pleaded for life he did not halt with his actions. An example is when when Leódês’ begged for forgiveness yet “[Odysseus] picked