...Hero versus Hero A hero is like a the one and only happy fish in a bright blue ocean sea full of vicious sharks. A hero is someone who is admiring or is inspiring to a person. A hero is a person who is full of courage, kindness, and might. Odysseus from The Odyssey by Homer has many heroic qualities same goes to Dorothy from The Wizard of Oz. While Odysseus has earned his place in being a hero, it is clear that Dorothy tops off the list with heart full of courage. It is true that Odysseus is a hero because he is courageous, determined, and mighty, however he performs those things in a stingy way. To begin, Odysseus is courageous. According to the text, “There was a loud hiss as the burning wood pierced the watery membrane” (Homer 27). While some people believe Odysseus is courageous because he stabs the cyclops in the eye,...
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...The Odyssey Essay As Mahatma Gandhi said "A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenched faith in their mission can alter the course of history." This quote greatly relates to Odysseus and his leadership skills, he was a very determined person wanting to make it back home so badly and never gave up hope that he would achieve his goal. Odysseus was a great leader who showed courage and wisdom numerous times throughout his journey. Just as importantly, he thought of not only his own well being, but his crews as well. He was so determined that he made it his priority to stay on track, only veering from course if absolutely necessary. Some important characteristics that a great leader must have are bravery and courage, they must also be wise and witty. Odysseus definitely portrayed all these skills throughout his journey. For example, when he and his men got trapped in Polyphemus's cave, he came up with a clever plan to get them out as safely as possible. He was smart enough at first to tell the cyclops a false name "Nobody-that's my name. Nobody-so my mother and father call me, all my friends". (IX- 410) Tricking the cyclops meant that they wouldn't have been punished for what they did,...
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...In life there are leaders and there are followers Odysseus is an example of a leader. Odysseus is a great hero, he has been away for 20 years going through obstacles he faces in life just to stay alive for his family. He fights with all his might just to make it back home to the great island of Ithaca. He has to fight off many monsters in his journey to help save him and his men, just in the end for him to be the only one left who survived in the war. Odysseus has many traits other than the ones I’m going to talk about but these ones are my favorite about him. These traits show a lot about what kind of person he is the ones I picked were brave, determined and intelligent. One of Odysseus many characteristics is that he is brave. He showed his bravery in many ways such as fighting courageously in the war with troy, he faced great dangers on his decade long voyage home. He never backs down from a challenge, and he always keeps his head high in dangerous situations to fight off anyone that comes near to harming him or his men. Odysseus faces the Cyclops Polyphemus, travels to the Underworld, overcomes the Sirens, out works the monsters of Scylla and Charybdis, and leaves behind the beautiful Calypso while many things also pop up...
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...1. Both Helen and Menelaus described Odysseus was a courageous and impressive hero. Additionally, they refer to him as a wondrous person who can achieve (and already has achieved) extraordinary feats. When Helen described Odysseus, she told Telemachus how Odysseus disguised himself as a poor slave to hoodwink the Trojans. "He had, first, given himself an outrageous beating and thrown some rags on–like a household slave–then slipped into that city of wide lanes among his enemies." (pg. 60) Odysseus had done this to blend in with the other townsfolk. He also had heard about the Trojans' plans, so when he learned those plans, he was cunning enough to overthrow their plans. Similarly, when Menelaus described Odysseus, he said Odysseus was...
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...In this essay I will be comparing Odysseus and John McCain. While Odysseus displays hubris and John McCain is humble, both are great leaders because they are loyal and determined to improve their countries. Odysseus is filled with hubris is hard headed. McCain is more humble less likely to gloat and less likely to crack under emotional pressure. They both have some common traits but also opposing ones. McCain is obviously not as strong as Odysseus but Odysseus is obviously is not as stable as McCain mentally. Odysseus is a loyal hard working person. He may be full of himself but he still is a leader and he is still a strong man that cares greatly for his country and his people. He is by far the strongest physically at least. Odysseus is brave...
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...of the journeys, and the motivations for the character’s adventures. Similar character traits are shared between Odysseus and Inman. Odysseus, the protagonist of The Odyssey, is the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan war. Inman, the protagonist of Cold Mountain, is a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. Both Odysseus and Inman share the quality of partaking in a war of some time period. When traveling through their journeys, both of the characters are required to think intelligently when encountering conflicts of supernatural...
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...Every story has a person that earns fame because of their heroic traits or actions. In Star wars, Luke skywalker is a citizen of Tatooine who goes on an adventure and shows heroic traits along the way, making him famous. Similarly, In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is the king of Ithaca before he embarks on a journey and uses his heroic traits, that include determination and leadership, to get him home. He then becomes famous, like Luke Skywalker did, because of his heroic traits. Similar to Odysseus, I also posses the heroic traits of determination and leadership. The first trait that Odysseus and I share is determination. Odysseus shows persistence when he is stuck in the cyclops’ cave and there seems to be no hope. He doesn’t give up and...
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...obstacles Odysseus faced for 10 years to return to his loving and beautiful Penelope. Facing multiple problems like a crowd of suitors determined to take what is his, not having any support from the Gods but yet always determined to return home An epic hero possesses the character traits most valued by the society which they are in. Like for example physical strength, mental quickness, bravery, and respect. Which Odysseus portrays all these at one point or multiple times throughout the story To the greeks, courage was the ability that a strong more solid had.Odysseus displays the trait of courage multiple times...
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...Odysseus is the considerably relatable main protagonist of The Odyssey. The Odyssey is a thrilling epic poem composed by Homer in 8th century B.C. Greece. Similarly to Odysseus, I have goals of my own. Adventuring to various faraway places is something I love to do frequently. We are similar in appearance, as well. Obstacles prohibit us from doing what we want to do. Those aforementioned obstacles also push us to achieve our goals. I participate in the sport track as a sprinter. Throughout the entirety of my high school career —whenever I would walk down the hallway— I would look at the track and field school record board. I did not look at just any record, I looked at the 400m dash record. As time passed, I aged and matured and progressively...
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...In The Odyssey by Homer,our protagonist Odysseus embarks on a journey back home after the Trojan War. During his adventure, the hero encounters many obstacles including both gods and monsters alike and must overcome them. Throughout this quest, Odysseus embodies the characteristics of a traditional epic hero in that he is clever, enduring and determined. Odysseus’s intellect is difficult to overstate. He is not the kind of person that constantly relies on physical strength alone to be victorious. He is also quite knowledgeable as well. During the epic, Odysseus is able to overcome several physical obstacles using his mental prowess alone. One prominent example of this is when Odysseus confronts the cyclops Polyphemus. When the one-eyed brute traps the hero in his cave,Odysseus offers him wine from his ship. This puts Polyphemus in an intoxicated sleep and give Odysseus the opportunity to strike. He and his men use a large staff they find to blind the giant. “Straight/forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it/deep in his crater eye” (ll.376-378). Polyphemus screams out in pain....
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...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 obstacles and hurdles throughout his journey. The author displays his intelligence and bravery in overcoming them all in order to reach his goal. The author also displays Odysseus as a solution oriented...
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...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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...This was just another driving factor in the minds of these Greek heroes as not only were they driven to find more honor through battle, so were the soldiers beneath them. This led to the cooperation we see in the subordinate soldiers, specifically those following Odysseus. The mutual desire for said honor also allows for the hero Achilles to feud with Agamemnon when his war prize is stripped from him. Additionally, when Agamemnon suggests to his council they take “clear our with [their] ships and head for home (Iliad, 9.30)”, Diomedes speaks up and continues on to say that if Agamemnon would rather leave, that he can do so, for him along with “many a long-haired Achaen will stay (Iliad, 9.49)” , demonstrating just how quickly the social status of the men can change when the need to defend your honor and strive for more is present, and how quickly someone can be usurped or...
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...of what a person does determines whether or not they are a leader. Martin Luther King Jr. was an excellent impactful leader during the civil rights movement. Odysseus is a Greek hero who also leads as discussed in The Odyssey. However, in The Odyssey, Homer has Odysseus leading people into disaster with his selfishness. While Odysseus and Martin Luther King Jr possess similar leadership skills to lead people, Martin Luther King Jr was an iconic civil rights leader because he proclaimed his thoughts with peace and loyalty, rather than letting his hubris side affect him like Odysseus did when he was on his journey. Odysseus had power from being the king of Ithaca and the ability to lead a large group to follow him, Martin Luther King Jr also had capability to lead people to change and turn their way of thinking. In The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men were trapped with the...
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...killing Medusa, the Gorgon whose stare turns anyone to stone, he still persists. He is not afraid of the female monster and successfully accomplishes the quest thus disproving the majority. Moreover, Perseus displays his determination when he goes out of his will to save the life of Andromeda, the daughter of Queen Cassiopeia and King Cepheus. Perseus is determined to intervene once he notices a young woman chained to a rock awaiting her death at sea. A horrible sea monster sent by Poseidon was about to eat Andromeda due to the fact that her mother boasted of being more beautiful than the sea nymphs. He can’t give up on the beautiful Andromeda and, “After a terrible battle, Perseus destroyed it and released the terrified girl” (Head and McLea 148). This goes to show how Perseus puts his own life at risk to ensure the safety of another’s. Likewise, Odysseus shows determination in the entirety of his journey back home. Odysseus exhibits determination initially at the Land of the Lotus Eaters. The hero is not tempted to eat this seemingly harmless drug, which causes one to lose focus and stay on the island forever. In fact, Odysseus even calls his men to return to the ship, “‘All hands aboard; come,...
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