Odysseus: A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

In one of the oldest pieces of literature, The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus is a heroic and admirable commander that goes beyond his own duties to protect his men and return home to his beloved Ithaca. Although some readers think Odysseus is ignorant and a braggart, I believe he is a strong leader and an admirable wartime hero. Even though he is not flawless, Odysseus preservers through many obstacles and remains determined throughout the book. Odysseus has clearly shown both leadership and tactical thinking for instance when he devised a plan to escape the Cyclopes’ cave, respecting Elpenor’s dying wish, and slaying a stag to feed his men.

Heroism and leadership can be defined in many different ways. A hero is a man/women who does the right thing at all times and strives to help others succeed as well as him/herself. A leader never cowards away from a challenge and sets a strong precedent for his/ her men. A leader also has the ability to prevail after countless failures. An American hero that demonstrates all of these qualities is Franklin D. Roosevelt, the 32nd president of The United States. After the civil war, FDR created the Civil Works Program, which helped unemployed war veterans get jobs. He also pulled America out of its greatest economic disaster by creating a substantial amount of jobs called The New

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Odysseus notices that his men are exhausted and beaten down. They complain about their stomachs aches, and desire a feast to quench their hunger. Odysseus becomes the leader his men expect him to be when he kills the stag. He carries the heavy animal all the way back to the ship, which really represents the load of weight that Odysseus has on his shoulders from his quest. He quickly crumbles all doubts about himself that his men started to have when he feeds them, and this also shows the type of responsibility that Odysseus has and what obligations he has to