Odysseus and the Twenty-Year Battle
The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer. It is a about a classic, mythological hero named Odysseus, that is forced to fight in the ten-year Trojan War. He must leave behind his wife, Penelope, his son, Telemachus, and his kingdom in Ithaca. After fighting in the ten-year battle, the reader learns that there is another ten years of struggle just to return back home. During these times of struggle, Odysseus demonstrates: determination, intelligence, and leadership. He shows these skills in the twenty years of hardships thrown at him, proving his heroism.
Odysseus shows how determined he is to get back to his kingdom in Ithaca and overcomes the obstacles that challenge the king, Odysseus. He proves a strong amount of determination when he is confronted by a mythological beast, Cyclops. In the episode, “The Cyclops,” Odysseus and some of his strongest men chop down a six-foot olive tree and sharpened the tip of it with a piece of coal. After honing the tip enough, Odysseus chose some men to help him complete the task at hand. Blinding the drunken Cyclops. “Lugging it near the Cyclops as more than natural force nerved them; straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it deep in his crater eye” (11). The outcome was that the Cyclops couldn’t see and tried to go after those who dared to hurt the Cyclops, son of Poseidon. The quote shows how intimidating it was to go after the beastly creature that
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He shows his intelligence by telling the Cyclops a fake name that would benefit Odysseus and show how stupid the Cyclops was. He also showed intelligence by dressing up as a beggar and thinking ahead of the situation. He is a leader by leading his men to freedom from the Cyclops's cave and not letting the rest of his crew be tempted by the Lotus Eaters. Odysseus shows his acts of heroism and sacrifices to see his wife, son and rule