ipl-logo

Essay On Heroism In The Odyssey

393 Words2 Pages

”...Heroism has a lot to do with evolving into a higher human being.”According to Oliver Stone in, ”Where I Can Find My Heroes” ,but does Odysseus meet the criteria of being a real hero? Odysseus is on a 20 year journey, 10 years fighting in the Trojan War and the other 10 years trying to get back to his kingdom Ithaca. In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus is a hero because of his swift thinking in the Trojan War and his encounter with the Cyclops.
To begin with, Odysseus had a huge impact of the Trojan War. To get into the city of Troy, Odysseus came up with the plan of the Trojan Horse which got them into the city and caught the city’s soldiers off guard. This concept makes Odysseus a hero because it helped the Greeks win the Trojan War. On the quest back home Odysseus and his men encounter the Cyclops and get trapped inside of his cave. Odysseus then comes up with a strategy to get the Cyclops drunk, then uses his resources and builds a spear that he uses to blind the Cyclops enabling them to escape. This is heroic because he devised a plan that would cause the least amount of his men to die. To conclude, Odysseus was a hero because of his quick thinking and good decision making. …show more content…

He is not a hero because of what he did to the suitors. The suitors were the people that wanted to replace him as the new king of Ithaca and take his wife. Odysseus knew that they were after his kingdom so he wanted to stop them. Once he found out that they were trying to kill his son and basically destroy his kingdom he spent his whole life making. He decided to trap them all without any weapons and kill them all. This is not a heroic trait because not all of the suitors were bad and wanted to destroy his kingdom, so he shouldn’t of had killed all of them. In conclusion, Odysseus had many flaws that could stop him from being a

Show More
Related
511 Words | 3 Pages

It is clear that Odysseus is not a hero through his terrible leadership. In conclusion, Odysseus is not a hero because of his impulsive decisions, his hubris, and terrible leadership. He does not plan ahead, he is not humble and a sore loser, and he strays away from telling important things to his men. Though in Greek society Odysseus is seen as a hero, he can not be called one now.

Read More
563 Words | 3 Pages

A hero is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements or noble qualities. In the movie, Odysseus shows that he is a hero by showing off his bravery and courage to defeat several monsters. He showed courage when he faced the Cyclops, when he met Lotus Eaters, and when he went back to Ithaca to see his wife. Odysseus and his men went to the cave to show the Cyclops that they are better than him. The Cyclops got angry when he got back to his cave since Odysseus and his men were eating the Cyclops’ food.

Read More
568 Words | 3 Pages

I will explain to you why I think he is an epic hero. Odysseus showed great examples of being heroic but my top three is that he was very loyal to his wife, he escaped the Cyclops, and that he was very intelligent. These are great human qualities to have and some that people today are lacking. One of Odysseus’s best qualities was being loyal.

Read More
1012 Words | 5 Pages

When Odysseus came back home all the suitors were in the middle of trail and were still competing against each other. Odysseus being dramatic as he is, dressed up as a poor old man and faked to be someone else. He then grabbed the bow looking over it and soon after revealed who he was to all the men in the room. All the men were shook and tried to reason with Odysseus on why they shouldn’t be killed, but despite their pardons Odysseus kills all of them with no good heart as described in page 960, “He aimed and shot, and every shot brought down one of his buddling enemies.” A good hero would not have killed all the men just because they tried to marry his wife, but would forget about it and let them leave without being

Read More
997 Words | 4 Pages

Odysseus portrays those three heroic traits throughout his voyage home to Ithaca, which is why he is a hero. Odysseus is highly dedicated to his reputation and ego for the whole of his rocky and treacherous journey. From going up against a cyclops that is five times the size of him, to placing wax upon his crewmates’ ears to mute the singing of the Sirens, Odysseus is brave when he faces his fears and intelligent when he creates lifesaving tools from ship materials. A modern hero can be someone who saves a life or even sacrifices his or her own for someone else. Odysseus can be compared to a modern hero because he risks his own life to protect his crewmates.

Read More
1043 Words | 5 Pages

He fights to the best of his abilities against many monsters such as Polyphemus, Circe, and the sea monster Scylla. There has been many claims that Odysseus isn’t hero because he lets his crew die. Just because his crew didn’t survive, it certainly does not mean he isn’t a hero. He tries his very best and even test his limits in order to get him and his crew back home. An example of this is in Homer’s

Read More
500 Words | 2 Pages

Odysseus is not a hero because he stabs Polyphemus in the eye and blinds him. Odysseus is still a hero because he is a leader. Moreover, after Odysseus and his men fight the Cicones, he orders ¨Back and Quickly! Out to sea again!” (Homer 984).

Read More
435 Words | 2 Pages

Odysseus is an epic hero because he is strategic hero. For example, he was strategic by creating the Trojan Horse during the Trojan war that help the Greeks win the war with Agamemnon. In fact, he even was strategic when him and his crew were trapped in Polyphemus cave on Cyclops Island, he gave the cyclops alcohol and stabbed him in the eye with a huge spear and him and his crew were able to escape. Odysseus also escaped because Odysseus said to the cyclops “My name is Nobody. Nobody, my father, mother, and friends call me Nobody” (Homer page 9).

Read More
525 Words | 3 Pages

“True heroism is not to surpass all others at whatever cost, but the urge to serve others at whatever cost” -Arthur Ashe. Odysseus is a figurehead in Greek mythology for his bravery, persistence, and grand stature and demeanor. Yet, in recent years, the definition of a hero has changed substantially into something more of a role model. Introducing characteristics such as morality, kindness, and having relatable qualities that other people can connect with. While Odysseus could be an archetypical Greek hero, he lacks the qualities that are required to be looked up to and the standards of the modern-day hero.

Read More
831 Words | 4 Pages

Odysseus has some good traits, some bad flaws, and has been in some ugly situations, but overall he is a true hero. Some of the traits that exemplify his heroism traits are his cleverness, determination, and his bravery. In several scenarios he saves his men from sticky situations, showing his bravery, his determination

Read More
524 Words | 3 Pages

Some think Odysseus is a hero for many reasons, mainly because he helps many people including his family and his crew. Even when terrible things happen to him and his crew he perseveres and continues on his journey home. Even though Odysseus and his men do bad things like eating the sun god’s cattle there still are many reasons why he is a hero. One reason to support my claim is that he saves his crew many times. One example is when they sailed by the Sirens.

Read More
574 Words | 3 Pages

In the book The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus, is a man who is loved and respected by many. In the beginning of the book, we learn that Odysseus has left on a journey and, since it has been many years since his departure, many people assume that he has passed. On his journey, he portrays his many traits, not all of them being good ones either. Some of his good traits include his cunning, bravery, and hard work ethic. On the other hand, his negative traits are his excessive pride, immense curiosity, and rather large temper.

Read More
441 Words | 2 Pages

Markets Prices and Strategies Seminar 11 week 6 1 You have been given the following information about the market for rented one-bedroom flats in your region: Rent (pound per month) Quantity demanded Quantity supplied 100 20,000 0 150 15,000 5,000 200 10,000 10,000 250 5,000 15,000 300 0 20,000 Suppose that a rent ceiling of £150 a month is imposed in the housing market described in the table. a. Draw a diagram to illustrate the impact of the rent ceiling of £150 a month.

Read More
863 Words | 4 Pages

In The Odyssey, Odysseus was a major hero of the novel. He had both heroic traits and human weaknesses. Odysseus defeated the Cyclops, defeated the suitors that were courting his wife, and overcome other challenges throughout the novel. A special trait that made Odysseus a hero was that he was a courageous

Read More
410 Words | 2 Pages

The transition from ‘women studies’ to ‘gender studies’ suggests that our societal norms are changing and that our society is adapting and accepting these new ideas. The main problem with ‘women studies’ is that the word ‘women’ is too broad because ‘women’ is used to describe anyone who identifies themselves as one. For example During argues ‘Women’ is too large a grouping to be analytically useful.” He is stating that ‘women’ too expansive to be logically useful. The word ‘women’ also suggests that all women are the same and that we all share the same experiences.

Read More

More about Essay On Heroism In The Odyssey

Related Topics

Open Document