Odysseus Is A Hero Essay

According to the dictionary, a hero is “a man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities.” However, if one were to ask a general person who a hero is, the response in all likelihood would be along the lines of, “a hero is someone who selflessly sacrifices himself, out of the pure goodness of his heart, in order to help or save others.” The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer over three-thousand years ago, describes the long, difficult journey undertaken by the main character, Odysseus. Odysseus certainly fulfills the dictionary’s criteria for being considered a hero. He’s cunning, intrepid, brave and strong. The journey home he embarks on is abundant with challenges that he successfully overcomes.

For example, at the end of the Land of the Laestrygonians, Odysseus callously abandons his men in the cave in order to save himself. He states, “The oarsmen [tore] the sea in mortal fear / and my ship [sped] out of range, far out / from that deep canyon where the rest were lost” (Homer Packet 4, Pg. 4). Odysseus is solely concerned with his own escape, and he doesn’t even consider attempting to rescue his helpless men. Furthermore, it’s quite evident that Odysseus views his life as more sacred than the lives of his men, for he relays in the Land of the Cyclopes, “I took / the wooliest ram, the choicest of the flock, / and hung myself under his kinky belly, / …” (Homer 1059). By taking the biggest ram, Odysseus is essentially implying that his safety prevails over that of his men. Additionally, none of his crew had wanted to remain on the Land of Cyclopes in the first place. Each of them pleads with him, hoping to convince him of departing from the land. “...Yet I refused. I wished / to see the cave man, what he had to offer-...” (Homer 1051). Odysseus supplies no valid reason to stay, and he hardly considers the consequences his men will suffer because of his selfish actions, therefore causing six of them to lose their lives. If Odysseus were a hero, he wouldn’t allow his men to hurt for the sake of meeting his personal demands and

For example, Odysseus taunts Polyphemus after escaping from the cave instead of making a silent get-away. Odysseus’ men implore him to stop his antagonistic cries in fear that Polyphemus will destroy the ship. Even so, Odysseus disregards their pleas, saying, “I would not heed them in my glorifying spirit, / but let my anger flare and yelled: / Cyclops, / if ever mortal man inquire / how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him / Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: / Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!” (Homer 1062). His pride blinds him with asininity, for he announces his name to Polyphemus, revealing his authentic identity. As a result of such folly, Polyphemus places a curse on Odysseus that strains him for the rest of the journey. Odysseus’ pride and arrogance also stand out when they first come to the Land of the Cyclopes. The minute they get there, Odysseus haughtily passes biased and opinionated judgments, describing them as, “...giants, louts, without a law to bless them. / In ignorance leaving the fruitage of the earth in mystery / to the immortal gods, /...Cyclopes have no muster and no meeting, / ...but each one dwells in his own mountain cave / ...indifferent to what others do….” (Homer 1050). He depicts their race in a negative manner, entirely due to the fact that they have a different culture than his own. Acting indifferent