Many have heard the tales of the Trojan War and the men who fought in them, most of which come from Homer's epic, The Odyssey. From these stories, we learn of the hardships many faced returning home after the bloody war. Within the tales, lies a man, whom some call a hero, and others do not. In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus should be viewed as a hero because he is clever, strong, and perseverant.
Throughout the epic, Odysseus shows great knowledge and cleverness with his ideas and plans. When fighting in the Trojan War, he came up with the brilliant plan of the Trojan Horse. This ingenious plan consisted of his army hiding in a giant wooden horse. They left one of their men to act like he was left behind with the
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The first example of his strength comes when he was sailing off the island of Ogygia. Poseidon, angered by Odysseus’s freedom, unleashed an awful storm with massive waves. Odysseus did not just let himself drown. He fought the waves and held on with every last part of his huge biceps to the wood of his destroyed boat. With the help of goddess, Odysseus was able to reach a shoreline. When he was back at Ithaca near the end of his journey, he was put up against the enormous Irus. Disguised as an old homeless man, everyone expected Irus to win. However, it was still Odysseus. With one punch, he knocked the 400 pound man onto his back. It takes incredible strength to do that. Another time, when his men ate the sacred cattle of Helios, a wicked storm was set upon their ship. Odysseus was casted into the sea, where he had to swim as fast as he could so he would not get sucked into the sea’s swallowing mouth. He found a tree on one of the rocks. For countless hours, he held on to the branch while waves continuously smashed against him. Not only did he have physical strength, but also mental strength not to let go and die. It is almost as if for those years that his back was continuously against the wall. He could of easily died, but he kept going. Odysseus shows great heroism for leading himself and his men through the countless struggles he faced. His physical and mental strength would help him with perseverance through his