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Odysseus Being A Hero Essay

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To be a hero, you must show helpful and important qualities, but that does not mean all heroes are perfect and do not make mistakes. Odysseus is an example of a hero who is perfect in no way, but in the end, he completes his tasks and heroically leads the hero’s journey. Odysseus led his crew through difficult journeys which caused conflict and hardship, but it only helped them grow and become closer to their final destination. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the challenges brought by the hero’s journey reveal the positive and negative traits of a hero projected by Odysseus.
During the journey with the Cyclops in book nine Odysseus shows traits of intelligence and arrogance. When Odysseus and his crew were in trouble with the Cyclops, Odysseus used his intelligence to keep them safe. Odysseus said “My name is Noman” referring to no man tricking the Cyclops and saving them from revealing their true identity (Homer, 251). While Odysseus may have been intelligent in book nine, he also showed traits of being …show more content…

Odysseus had been instructed by Circes to travel past the Sirens which is a very dangerous task. Odysseus did not back down and showed bravery and leadership when he fearlessly said “We must avoid the voices of the otherworldly sirens” and directed his crew to keep him “upright at the mast, wound round with rope” in order for them to safely pass (Homer, 306). On the other hand, Odysseus showed selfishness toward his crew, burdening them with too much work than they could handle. Odysseus' crew told him “You are unfair to us, Odysseus. You may be strong; you never seem to tire; you must be made of iron. But we men have had no rest or sleep; we are exhausted” which highlights how Odysseus’s crew felt about his selfishness (Homer, 310). Odysseus’s bravery and selfishness led his crew to success on their journey past the sirens, even if it hurt his

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When Odysseus was stuck in the Cyclops cave with his men, he tricked the Cyclops into thinking his ship was destroyed. By saying “‘My ship? Poseidon Lord, who sets the earth atremble, broke it up on the rocks at your land’s end” (9. 273-274), he prevented the Cyclops from thinking about attacking the ship. This statement shows he was thinking ahead and using his intelligence and cleverness to keep them safe. When the Cyclops asks who he was, he said his name was “Nohbdy” (9. 360-361).

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