Throughout the story, Odysseus demonstrates his courage that ultimately allows him to survive. One of these moments was during his journey back to Ithaca, where he faces a race of man eating giants called the Cyclops. Odysseus originally stops his ship there to relish a feast while on his journey back to Ithaca, but while doing so, out of curiosity explores the island. Soon, he finds a deserted house and decides to wait of the owner. The owner was unknowingly one the Cyclops, named Polyphemus. When the giant arrives home, he starts by eating two of the crew members alive. The remaining crew’s reaction to this was, “Crying out, we lifted our hands to Zeus”(Homer 9.287), But Odysseus thought differently, by quickly adapting to the situation and coming up with a plan. More …show more content…
In a situation like this, a typical person would easily have given up knowing that all odds are against them. Odysseus, though, took the initiative to come up with a plan despite the size disadvantage and his crew members being paralyzed by fear. This text also shows how he fearlessly confronts the giant and tricks him despite knowing he might get killed in the process. Both of these instances demonstrate how much courage Odysseus has because of his willingness to do what frightened the rest of the crew. This, in turn, made him a hero because his courage allowed him to get his crew out of harm's way. It’s also important to understand that in this catastrophic event, no external help was provided for Odysseus. Even his beloved Athena did not aid him in the deep treacherous situation he had dug for himself. Despite these circumstances, Odysseus manages to safely return to his ship along of his crew members. After fleeing from the Cyclops, Odysseus next stop was at Aegea. Over their lay a witch-goddess called Circe. He cunningly persuaded her to let him and his crew stay at her