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Odysseus Heroic Qualities

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Those who are not willing to go through hardships, be selfless, courageous and make sacrifices for others aren’t heroes. Throughout the hero's journey, a hero must go through many hardships. Any heroic deed involves danger and sacrifice, and a hero needs courage to overcome the odds they face. To be a hero, one must put other’s needs before their own, and stay true to what they think is right. It is not easy to be a hero. Heroes need to have courage and strength because to be a hero, you must have to power to conquer overwhelming odds. Being a hero shows that you have power that others don’t. The power to surpass all expectations is a rare quality. Having the courage to endure extreme hardships is important for a hero. Even being …show more content…

Odysseus fought his way through monsters, outsmarted gods, and survived grueling years of isolation to finally reach her. Odysseus would not have been considered a hero if his journey had been an easy one. Heroes need courage. Not only do heroes need to be selfless and strong to be considered heroes, but they need courage to finish their journey. To overcome obstacles and sacrifice their other goals, heroes need strength in courage. Rushing into the unknown, standing up for the weak and making tough sacrifices are not easy tasks when faced with fear and temptation. Pushing through those obstacles is vital to any hero and his/her journey. For example, in the Odyssey, Odysseus was courageous enough to face obstacles far more powerful than him. Odysseus had the courage to face seamonsters, armies, and even gods. In O Brother Where Art Thou, Ulysses also had his own share of obstacles. Again, he needed to find strength in his courage to overcome …show more content…

Heroes do what's right, even if they put themselves in danger. For example, in everyday life, people like firemen, paramedics and soldiers risk their lives for the common people every day. Heroes are willing to give something up for the greater good of others. This is where Odysseus fails. His goal is not only based on his own wants and needs, but he even hurts others to achieve it. He leads his own men to their deaths just so he can return to his wife, not even considering the lives lost in the process. That’s not heroic. Heroes are not in it for themselves, they are guided by what they think is right. To be a hero, one needs to be selfless, courageous and strong. They need selflessness to be humble and put others needs before their own. These qualities truly show the real heroes in both literature and in today’s world. On the other hand, in The Odyssey, even though Odysseus overcomes many odds, he is still in it for himself the entire time. He even sacrifices his own people to make it back to his home. This is the same in O Brother Where Art Thou, where Ulysses tricks his friends into going on his journey, when there was no treasure for them all along. Maybe Odysseus isn’t a real hero after

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