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Odysseus Boldness Analysis

Decent Essays

Odysseus, sweat dripping down his face, musters up all of his courage and attacks the wild giant Polyphemus with his newly fashioned spear blinding the foe and allowing for a narrow escape. Throughout the book The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus faces mythical enemies and nearly impossible odds. Each encounter requires more courage and mental strength in order to complete his journey home to Ithaca. It requires 10 years for Odysseus to make his journey home and the only reason he is able to persist through each hardship is his courage. It allows him to endure the worst but still be able to power through. The article “Courage vs. Boldness: How to live with Spartan Bravery” by Brett McKay describes the pros and cons of courage and boldness. In considering the events of The Odyssey, as well as the definition of courage laid out in McKay’s article, it is clear that Odysseus is a character who demonstrates more courage than boldness because he has the endurance to continually fight to get home, his cunningness that allows him to defeat his enemies with slim odds, and his inability to accept defeat.
Evidently, Odysseus is more courageous than bold because he has the endurance to battle enemies for 10 years in order to get home. This displays his courage and his will to survive. In “Courage vs. Boldness: How to live with Spartan Bravery” the article describes courage as “Steady and enduring”. There is many examples throughout the book where Odysseus endures the worst pains such as hunger, lust, and grief although still is able to power through with Ithaca close in his mind. One example of this was when Odysseus was stuck on the sun god Helios’s island with no food or water left. Helios does have large amounts of cattle that are available to Odysseus and his men but Odysseus knows that this will infuriate the god so he tells his men to back off. Odysseus says himself “But when the supplies aboard had all run dry… I struck inland, up to the gods to pray”. (12.355) This displays his self control and leadership qualities. Odysseus's men turn on him and escape with the cattle although they are later struck down by Zeus and die. Although Odysseus survives because of his endurance and will to survive.
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