Odysseus and I have shown persistence. In The Odyssey, Odysseus came upon an island and ventured out to see what was on the island. After a little wandering, he found his men and himself trapped in a cave with a Cyclops. After a little bit, the Cyclops started eating the men. There, with no way to escape the cave, Odysseus explained while he watched his men being eaten, “But I kept thinking how to win the game: death sat there huge; how could we slip away? I drew up my wits, and ran through tactics, reasoning as a man will for dear life until a trick came”(907). Odysseus' persistence of not giving up with no way out, saved them from the evil Cyclops. His persistence has saved him and his crew many times. Yet another example was when they were on their way to Scylla, after they lost a lot of their men to the Cyclops. …show more content…
Odysseus said, “Friends, have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the Cyclops penned us in his cave? What power he had! Did I not keep my nerve, and use my wits to find a way out for us?...Heads up, lads! We must obey my order as I give them. Get the oarshafts in your hands, and lay back hard on your benches; hit these breaking seas”(934-935). In the same way that Odysseus showed persistence, I showed it in my own life. For example, once when I was in seventh grade, I was down in a wrestling match 2-8, down by 6, but I didn’t give up. In the last few seconds, I used every muscle in my body, and pinned the guy I was wrestling. Not only that time, but another time I showed persistence was the summer when I was eight years old. My family and I were in Nebraska at my brother’s baseball tournament. Outside our hotel was an enormous rock climbing structure that I wanted to climb. Everyone doubted I could climb it. However, I didn’t give in to what they were
Etta Shattuck took cover in a haystack and prayed that God was coming to save her is a final example of willpower. Etta was a very religious nineteen years old teacher who taught in Holt County. Hours before the storm hit, she went out that morning to get her orders signed so she could get her twenty-five dollars. Soon the storm came like a desease and she was lost and confused as she struggled to find her way back home. She walked for miles and miles as the chill wind slowly wore she out. Since she was a very religious woman, all she did was prayed and asked god to save her. Sooner or later, God led her into a pile of haystack. She used the last ounce of strength she had and managed to dig a shallow hole for herself. “By the time she reached
When in a grim situation, a hero needs to remain composed to allow for his wisdom and strategic mindset to come through and save the day as displayed by both Odysseus and Patton. Odysseus was trapped in a cave with a stone, that no group of men could move, separating him from the
Odysseus shows surprising bravery in the events of the Cicones island when facing the native people in battle. At the battle, Odysseus had to show bravery when his shipmates took too long to load the ship, and the fugitives escaped and brought an army back to the coastal
In Homer’s notable epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus, gifted with incredible physical strength and power, is traveling back home to the island of Ithaca. Over the course of his decade long journey across boundless and precarious waters, he learns that though, physically strong, he must use his mind and not rely solely on his physical attributes. He opposes many obstacles that he must overcome, the most important obstacle being temptation. His journey back to Ithaca is riddled with temptation that will test his physical, emotional, and mental capabilities. Through this journey he learns to overcome these weaknesses and temptations to make it home.
In The Odyssey by Homer, the characters use strategy instead of strength to conquer obstacles. Odysseus resists fighting with Melanthius when hearing insults. Also, he thinks his way out of being killed by a Cyclops. Odysseus does not fall for peer pressure does what he thinks is best. Homer uses Odysseus to demonstrate how a real hero uses mental strength.
In the Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus displays heroic qualities such as bravery. As Odysseus is on his journey home, he comes across a lot of challenges to prove his bravery. For example, Odysseus was brave when three of his men did not come back to the ship because they ate some lotus fruit. Odysseus has to force them to come back. As quoted from the book, “...those who ate this honeyed plant, the Lotus, never cared to report, nor to return: they longed to stay forever, browsing on that native bloom, forgetful of their homeland. I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest:
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus goes through many trials while trying to return home from the Trojan War. On his voyage home, he must visit the Land of the Dead, evade the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis and when he does arrive home, participate in a tricky reunion with his wife, Penelope. All of these examples show that Odysseus has extreme determination and perseverance. Perseverance is an excellent quality that few possess which can spark achievement.
Perseverance is exhibited again in the episode of “Circe, the Grace of the Witch,” when Circe gives Odysseus a magic drink but it does not affect him and he threatens to kill her with his sword.” (Homer, P.387) This shows that Odysseus used his mind and perseverance when dealing with Circe and ended up creating a deal with her, which eventually saved his men. This is important because his key quality of perseverance played a big role in his part of surviving, and without perseverance, the story might have changed completely. Perseverance was another bold trait that identified Odysseus as an epic
In my personal life I have displayed the quality of determination. During my young adolescent years I was the victim of bullying. Not only did I receive this unfair treatment from my fellow students, but I also received it from an unexpected source- a teacher. After three years of harassment, things finally improved. I went to high school and learned how to defend myself. I gained my self- confidence back and was able to use my experience to help others. During my sophomore year in high-school, I helped launch two clubs. One club was for a free Tibet and the other to help stop bullying in our school and area. Being determined helped me move on from what happened to me and I was able to turn it into something positive that could help others.
Odysseus’ courage in the cave of the Cyclops Polyphemus banishes his crew’s trepidation and eventually gets them out of there. When Polyphemus returns to the cave after capturing them, Odysseus takes the risk to get the Cyclops’ attention so he can manipulate the one-eyed giant into drinking the potent wine. Odysseus’ bravery is catching and he inspires those with him. Once Polyphemus has passed out, Odysseus and a few other men stab the giant’s eye. This quote of Odysseus inspiring his men in the Cyclops’ cave shows how Odysseus bravery never abandons him even in a situation where it seems he cannot win: “Now, at last, I thrust our stake into a bed of embers to get it red-hot and rallied all my comrades ‘Courage—no panic, no one hang back now!’” (9. 420-422). Odysseus’ boldness ultimately leads to an escape. Without the courage that never seems to
A second time would be when Zeus allowed Odysseus to fall into deep slumber. “But while I slept, the crew began to parley: silver and gold, they guessed, were in that bag bestowed on me by Aiolos’ heart…” (Book X, Lines 39-41). Another way Odysseus shows determination as a hero is when he wants repossess the control over his kingdom. While on his journey back home, the suitors and Antinoos have taken over his kingdom. He is determined to get rid of them and take them out permanently. Like a true hero, Odysseus never lost hope; no matter how bad the situation was.
Perseverance is a human quality expressed in The Odyssey that the Greeks valued. As Charybdis sucked up the water and everything in it, Odysseus “sprang for the great fig tree…nowhere had [he] to stand, no way of climbing…but [he] clung grimly” (807-813). Odysseus was determined to make it back to his wife and he wouldn’t let even a great force like Charybdis stop him from that. With sheer willpower he hung on to that branch for hours and hours until the monster spit out his raft. When his ship landed in Thrinacia, Odysseus warned his crew that “the cattle here are not for [their] provision, or [they] pay dearly for it” (676-677). Odysseus’ crew were tired and hungry hence they wanted to stop as long as they promised to not slaughter Helios’ cattle for food. Hunger overcame them and Odysseus was the only one who resisted the temptation of a nice meal in order to live one more day. The desire to survive and achieve is a characteristic of an
Odysseus and his crew face many trials amongst their journey to Ithaca which involved Odysseus having to use his temperance. Unfortunately there were times in which Odysseus' temperance was not there, and his wantonness showed through. On the island of the Cyclops Odysseus and his crew found themselves in a tough situation. Stuck in Polyphemus' cave Odysseus showed temperance after his men urged him to kill the Cyclops. As much as he wanted to avenge his men who had already been eaten he figured the rest of his crew would still need a way out. He put his wiliness to kill Polyphemus aside in order to use the Cyclops to escape from the cave. Unfortunately upon his escape Odysseus could not fight his desire for immortal fame. He
There are many ways persistence helped Salva in “A Long Walk to Water”. First, persistence helped Salva was when Salva walked through the desert without any water (pgs. 62). In, “A Long Walk to Water” Salva’s Uncle said,” take lots of water because we will have a long journey through the desert”. Second, persistence helped Salva was when Salva had to cross the Nile River to get away from the Ethiopian soldiers (pgs.71). Salva said,” I have to cross the river in order to get away from the soldiers”. Finally, persistence helped Salva was when Salva’s Uncle told Salva to go to the refugee in Ethiopia (pgs.68). Salva’s Uncle said, “go to the refugee camp in Ethiopia, it’s safer there.
“Persistence guarantees that results are inevitable.” - Paramahansa Yogananda. Persistence is an important trait to have as it allows one to push through adversity, accomplish tasks that they would not be able to if one did not have the trait of persistence. As defined by Merriam Webster Dictionary persistence means the quality that allows someone to continue doing something or trying to do something even though it is difficult or opposed by other people. The modern word persistence originates from the latin word persistent meaning continuing steadfastly. Persistence is the ability to repeatedly strive for success after being knocked down and never give up, to keep going when everything else is telling one to quit. Persistence is