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Odyssey Hero's Journey

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American novelist Ursula K. Le Guin, once said “It is good to have an end to journey toward; but it is the journey that matters, in the end” (Goodreads). Le Guin provides insight on the meaning of a quest, stressing the importance on the experience over the ending. Works of literature, whether created thousands of years ago like the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer or a memoir of a significant travel experience are centered around a character’s journey. In The Odyssey written by Homer, Odysseus embarks on a journey home to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. Kira Salak tells her story of the journey she took down the Niger River in her memoir, The Cruelest Journey. Odysseus and Salak desire to reach a destination, but the significance of …show more content…

Odysseus originally intends to “save his life, to bring his shipmates home”, but instead “harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy” (Homer 1. 3-9). What should have been a short journey home is prolonged due to the obstacles he has to navigate. A significant obstacle for Odysseus is his own flaw, curiosity. After landing on a deserted island across the land of the …show more content…

Not only did curiosity prompt Odysseus to search the island, but his ego wanted to prove his invincibility. Although his men plead him to take the possessions of the Cyclopes and leave, Odysseus “...wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer― no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends” (Homer 9. 130-132). A Cyclops traps Odysseus and his crew in the cave, and at an attempt to escape, he devises a cunning plan. The clever leader and his men narrowly flee from the home of the Cyclops, however the interruption could have been prevented if Odysseus took the advice of his crew. Every great hero in literature appears to be undefeatable, yet even the greatest Greek heroes such as Odysseus can be setback from their character flaws. Although not considered to be a legendary hero in Greek mythology, Kira Salak experiences her own journey while she embarks on an adventure down the Niger River. Salak’s determination is fueled by her aspiration to complete a daunting feat never once accomplished by humans. The odds are all against her, but “...when a person tells me I can’t do something, I’ll want to do it all the more” (Salak 422). Salak was apprehensive of what she would discover through her journey down the Niger River because “I

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