Raeann Lytle
4/21/2016
Dr. Sammons
GPS 210
The “Heroic” Odysseus The Odyssey is an epic tale of strength, courage, nobility, knowledge, and confidence reflected in a numerous amount of characters. The poem is centered on the most obvious candidate for a hero, Odysseus. However, many argue that he is, in fact, not a hero. He does not do things for other people out of the goodness of his heart, he does not consider other people’s values and needs, and he is self-centered and arrogant. There is also a difference between Odysseus having the characteristics of a hero and not using them, and his wife Penelope having them and silently being a hero. Although Homer portrays Odysseus as the hero of the epic, he does not act on the qualities given to him causing him to seem less of a hero than is expected of him. However, Penelope is seen as a hero because of her strength, optimism, knowledge, and ability to overcome obstacles.
A hero is someone who is determined to have courage or outstanding achievements and is also recognized for the impact they have on the community. Odysseus is the most obvious candidate for the hero in the story, because he is the main character and the story is written around his journey home. However, when The Odyssey is critically read with the main focus on the heroism of Odysseus, there are many reasons why he would not be seen as a hero. In an article by Emily Nicole Howell, an English I teacher at Rustin High School, she talks about how Odysseus
According to Rick Riogan, “A hero is someone who can keep going even when they have every reason to quit.” This quote correlates with Odysseus because he never gave up on finding his way home after experiencing decade-long tragedies. In the Odyssey, Odysseus is the king of Ithaca trying to make his way back home to his family after going to war. Along the way, he experiences many trials and tribulations. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus shows he is a hero because he is both physically and intellectually stronger than other men.
A Hero is someone who is looked up to by people, does things people remember them by and does things for other people. By today’s standards, odysseus is a hero. The reason why odysseus is a hero is because he is looked up to by many people, and he has done many things people remember him by. Throughout Odysseus’s journey him and his men encountered many things for people to remember them by and look up to them.
Written by Homer, The Odyssey tells of a journey about a hero named Odysseus, who is desperately trying to return home to Ithaca after being forced to go to war. After being gone for 20 years, Odysseus arrives home with countless suitors attempting to marry his wife Penelope. On his journey, he goes through various encounters. During these encounters, he displays several qualities of a hero. For instance, Odysseus’ intelligence, cleverness, human weakness, and braveness make him a hero.
What do you think a hero is? I think a hero is someone who cares about others, has a kind personality, and is a good leader. In the text ‘The Odyssey, people have argued whether or not the main character, Odysseus, is a hero. I think that Odysseus is a modern hero because he is loyal, smart, and he is brave.
Odysseus fulfills the description of a hero perfectly. He’s courageous, clever, noble, and admired for his outstanding achievements. He’s done many heroic things such as defeat his enemy,Troy, rescue his men several times from witches, cyclopes, sirens etc, and returning home while reuniting with his family and ruling Ithaca.
In The Odyssey, the reader is easily able to distinguish that Odysseus is a hero in the story. He is a god-like figure. Odysseus’s wife, Penelope, is a hero and seen by many readers as such especially females. Both possess characteristics of heroes and they deserve to be considered such but that does not mean that they are the true hero of the story. Their son Telemachus is the true hero in The Odyssey. The reader should be able to identify with him the most and realize everything that has happened in his life and he deals with it with extreme heroism. He handles the situation in his life the way every human being should.
Why do we consider Odysseus to be a hero? Was he all bullets and bravado like the “heroes” of today? Was he a testosterone and power armor kind of hero we see in video games? No, but he was heroic nonetheless. His loyalty, valor, humanity and most importantly, his intelligence, sets him apart from many other heroes from his era and from ours. He exemplifies the most important ideals of Homeric Greeks and is portrayed not only as a proud adventurer, but also as a caring father and a husband.
To most people, a hero is a person who is admired for their courage, noble qualities, outstanding acheivements and sacrificing their life for others. Heroes in Greek mythology were often seen as a people who were clever, talented, courageuos, noble, had great strenght, had great victories in battle, connections to the gods and to other supernatural forces. Odysseus shows many signs of heroic traits throughout his quest in The Odyssey. Odysseus is put into numerous life-threatening situations but he overcomes them. While Odysseus is overcoming the obstacles he is presented with, he demonstrates that he has the characteristics of a hero. Odysseus shows no signs of being a villian throughout the entire story as he tries to get back to Ithica, his home, and reunite with his wife, family and friends.
What is a hero? Someone who fights for themselves, or shows bravery? Homer’s The Odyssey, follows the journey of Odysseus back to his homeland, Ithaca. Along this journey, Odysseus performs some actions that some consider heroic. Although modern literary scholars of The Odyssey have argue that Odysseus is a hero, closer examination shows that he is indeed not a hero because he only cares about himself, he does not finish his mission successfully, and he kills innocent people.
“The Odyssey” is an epic poem, written by Homer. This story is about a man named Odysseus, who was away from his home for 20 years, but he had a wife, Penelope, that had a rough time at home. Penelope is an epic hero just as much as Odysseus because what she had to do in her own home. Penelope was clever with the suitors, and determined not to marry any of the suitors that came. As for Odysseus absence, Penelope had to fight off suitors.
“The hero is one who kindles a great light in the world, who sets up blazing torches in the dark streets of life for men to see by,” quoted Felix Adler. (works cited is needed?) The Odyssey is a series of epic poems written by Homer depicting the adventures of Odysseus as he struggles to return back home from Troy. His family and servants even believe him to be dead, yet he manages to overcome obstacles to go back to Ithaca, his home. The tale is spun around a Greek hero who exhibits all of the characteristics the Greeks hope to emulate. In The Odyssey, Odysseus proves himself to be a noble hero because he is valiant, shrewd, and altruistic.
The Odyssey by Homer portrays Odysseus as a hero who spends his time defeating the Trojans, fighting a six headed monster, and going to exotic lands. The only thing Odysseus did not do was stay loyal to his family or keep hope the whole time. Who they don't mention is Penelope who shows loyalty, hope and other characteristics that also make her a hero. Because Penelope shows loyalty and hope in The Odyssey, Penelope is the greatest character.
Being a legitimate hero is not all about having the extraordinary supernatural powers commonly seen on television. Heroes are people who aid others, often putting themselves at risk to do so. They made the decision to fight, not necessarily physically, for their values. Odysseus, the main character in The Odyssey, should be considered a hero. He put his own life in jeopardy to protect his men from the supernatural threats that they faced throughout their journey. Odysseus should be regarded as a hero because he is brave, clever, and cautious.
Merriam-Webster defines a hero as, “A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” For Odysseus to be a hero this definition is supposed to fit and describe him and his character, but why does this definition not describe or fit him and his character? This is because Odysseus is not a hero. Odysseus has done unethical things on his journey that makes him a person that should go unadmired. For example, when Odysseus ignored the death of his man in order to make more progress on his journey since he claims a task was pressing and waited for the Cyclops in order to be offered more gifts (his men die as a result), these examples prove he is a person who does unethical things. Odysseus is not a hero because he is disloyal, selfish, and greedy.
A hero is someone who is admired for their noble qualities. For example Odysseus in the story has the necessary qualities to classify him as a hero. Odysseus shows determination throughout the book, his entire journey back from war is all determination to get home. He exhibits strength and great powers at many different points like, when he is killing the suitors. Odysseus is brave even when times are rough, he mostly can push through anything. These traits can be seen as heroic today because they all demonstrate not given up, pushing for what you want and persevering through the tough times. Odysseus is coming home from the Trojan War but faces many obstacles on his way home. Once he finally reaches Ithaca he reunites with his son,