...The Odyssey is a well-known work of literature that many people have read over the ages. In the English Course, it was broken up into 3 parts. The paper is all about Part 1. This paper starts off with Odysseus adventure with Calypso the sea nymph then the Lotus Eaters peaceful people who are entrapped in the Lotus and finally the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus showed a lot of bravery but also arrogance. Odysseus had finally finished fighting in the Trojan War for 10 years and was able to return home. Sadly though when he was returning home he forgot to give thanks to the gods for giving him support during the waging war. As a result, this made Poseidon angry and they were knocked off course to a mythical island in the Ionian Sea. There he met Calypso, a fare sea nymph that fell in love with Odysseus....
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...I believe that the lessons in The Odyssey are still relevant to modern youth today. However, some may think that just because The Odyssey was written thousands of years ago, the lessons cannot pertain to us now. One lesson that we can still use today is the lesson of leadership. Odysseus leads his men into the Cyclops cave because he was curious to see who lived there. And because of his curiosity, “I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer—” (line 75-76) he lost men. This teaches us that if you are a leader, think about the consequences that might happen before acting upon them and endangering your adherents. We can use this and apply it to our everyday lives, because many times we do things before we take time to consider the repercussions...
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...Odysseus: An Epic Hero In The Odyssey written by Homer, the main character is Odysseus, an epic hero. He has to leave his home Ithaca, and ends up on a great voyage landing on many islands. All of which, is home to gods and goddesses, good and bad. Along the way he shows his very heroic characteristics, while battling these supernatural forces. For example when he fights the Cicones, the singing sirens, or even the one eyed beast. However ,Odysseus the great epic hero was still able to stay strong and proceed his way home. To begin, his loyalty is revealed by his crewman. He is almost like a big brother to them. His first sign of loyalty is revealed once he sees his undead crewman, Elpenor, left unburied on Circe's island. Elpenor has too much to drink, and ends up falling to his death. After, Elpenor falls, he asks Odysseus to return and bury him properly, so Odysseus ‘’...cut down timber on the foreland, on a high point, and built his pyre of logs’’ (209). Odysseus does not want one of his men to live unconsoled in the Land of the DEad, especially after he sees him face to face after his death. This is when he returns to...
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...on his vast journey, he had left his faithful wife and newly born child to fight in a vicious war. The Odyssey is a Greek epic which captures the boundless journey of Odysseus, as he strives to return to Ithaca after battling in the Trojan War. Homer had been a prominent writer who had expressed the vast legends and myths of Greek gods and goddesses and captured Odysseus’ endless adventure, the challenges and temptations he had experienced throughout his journey, and the reflection of his most exceptional and imperfect qualities. As Odysseus had embarked on an endless journey filled with misery and agony, to battle in the Trojan War, he had been greatly praised and celebrated by many Ithacans and his homeland. However, although Odysseus had been greatly praised and portrayed as an outstanding individual and king throughout Homer’s epic, his actions and desires had undoubtedly reflected the worst qualities and aspects of his character. As Odysseus had embarked on his vast and extensive journey from Ithaca, he had been disloyal and faithless to his wife Penelope, who had been sincere, waiting years for his arrival...
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...What is a hero? Is a hero someone with superpowers? Not exactly, a hero is a man or a woman of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. The stories of “The Epic of Gilgamesh” and “The Odyssey” are tales of two different heroes from two different periods. Gilgamesh and Odysseus are both considered heroes, but they have different abilities and accomplishments. Gilgamesh was the king of Uruk in Babylonia, on the river Euphrates in what we know today as Iraq. He lived about 2700B.C. Gilgamesh was considered a hero because of his amazing physical strength and fighting ability. The author describes Gilgamesh as “superior to other kings, a warrior lord of great stature…” (The Epic of Gilgamesh Page 32 Tablet 1 Line 27). Gilgamesh used his strength and stature to defeat powerful beings. One example would be his victory over Humbaba, the monster who guards the Cedar Forest. He fought this beast to build a reputation on his quest for immortality. Another example is his triumph over the Bull of Heaven that Ishtar sends to destroy the city after being mocked by Gilgamesh. He was also considered a hero by the way he protected his men. The author compares Gilgamesh to a “strong net, the protection of his men” (The Epic of Gilgamesh Page 32 Tablet 1 Line 31). He took care...
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...they act only with the best intentions, and they do their best to save everyone. In a story written by an author named Homer, called the “Odyssey”, the main character does not show these qualities, in fact he oftentimes shows the opposite. Thus he is not a hero. The story is about a man by the name of Odysseus. Being stuck at sea, Odysseus with his men, are trying to get home, but the gods are testing them. In this story Odysseus shows qualities like greed, arrogance and stupidity and proves that he is not a hero. The first reason why Odysseus is not a hero is because he and his men show greed and stupidity by raiding the cicones. Meanwhile Odysseus and his men were drunk, the...
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...Amazing leaders are easy to spot. According to Forbes.com, they are confident, creative, inspiring, and have the ability to delegate, good communication, a commitment, a positive attitude, and intuition. However, that is not the entire story. A leader also must care for those they are leading, they must be trusted to put the goal and the group above themselves. In other words they must be humble and not arrogant. Something the main character from Homer’s Odyssey is not. The Odyssey is the story of a man named Odysseus who is returning back home to his wife and son from a 10 year war. On his way home he must face many difficult trials including monsters and gods. Odysseus may have been a great hero, but he was not a great leader because...
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...Da Odyssey is tha epic rap of a warrior named Odysseus n' his cold-ass ten-year trip home afta tha Trojan Battle n' bein held captizzle by Calypso, a horny nymph, fo' seven years. Da epic recounts tha nuff encountas n' adventurous endeavors Odysseus n' his crazy-ass pimps is involved up in durin tha long return ta Ithaca. Durin his odyssey, nuff laudable adversaries, primarily up in tha form of temptations, karmic justice n' arrogance, dat confront his ass n' his hubristic, fatuous men. Early up in tha story, there was nuff temptas dat distracted Odysseus n' his crazy-ass men, like fuckin tha nativez of a island they found dat offered dem dope lotus flowers, which only served ta hinder they progress n' ensnare nuff of tha pimps wit they saccharine flavor n' addictivenizz fo' realz. Another major temptation is tha straight-up nymph dat trapped Odysseus n' held his ass on a island fo' seven muthafuckin years yo. Dude wanted ta leave cuz of his hoe n' lil hustla waitin fo' his ass yo, but was tempted ta stay longer than he needed to, as tha nymph was a skilled temptress....
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...Odysseus; Hero? “A true hero is not measured by the size of his strength, but by the strength of his heart.” This was said by Hercules in the Disney movie by the same name. Odysseus should not be judged on his physical strength, but rather how much he is willing to sacrifice of himself in order to save others. While he is strong and clever, his heart holds only arrogance. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus goes on many adventures while traveling home. However, he does make some bad decisions along the way. He chooses to be egotistical instead of keeping possible outcomes of his actions and thoughts in mind. These choices get him in trouble in many instances. He and his men had to escape from a cyclops and once he used his cleverness to get leave, his ego come out, which brought trouble to he and his men. Therefore, readers should know that Odysseus is not a hero because he displays carelessness, disloyalty, and arrogance on many occasions throughout the story....
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...Emotions at any given moment can cause one to act against one’s own morals because powerful emotions have the ability to overthrow common sense and control. Emotions are part of human nature and may benefit someone, but they become detrimental when they trap a person’s mind. In Homer’s Odyssey, the flawed epic hero, Odysseus, acts against his morals because of his emotions. In one example, Odysseus escapes the island of the Cyclops and taunts Polyphemus as his ship departs. Odysseus loses control of his anger, which fuels his impulsivity. He “began to taunt the Cyclops -- men around me [him]/trying to check me [him], calm me [him], left and right” (IX. 548-49), not realizing his words could kill him and his entire crew. Anger overwhelms all...
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...How would you feel if you were away from your family for twenty years? Odysseus is the main character in Homers epic poem. The great Odysseus king of Ithica was sent to Troy to fight in the Trojan War. Throughout the poem Odysseus exhibits arrogance, intelligence, and courage on his journey home to Ithica. Everyone knows that Odysseus has courage considering that he and his army defeated Troy during the Trojan War. For example is when Odysseus had to go to Hades and sacrifice a ram to be able to find his way home. Also another example is when Odysseus gave Polyphemus wine to get him drunk so he and his men could stab him in the eye. Because Polyphemus is the only one that could let them out because a massive boulder was in the way of the opening to get out. Those are just two of the many ways that shows how much courage that Odysseus has....
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...Homer’s The Odyssey reveals Odysseus to have a multitude of character flaws. One flaw in Odysseus’s character is his audacity. During their travels, Odysseus and his crew come across the land of the cyclopes. Odysseus and twelve of his men decide to explore the land, and they find the cave of a cyclops. Odysseus's men implore him to take the cyclops’s food and leave. Odysseus knows this is the safest plan but rejects it nevertheless: Ah, how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer— no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends (Homer 652) Although Odysseus knows it is risky to enter the cave and wait for the cyclops’s return, he insists that they do so. He does this out of curiousity and eagerness...
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...Odysseus: The Epic Hero Odysseus, ruler of Ithaca, is an epic hero. He is made to be very well known in the Odyssey written by Homer long ago. He is also known to have all the qualities of an epic hero even some that are not always the best. That is why Odysseus could be nothing less than an epic hero. Odysseus is most always loyal to his men. Odysseus shows his loyalty when he takes his men “... to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest”(148) therefore, he was certain his men would make it home even if the effect of the Lotus had already set in. He takes care of his men because he is like a father figure and is looked up to by most of his crew. He also shows his loyalty at the burial of his crew mate Elpenor. He makes sure to give Elpenor a proper burial and stay loyal to him just as his crew mates are loyal to Odysseus....
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...THE ODYSSEY Is a good leader classified as one who personally gains a lot or one who benefits his or her community at large? After fighting in the brutal Trojan War, Odysseus travels the sea in hopes of returning to Ithaca, his homeland, and his wife and son, Penelope and Telemachus. Homer’s The Odyssey reveals the struggles and obstacles Odysseus and his men face traveling home. As prophesized, twenty years later, Odysseus returns to a devastated Ithaca, alone, penniless and unrecognizable. Odysseus has hubris, a flaw that costs him, as well his men, excessive troubles. Odysseus does not learn from his and others’ past mistakes, again leading him into traps that could have easily been avoided. Odysseus constantly puts his men in harm’s way for selfish purposes. For these reasons, Odysseus is an incompetent leader, and therefore should be criticized. Odysseus has hubris. This excessive pride and arrogance leads Odysseus and his men into difficult situations that would not have otherwise arisen. Towards the beginning of Homer’s epic, Odysseus narrowly escapes from a Cyclops’ cave. In triumphant victory, Odysseus taunts the Cyclops, Polyphemus. His men advise him against further agitating Polyphemus after the Cyclops starts throwing massive boulders at their ship; however, Odysseus displays hubris and does not listen. ‘Godsake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone!’ ‘Aye He’ll smash our timbers and our heads together!’ / I would not heed them...
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...Rowing through rough seas, trying to keep all of his 12 ships alive, Odysseus, King of Ithaca, headed home from the long war with Troy. Odysseus, now considered a war hero, had the task of getting himself and all of his men back safe to Ithaca. The only problem was that he faced many difficult challenges along the way. A cyclopes, giants, and a beautiful sorceress were some examples of these. Although Odysseus had some shining moments, he also made some bad ones. Odysseus was strategic in navigating obstacles, however, his arrogance clouded his judgement, leading to his crew’s demise. Odysseus had many great strategies while navigating back home to Ithaca. His arguably best strategy was praying to Athena early in his journey. When Odysseus...
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