...In Homer’s The Odyssey, the author tells us of a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism. The Odyssey is a display of a journey of determination, willpower, patience, and virtue. The author tells the tale of Odysseus, on his voyage home to Ithaka. This is happening after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus, the main character, goes through a series of many unforeseen trials and tribulations in this exemplary journey. This exemplifies his character and displays him as a hero in the eyes of the audience. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character. Odysseus is displayed as not only a hero but also as a good leader to his men. Throughout all their trials such as the Sirens, Polyphemus (the cyclops), and the enchantress Circe, Odysseus is displayed as clever, patient, cunning, and fearless. Odysseus made decisions not only for himself but also for his men as well. For example, he did not leave his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters when they clearly had no desire to go back to Ithaca; he knotted them onto the boat and left the island. He was determined to get home with as many of his men as he possibly could, though they repeatedly disobeyed him. Odysseus is one of history's greatest leaders and this is a vital part of what makes him such an epic hero Another characteristic that stand out and makes Odysseus a hero is his ability to overcome his obstacles in order to reach his goal. Odysseus is faced by many...
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...What is a hero? A hero is someone who is admired for their courage, bravery, and noble qualities. Heroic acts are often celebrated because they show the strength of the human spirit and the ability to overcome challenges. In literature, we often see characters put to the test in various ways to determine whether they are truly heroic. In Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey, we see the protagonist Odysseus facing numerous challenges on his journey back home to Ithaca. In this essay, we will explore what constitutes a heroic act and whether Odysseus acted heroically on his journey. First, one of the key aspects of a heroic act is courage in the face of danger. In Book 9 of The Odyssey, we see Odysseus and his men facing the danger of the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus shows bravery as he devises a plan to blind the Cyclops and escape his clutches. He says, "I tied them [ram's wool] silently together, then slung a man under each middle one to ride there, shielded right and left by the others" (Book 9.). This shows Odysseus' quick thinking and bravery in taking on a giant who could easily overpower him and his men....
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...Odysseus of Ithaca: Famed or Fraud? Homer’s Odyssey tells the tale of the Trojan War hero Odysseus’s return home to his land of origin, Ithaca. Homer describes Odysseus as being one of, or possibly the greatest hero in all of Greece’s history. He is characterized as being a fearless, heroic man, who, with divine assistance, bests even the greatest monsters, and overcomes the most troublesome and life-threatening situations that he encounters, or the gods throw at him. However, if not for the assistance given to him by Athena, or any other divine figure, Odysseus’s journey would most likely have not worked out in his favor as it did, and he most likely would have perished within the very first books of The Odyssey. If divine assistance is what gave Odysseus his spark, courage and abilities, then are his abilities really justified? Who is the real Odysseus of Ithaca? Throughout many instances of The Odyssey, Odysseus is seen as this “almighty figure of excellence,” that can “never be beat or conquered.” However, despite the recognition that Odysseus deserves for accomplishing most of his feats, most of the work and assistance given to him was crafted by the goddess Athena; who constantly monitors Odysseus’s every move and protects him throughout the course of the tale. For example, on page 175 of the text, when Odysseus confronts the Phaecian princess Nausicaa, Athena personally makes him appear less menacing and worn. By doing this, Athena guaranteed that Odysseus would...
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...The opening sections of Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, reflects the important values of family and the importance of heroism in Greek society. Throughout the epic, Homer writes about all of the adventures and challenges Odysseus has faced in the time of his voyage. Towards the end, it tells that Odysseus must “struggle to reclaim his kingdom” (723) from his own people. His final quest that he must face isn’t a giant monster, but rather to be brave and reclaim his home. During his quest, Penelope has been home doing her best to hold up his kingdom, but the suitors have gained control and have invaded their home. Odysseus must gather his courage one last time to be able to finally be over his journey home. The epic also shows the important values...
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...In The Odyssey, Homer tells a tale about the main character Odysseus as goes through many trials and tribulations on his journey home. Homer’s tales shows many important things about the Greeks and their views about life. One of things he shows through his story are the qualities of leadership. The Odyssey shows many important qualities of leadership, three of the most important qualities of leadership are determination, courage and intelligence. The Odyssey shows that one of the most important qualities of leadership is the ability to be determine and not let the bumps in the road stop you from reaching your goal. In book 5, although Odysseus has been stuck on a beautiful island with a beautiful women he still longs to go home. “Yet it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home,” replied Odysseus to Calypso. Calypso tried her best to try and convince Odysseus to neglect his goal, but Odysseus stayed strong and kept his goal in sight. This is an important quality for a leader to have, because a leader must be able to keep his men strong and help them remember why they are still working. A leader has to be able to stand firm even if his men begin to give up hope. The Odyssey show what a determined leader looks like through the character of Odysseus....
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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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...Amaya Snyder Philipp English I Honors 16 March 2018 Title There is not a day in ones life where they won't encounter obstacles. It is how one handles these obstacles that defines them. Whether they take the lead, or stay back and follow in the footsteps of a leader. Homer exemplifies this concept throughout his epic, "The Odyssey". Odysseus, the main character, goes on a journey lasting 10 years, as he tries to return home after the Trojan War and reassert his place as the rightful king of Ithaca. During his journey, he is confronted with many dilemmas, revealing his true traits as a leader. In Homer's epic "The Odyssey", Odysseus's bravery and cleverness portray him as a commendable leader and demonstrate how one with these qualities has...
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...There are similarities between Homer’s Odyssey and the movie of SpongeBob Squarepants. The similarities that exist are due to the fact that the obstacle that SpongeBob and Patrick found out that King Neptune’s crown got stolen from Plankton and it is taken to “Shell City”. Krabs is threatened to death, so SpongeBob and Patrick decide to go to shell city to get back the crown. This is similar to when Odysseus is called to fight the Trojan war. He has to come home to his wife. He knows that they are facing great danger with the suitors. Along the way, SpongeBob gets his car key stolen and he has to control his childish self. He does this by holding out through his favorite song. They also encounter a pit of monsters they have to walk through....
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...In Homer's the odyssey there is a character named Odysseus. Odysseus goes on an amazing journey and along his way he goes through many things that mold him into an epic hero. Odysseus also proves his heroism through his behavior. During the story Odysseus often presents us with his great intelligence, his superhuman strength, and also his great leadership and bravery. However though Odysseus does not always act like a hero and does immoral things but when the time is right, the true heroic side of him will come out and we will see how heroic Odysseus really is. Odysseus is a true epic hero and has the the personal characteristics to prove it. Throughout the Odyssey Odysseus presents us with examples of his superhuman strength. That is characteristic...
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...In the novels focusing on identity, all the characters find their identities in identical ways. Gilbert and Telémachus are alike because a friend points something out that is wrong with them or something wrong around them. Then Homer and Telémahchus are alike because they both go on a small quest to find their identity. Through friends, quests, and courage, the characters from each novel make their identities easy to see. Courage can sometimes come with someone finding their identity. As seen in the book Rocket Boys, when Homer Jr. starts to stick up to his dad. Homer does this because he knows that he truly wants to be a rocket engineer. After Homer’s Dad pretty much tells him he has to be a miner Homer talks back to his Dad saying,’ “I still want to work for Dr. von Braun’ “(185). This quote shows that he wants to work for von Braun so much that he would stick up to his dad. Also seen in the epic The Odyssey, when Telémachus decides to call and assembly and call...
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...humans hoped that gods could answer wisely their inner dilemmas, and could help them discern more vividly and clearly the content of their incubation”. Another way to grasp how important the oneiric world was during the Ancient Greece era is found in literature. It is remarkable that in the vast majority of Greek stories there is always a role for dreams that either predict the future or deceive the mortals, who are often tricked by the gods. We can find examples of this in Homer’s Iliad,...
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...Odysseus v. Telemachus In Homer’s, The Odyssey, he tells the stories of Odysseus journey home and about his son Telemachus’ search to find him. Homer emphasizes Odysseus’s and Telemachus’ variances in strength when they try to string a bow, he demonstrates the differences in their courage when they discussed how they are going to get revenge on the suitors, and he talks about their different opinions on compassion. What sets Odysseus apart from everyone else is his strength. However, his son Telemachus is very strong too but Homer wants you to see the sheer strength of Odysseus. Homer uses the distinctions, in the strength of Telemachus to the strength of Odysseus when they both attempt to string the Odysseus’ bow. Telemachus tries to...
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...Telemachus moment My moment of growth corresponds with Telemachus in Homer’s novel “The Odyssey”. Telemachus often displayed a lack of confidence of self assurance, in articular when he was trying to avenge for his mom and relive her from the suitors. He doubted himself instead of taking a risk. I too have always been afraid of taking risks. Coincidentally, high school was not a happy time for me. I never once felt courageous enough to step out of my comfort zone. I stayed quietly under the radar for three years while people all around me were going to parties, achieving in sports and academics, and going to homecoming and the prom. I wouldn't try any of it because I was afraid. I so afraid or becoming failure or worse embracing myself that...
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...Throughout Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey and Frazier’s novel Cold Mountain, many similarities are displayed. A few similarities exemplified are the character traits shared between the protagonists, the destination of the journeys, and the motivations for the character’s adventures. Similar character traits are shared between Odysseus and Inman. Odysseus, the protagonist of The Odyssey, is the leader of the Greeks in the Trojan war. Inman, the protagonist of Cold Mountain, is a Confederate soldier during the Civil War. Both Odysseus and Inman share the quality of partaking in a war of some time period. When traveling through their journeys, both of the characters are required to think intelligently when encountering conflicts of supernatural...
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...A summary of Civilization: Greek Era What really is education? It is not literacy, nor information. Education is a logical attempt towards human learning. There are two types of leaners, passive learners and purposely engaged learners. Purposeful engagement is said to equal successful learning; so instead of spending time getting interested, find what is interesting. Making connections is what creates learning. Everything we learn may not be interesting, but it is important to make connections to something that is. Find meaning in what is taught and interpret the idea, thinking deeply and meaningful about ideas helps discover new learning and interest. Intellect performance shows what we know what we are trying to portray. During the highest peak of the Greek era the society valued body and mind intellect; creating some of the most famous philosophers known to time. Main Ideas and Values of Ancient Greek Civilization Ancient Greek civilization has contributed too many parts of today's society. The teachings and doings of Ancient Greeks have contributed important lessons that many societies still use to base their own laws and ethics on. The Ancient Greeks realized values of loyalty, glory, intelligence and hospitality were important to incorporate into everyday life. Ancient Greek civilization valued dualism, truth and “good society”. Helping your fellow man was an important aspect of ancient Greek society. They offered food, shelter and protection to travelers without...
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