...In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates many heroic traits, and he shares some of those traits with heroes in the modern real world. Odysseus is the main protagonist in The Odyssey. He faces many obstacles on his journey back to his home island of Ithaca, a place he holds dear to his heart. The aforementioned obstacles include beasts, monsters, temptation, an insatiable whirlpool, and betrayal. Of the many sour encounters, by far the most grueling was the one of the Cyclops. Odysseus’s actions in ‘The Cyclops” demonstrate that he is clever, which is a trait he has in common with Harriet Tubman. Odysseus and his American counterpart both share the trait of cleverness. In the episode of The Cyclops, Odysseus’s wit beyond measure...
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...heroes, you think about someone who wears a cape or superman. But what about Odysseus? The Odyssey by Homer is about Odysseus’s long journey to get back home and facing many obstacles. Through his adventure and the obstacles Odysseus had many traits that made him a heroic character. One of the many traits Odysseus has was being brave. In the part 1 Odysseus sails to the Sirens island and tells his men to tie him up and to not untie him even if he begs them to, while he stuffed his men’s ear with beeswax. Odysseus shows bravery by this because he listened to a dangerous song that could have gotten him and his men killed but he found a way to make sure they were safe. Another part Odysseus shows his bravery was when he went up against the cyclops and fooled him. Odysseus protected him men by fooling the cyclops and blinding him so his men and himself and can get out safely instead of having the cyclops eat all of them. Everyone should be brave and take some risks once in awhile instead of playing it safe and never getting anywhere in life....
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...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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...The traits that set Odysseus apart from other prototypically Greek heroes is his intelligence, wit, selfishness, and reliance on others. While Odysseus is considered by everyone to be a hero, his intelligence and wit, not his physical power as a warrior are what largely sets him apart from others, like Achilles. His intelligence and wit allow him to survive situations that could have gone badly if he had not fully thought out his “game plan.” For example, the use of the Trojan Horse in The Iliad was Odysseus’ idea. And it was a brilliant one. Had he not thought of it, the outcome of the war most likely would have been quite different. Unlike someone like Achilles, Odysseus really is not a “superhuman.” He does not have super physical strength, and instead relies on his intelligence to win....
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...In Homer’s the Odyssey, a man named Odysseus spends years and years trying to get home to his family. On his long journey, he encounters a number of different situations that test his true character. The reader finds out who Odysseus really is based on the situations he is put in and how he chooses to handle these situations. From being stuck on an Island with Calypso, a nymph goddess, to almost being eaten by a vicious cyclops, to seeing his wife for the first time in 20 years, Odysseus stays true to his character. Throughout the epic, Odysseus shows constant signs of bravery, leadership, intelligence, cleverness, and wholehearted faithfulness, and these things are what makes him such an admirable character. Bravery and leadership go hand in hand because bravery is a trait that all good leaders have. Odysseus showed amazing bravery and leadership skills throughout the Odyssey. One place where Odysseus’s bravery and leadership are revealed the most is when Odysseus and his men encounter Poseidon’s Cyclops son, Polyphemus. Odysseus used his leadership skills and bravery to help his men escape the wrath of Polyphemus while...
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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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...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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...independent definition for a hero, the following paragraphs reflect how Homer treats the theme in his great epic of the Odyssey via Odysseus as opposed to Marvel’s characterization of the seemingly novel hero Anthony “Tony” Stark in the Iron Man trilogy. The Odyssey follows the homeward bound protagonist and his men on their adventures after...
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...Homer of Greece was a blind bard known for a sensational memory and his ability to entertain an audience with the portrayal of his words. Two well known epic poems he told were The Odyssey and The Iliad. Both of these poems are very different from any story or poem written in ancient Greece. The structure, development, and the art of how each epic was told is the reason why each work is different and why each is called an epic. Especially the Odyssey it is the pentacle of an epic poem and contains everything needed to be considered so. The Odyssey is the great story of Odysseus and the sequel to Homer’s other epic the Iliad. The main character Odysseus is put through a lengthy journey on his return home to Ithaca from the battlefield of Troy. Over the span of 24 detailed books Homer tells Odysseus’ path and what he must face to get home. From the raging seas created by Poseidon, Odysseus’ lengthy stay with calypso, and his travels through the underworld. These and other conflicts that Odysseus faces are part of the elements to which make the odyssey and epic poem. In the first book of the Odyssey, Homer introduces a very important element of his Epic poems, the Muse. According to Aaron J. Atsma of the Theoi project, during the ancient time muses were the goddesses of music song and dance. In the odyssey when Homer is referring to the muse in the first book, saying “Sing to me of the man, Muse…” The muse he is referring to is known as Kalliope, the muse of epic poetry. This is important...
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...Odysseus has everything he needs in order to take on the role of hero throughout his journey. In Odysseus’s personality, he possesses the ability to strategize. The protection and care that Odysseus gives to his men help in portraying him as a hero. Odysseus has a goal-oriented mindset, the work and effort he puts into achieving his goal shows the heroic side of him. The character traits worn by Odysseus’s personality make it easy to see the hero inside of him. Odysseus possesses character traits amongst a wide variety that make him a hero in Homer’s, The Odyssey. Having the ability to strategize in all aspects of life aids in the characterization of Odysseus as a hero; Odysseus clearly displays his abilities through his decisions over the...
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...Loyalty in The Odyssey Many human cultures assign values as well as worthiness to the existence of loyalty. As a Classical culture known for its emphasis of loyalty at home as well as abroad, the faithfulness of ancient Greeks in their relationships is exemplified in many Classical texts, such as Homer’s The Odyssey. In both ancient Greece as well as in The Odyssey, loyalty was the social norm because of the egalitarian nature of the city-state as well as because of the typical ancient Greek family structure. Not only because of social expectations as well as traditions was loyalty expected, but there was also an added pressure by one’s religious conviction such that it was believed that if the guests were in any way or manner mistreated, then the ancient Greek deities would punish the offender(s). There are several passages in Homer’s Classical text The Odyssey which illustrate these aspects of ancient Greek loyalty. In illustration of the faithfulness between Odysseus as well as his crew, there is a passage that notes loyalty in the crew-leader relationship: He saw the town as well as learned the minds of many distant men, as well as weathered many bitter nights as well as days his deep heart at sea, while he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home. But not by will or valor could he save them, for their own recklessness destroyed them all- children as well as fools they killed as well as feasted on the cattle of Lord Helios, the Sun… (651). It would initially...
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...Killing a hundred eight men doesn't sound hero but in the case of Odysseus from the Odyssey, that's what happens. In Homer's epic poem the Odyssey the hero Odysseus Fill the spot of the hero, however, he does have anti- hero traits at times. Some epic hero Qualities he shows are abnormal abilities, tested on his quest, and restitution. According to the epic hero guideline, a hero must possess supernatural ability. Odysseus showed this in these quotes “He cut down twenty trees used his bronze axe to trim and is deftly smooth them then lined them up” and “by the fourth day he had completed all this work”. Odysseus also showed this ability When He swam for two days straight in a raging waters. Here is an example from the book on how bad the...
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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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...Penelope: The Strongest of All Although Homer’s The Odyssey portrays the brave adventures of Odysseus, his wife, Penelope is a brave and clever hero in her own patient and loyal ways. Like Odysseus, Penelope keeps her cool in scary situations, and uses her bravery and wits to find a way out of it. When the suitors invaded her own home during Odysseus’s disappearance, Penelope kept her bravery and outsmarted them multiple times. They all wanted to steal Odysseus's life in his kingdom along with his wife, but they didn't know that she was stronger than they thought. Penelope tricked them by promising them that she would choose one of them to marry once she had finished Odysseus's death shroud, but what they didn't know was that...
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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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