Odysseus Is Not A Hero
A hero is "a man noted for his special achievements" according to the
dictionary, but if you ask most people what a hero is, you will get the same
general response. They will probably say "someone who does something for other
people out of the goodness of his heart." Odysseus, who is the main character
of the book "The Odyssey" written by Homer, would fit the dictionary's
definition of a hero; but if you go deeper, looking at what people feel a hero
is, he doesn't even come close. In the book, Odysseus does nothing out of the
goodness of his heart. Even if Odysseus fought in the Trojan War, he is not a
hero because he is self-centered and ignorant to other people's values and needs.
There are multiple examples of Odysseus being self-centered, such as not
taking people's advice. Odysseus was given advice from Circe that said not to
try to fight Scylla even when she takes six of your men, but Odysseus tried to
fight her and he lost three more men than the six he already lost. He also
neglected to take the advice from his crew member, Eurylochus. Eurylochus told
Odysseus not to send men to see what was on Circe's island and because he sent
them anyway, they ended up being turned into pigs. Odysseus also neglects other
people's lives when he takes action; such as when he tried to fight Scylla after
strictly being told not to. Because of this ignorant action, he lost three more
men on top of the other six. He also sacrificed men when he waited at the
Cyclops' home for "gifts." Odysseus was very self-centered where real heroes
are not.
Odysseus also lacks the part of the hero profile which includes having a
good heart. Odysseus definitely does not have this because he kills people
without giving them a chance. Odysseus killed every one of the suitors in cold
blood when most of them didn't commit a crime suitable for the death penalty.
He also killed all of the maids who were raped by the suitors as if the had a
choice in the matter. Odysseus also doesn't care about his crew members.
Once Odysseus has served enough time in a place against his will, he would be determined to leave that place. Odysseus’ journey towards home was now going to be able to be finished. For seven years Calypso held him prisoner on the island of Ogygia and he was determined to leave and see to the rest of his journey. Calypso agrees to let him go and she gives Odysseus some advice and guidance saying, "Only I will not aid [you] on [your] way, for I have no ships fitted with oars, nor crews to bear [you] over the broad oceanridges; but I will freely give [you] counsel and not hide how [you] may come unharmed to [your] own native land"(47). Calypso recognizes Odysseus’ greatness. Calypso says she will give some advice, but Odysseus will have to prove his greatness by making his own ship and understand how he will make it home.
In his part of the story Odysseus is trying to get him and his men free of the cyclops so they can go home. The cyclops is Poseidon's son and Odysseus offended Poseidon when he harms the cyclops, which is very disrespectful. These are two huge examples that show why Odysseus is a bad
Odysseus, during his long journey, exhibited many heroic qualities including bravery, strength, and determination. He was determined to return to his family after hs journey, and he bravely fought to stay alive during the cyclope situation, as well as other situations, and showed strength by being able to battle the cyclopes in self-defense. However, Odysseus was also obnoxiously arrogant about his victory and was actually very selfish throughout his entire story; he almost did not leave his town to help with the war because he did not want to leave to protect his family. Although Odysseus exemplified heroic qualities, this does not make him a true hero.
Odysseus wouldn’t of taken ten years after the Trojan war to get home if it wasn’t for his prideful trait. Pride causes Odysseus suffering all throughout the book. For example, once Odysseus was on his way off the island of the Cyclops, the epic says “I would not heed them in my glorying spirit, but let my anger flare and yelled: “Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes son, whose home’s on Ithaca.” After Odysseus and his men escape Cyclopes island, Odysseus pride kicks in and he tells off the Cyclop that he blinded. Telling the Cyclop his real identity, and his business. The Cyclop prayed to his father Poseidon (sea god), which Poseidon is still upset and still hold a grudge towards Odysseus, because Odysseus did not thank the gods after he won the Trojan war, and because of his pride, he said he did it all on his own. This would only cause more trouble for Odysseus and his journey home to extend
Odysseus is not a hero based on the standards of merciful, selfless, and gentle. His actions against Polyphemus, the Suitors, and his men truly show that he is in fact the opposite of a hero. The actions he takes to return home safely and to get back his throne are very cruel and show signs that he lacks the nobility of being called a hero, or a king, or a warrior. He has shown that he powerful, destructive, and ruthless and these are qualities that a hero must not have. Odysseus, the mighty King of Ithaca is not a hero because he is not selfless, gentle, or merciful.
Hero. Usually when this word is heard we think of Superman, Batman, Iron man and so on, but in reality what exactly is a hero? Who can be classified as heroic? From my perspective a hero is not only someone who wears a cape, has superhuman strength, wears fancy clothes or someone who saves his lady from the bad guy; however he is someone who stands for strength, bravery, humbleness, justice and equality. I believe a hero is someone who truly intends to make the world a better place for all people. He stands for what he believes in even though he may encounter danger and obstacle. We often watch movies with action heroes fighting for a good cause, but these heroes cause us ignore the real life heroes such as Cesar Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Cesar Chavez and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr are genuinely the definition of a hero.
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Hybrid and electric vehicles are the future of our world. They won’t be replacing every single gas vehicle in the United States but hybrids and electric vehicles will certainly become more prevalent in everyday life. Electric and hybrid vehicles have actually been around for a quite a while with electric cars dating all the way back to 1828. Hybrid vehicles have evolved a tremendous amount in the past 100 years leading to improved fuel economy and lower cost of the vehicle itself. Hybrid and electric vehicles come in many different sizes such as a large SUV to a small car. However even though there are a lot of benefits to an electric or hybrid vehicle there are still some cons to the design and practicality. Moving toward hybrid and electric
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