Most people hear the word hero and think of the stereotypical individual with an incredible appearance, outlandish brawn, and a smile to die for. This is not always accurate; some of the most legendary heroes from Greek mythology take advantage of many other traits. Loyalty, craftiness, intelligence, and keen observational skills are needed to escalate a hero’s stature. Homer's epic poem “Odyssey” reveals Odysseus with the characteristics of a true hero.
Odysseus demonstrates a multitude of different skills that many other heroes do not poses. For example, “My name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy,” said Odysseus to Polyphimus (IX.366-367). This shows that Odysseus is a quick and inventive thinker. Many would not have been able to concoct such clever answer in an instant. As when Odysseus tells Telemachus “I must put all my mind to it, to see if we two by ourselves can take them on or if we should look round for help”(XVI.280-283) These words exhibit Odysseus’ intelligence for observing perilous situations. Unlike Hercules who would have relied on brute strength and instinct to pommel the suitors. The abilities expressed by Odysseus are shown to be superior to the shallow barbaric traits of Hercules and other heroes in that he thinks before he acts.
Physical strength is considered beautiful among the Greek culture. Odysseus strength far surpasses any other mortal as exhibited by Penelope’s bow test, “so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow”(XXI.465-467.) With the ease of him stringing the bow compared to the inability of the suitors makes Odysseus seem super human. Through out The Odyssey he displays this overpowering force at various times. “Odysseus’ arrow hit him under the chin and pushed up to the feathers through his throat”(XXII.16-17.) In the battle with the suitors his power and brutal tendencies show through just like the warrior emerging. During that same battle he also reverts to his competitive self and will not diminish until victorious. Even though Odysseus has a brilliant intellect, his physical attributes allow him to excel.
In Homer’s the Odyssey, Odysseus has many different qualities that classify him as a hero. He is brave and courageous as shown when he murdered all the suitors who were disrespecting his property even though he was outmanned by them. Despite this, he is by no means all brawn and no brain as he shows his intelligence and cunning numerous times during the epic. A few example of this would be when he was able to blind the one-eyed Cyclops while the rest of his crew didn’t know what to do. Odysseus in many ways is similar to a flowing river, because whenever there is a problem (dam in the river), he would first try to go through it, but if he can’t he would then find a way ar...
The question has been raised as to whether or not Odysseus, the hero of Homers The Odyssey, is an epic hero. An epic Hero portrays many classic properties, including being very strong and courageous. Odysseus is an epic hero, because he portrays many of these and other traits, such as having a goal that is foremost in his mind, and having descended into the underworld.
Odysseus is one of the first Greek mythic heroes renowned for his brain as well as his muscle. Indeed he is a man with an inquiring mind, and he is also a man with outstanding prowess and bravery" (123helpme.com/assets/3603.html). "We also must not forget that he is a top-notch athlete which only adds more to this seemingly insuperable character. It is no wonder why many scholars refer to Odysseus as a powerful mythic hero.
One of Odysseus’ traits is bravery. One example of Odysseus’ bravery is when he injures a Cyclops that is 5 times his size, “I drew it from the coals and my four fellows/ gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops/ as more than natural force nerved them, straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it/ deep in his crater eye. 329-332” This quote shows how brave Odysseus and his men are to face the Cyclops. Odysseus was intelligent to think about this idea, but he was brave for actually following through and doing it. Odysseus was also brave for fighting Penelope’s suitors even when he was outnumbered, “Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest fighter of the islands/ leapt and stood on the broad doorsill, his own bow in his hand/ he poured out at his feet a rain of arrows from the quiver/ and spoke to the c...
In Homer’s The Odyssey, the main protagonist, Odysseus, is trying to make his way home to Ithaca, ten years later, after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus is portrayed as a hero throughout the epic; however, the events surrounding his heroism is with considerable help from the gods and goddess. Being a hero is defined as a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Based on the play, there is evidence to suggest that Odysseus is not a hero as defined but that he relied on the help of the gods and goddess.
People are heroes in different ways for different reasons. American soldiers are heroes because they fight boldly for their country. Corrie Ten Boom is also a hero because she took risks and saved hundreds of Jews. Abraham Lincoln is another example of a hero because he fought for what he thought was right and helped free all slaves. Similarly, Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, possesses all of these characteristics and many more, making him a true epic hero.
Opposed to that of common thought, superman is not the only type of character that fits the heroic persona. Although “superheroes” typically come to mind when one thinks of a hero, there are many other ordinary people capable of extraordinary things. A hero is a person who takes the initiative to set out on a journey of internal growth. During this symbolic journey, one truly finds himself and betters the lives of other mentally and physically. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus takes the path of heroism, resulting in the reborn spirit of a selfless, modest hero. During the process, Odysseus is faced with many challenges that he must overcome in order to earn the noble title. Odysseus proves himself to be a well-deserving hero because he is intelligent with his decisions, he displays cleverness, and he rids himself of hubris.
To most people, a hero is a strong, brave person with an amazing costume. Heroes usually have super-powers and are constantly saving people. But it takes much more traits than this to be classified as an archetypal hero. Some characteristics of an archetypal hero are super-natural help, leaving on a journey in which the hero proves himself, a fatal flaw, and they are sometimes honored after death. In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus shows many traits of an archetypal hero. Odysseus faces many obstacles and life-threatening situations but he overcomes them all. Odysseus is an archetypal hero because he has super-natural help, a fatal flaw and he overcomes obstacles throughout his journey by proving himself in order to reach his goal, which is getting home to Ithaca and to take control over his kingdom.
The main character of the Odyssey, Odysseus the King of Ithaca is given a complex personality to an extent where it is hard to identify whether he is a true hero or not. True heroism is only achieved when a person achieves certain qualities that portray heroism. Odysseus is not a hero based on the standards of merciful, selfless, and gentle because of his actions of sacrificing his men, killing the suitors and being ruthless throughout the Odyssey. Along with many others qualities these three are helpful and necessary in a hero. A hero must be willing to do service for others and put the needs of others safety and protection before his own. Odysseus does not even come close to matching these qualities because he is a person, who only serves of himself, and he sacrifices his allies to achieve his goals and often he takes action ruthlessly.
The death of Rodney King was a day that has caused change in the police work enforcement. King's death affected the community and caused chaos throughout the nation. His death was caught on camera being beaten by officers of the Los Angeles police department due to being pulled over after a high speed chase on the 31st of March 1991. Due to this it is said that he “became a symbol of racial tension in America(Rodney King)”. Due to this tragic death, it had impacted
One of the major themes of Homer’s Odyssey is the importance of cunning over strength. This also happens to be the case with Odysseus and his long ten year journey home from fighting in Troy. Odysseus uses his intelligence over strength to ‘fight’ through tough times and bring himself home to Ithaca. Odysseus uses his intelligence when he has his men tie him down while passing the Sirens, so he himself will be able to hear their beautiful song, but not be entranced by their singing. He also uses cunning to escape from the Cyclops’ cave without being harmed. He then uses his cunning by storing away all of the armory, shields, and knives from the suitors so he is able to kill them easily.
Odysseus is unique among epic heroes in that his strength comes not from inhuman powers or exceptional physical ability, but mainly from his mind. Odysseus, regularly uses cunning, guile, and superiority of intellect to overcome obstacles. In this paper I will compare Odysseus to other epic heroes, both in terms of character and in terms of responses to crises, comparing his reactions with those of other heroes placed in similar situations.
Christopher Reeves says, “What makes Superman a hero is not that he has power, but that he has the wisdom and the maturity to use the power wisely.” What makes Odysseus a hero is not only his cunning ability, but his wisdom that he gains throughout his journey. In the Odyssey, Odysseus successfully completes a hero’s journey by completing 9 stages, amending his flaw of pride, and gaining the following wisdom: being cunning is better than being prideful.
Picture this: a hero of great legends who travels to the underworld and back to get directions to his home from a blind prophet. It sounds like quite an impossible journey, but that is exactly what makes Odysseus all the more fascinating. The Odyssey, an epic poem orally transmitted by Homer, a Greek poet who wrote The Iliad, had to contain some variety of attributes that Greeks valued in a person. That one embodiment of what the Greeks found intriguing in a character is Odysseus. Odysseus is known as what is called an epic hero. An epic hero is a protagonist of a story that represents the most important attributes of a civilization. Odysseus, being based in ancient Greece, is the embodiment of intelligence, loyalty, and strength.
When you think of a police officer, you think of a hero, someone that will serve and protect your community. Police officers should uphold the law and maintain order for a stable society. They endure rigorous training to obtain this authority, and agree to put their own lives in danger to protect and serve. In recent months, this authority has been abused and has turned into extreme police brutality that is quickly turning deadly. Police brutality can be defined as the use of excessive and/or unnecessary force by police when dealing with civilians (Danilina). This excessive use of force includes police assaults, abuse and even killings.