The Hero: Odysseus, The Hero

A hero is person, typically a man who is admired for his outstanding achievements, courage or noble qualities and he is seen as legendary figure. They exhibit virtues that have been adored and referred to by the entire human races. These heroic behaviors are contributed to by empathy and compassion about something for instance; they tend to be concerned with the well-being of other people in the society. According to psychology of heroism people possibly learn to heroes. Further, they are not just compassionate about others but they are keen to see things from the perspective of others.

Odysseus kept his hopes up and courageously thought of a plan while he had to watch his men be eaten alive. But above all, one thing every hero has in common is a weakness. “I grieved, but held her off, through pang on pang of tears.” Odysseus laughs at the cyclops when he escapes, causing the cyclops to chuck rocks in the direction of the boat. This almost sunk the boat and would’ve killed everyone. This weakness shows how heroes are made to be imperfect.

In truth, because of his confidence, loyalty, and difficult struggles, Odysseus becomes a genuine hero to the people he defended. Odysseus’s confidence fuels him to perform the actions he does, and he shows this confidence by putting it in his abilities as well as the abilities of others. The confidence that he has is self-assurance in someone or something, specifically his abilities. A hero cannot perform his actions if he does not believe that he could do them, so this is important to his status as a hero. During his journey he proves his self-confidence before the encounter with Skylla Mountain.

As Santiago travels the world, he becomes a hero. In The Alchemist, Santiago shows characteristics, as well as archetypal characteristics that make him a hero. Santiago displays kindness, bravery and wisdom; also he is considered a hero because he displays many characteristics of an archetypal hero. He displays archetypal characteristics such as: receiving supernatural help, proving himself many times and receiving an apotheosis. Santiago is a heroic figure because he was always kind to others.

Imagine you being on the same journey Odysseus went through, do you honestly believe you would have survived? He made some minor mistakes along the way but nobody’s perfect. That’s why Odysseus is a hero because, he’s strong, and intelligent and was able to get out of sticky situations.

He also protects his home by killing the suitors who tried to marry his wife as soon as he finished proving he was Odysseus by shooting his bow that no one else could shoot. Odysseus worked hard to get home because it is something that he valued. In book one, the reader learns that Odysseus would rather die than not be able to return home. This shows that Odysseus’s home is one of the most important things in his life. He prevailed through all of the struggles, such as being hungry, losing his men, and sailing through rough seas, because he would not let anything stop... ... middle of paper ... ...acteristics that make him unique.

Everything he did was for his men, the soldiers that at times questioned his leadership, only to find out that he was correct all along. While he had moments in which his pride overshadowed him, that was simply his confidence showing through, one of the very virtues that kept him alive. If he had not been a confident leader, perhaps his crew would have had trouble following his brilliant schemes. Odysseus was a clever man who always knew how to get out of a sticky situation. Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus repeatedly proves his worth as a hero by evading trouble with his cleverness, persevering through the trials he faces, and overall acting as a loyal shepherd to his flock of men.

What qualities does a hero have? Is it someone who inspires us, or someone who you simply admire? A hero to me is someone who is brave, a leader, intelligent, and strong. A hero has to be able to sacrifice himself for others. A hero is someone who doesn’t look down on others, but someone who encourages others to look up to them.

In summation, Odysseus is a true hero. Through his bravery, level-headed attributes, and his respect and faithfulness for important figures Odysseus receives the title of hero. He successfully fits the definition of a hero. Although often hard to determine if a person was a hero it is easy to see that Odysseus meets the requirements. Through examination any person can be determined as a being a hero or not.

Striving and pursuing excellence is what makes pride a virtue because it is a proud man who is able to seek out the unknown and make it his. The proud man is the one who is able to recognize and realize, and actualize his potentials, and make himself happy, and in turn set off the gain of society.