Odysseus,The Hero, Homer Essay, Research Paper

Odysseus, The Hero

In today*s eclectic society, everybody*s heroes are different. However, during the era Homer*s The Odyssey was created all heroes had same characteristics. Heroes were the people who saved people, they were courageous wise and had fighting spirit. Odysseus, the main character in Homer*s epic poem was clever brave and a great strategist.+ Although he has these strengths, he has some negative qualities, but most of his heroic qualities still hold true today.

Odysseus possesses heroic qualities, such as bravery, wisdom, a strategic thinking and honorable. Most of the story in The

Odyssey is told by Odysseus, so we can say from his narration that he is eloquent. Book 9 shows Odysseus* positive and @negative qualities.+ When he escapes from Cyclops* cave he showed that he was brave and a great strategist.+ When he poked Cyclops* eye with pike of olive, he decided not to kill him because if he killed Cyclops, he would not be able to get out of the cave.+ This also shows he was wise and able to think about the situation before doing anything.+ Another example that

shows that he is brave that he went to the Hades, which was a feared by many.+ By his eloquence and cleverness Odysseus could get Nausicaa to assist him, and his devotion to his wife makes him so honorable.+ He showed sensitivity when he met his mother and when he heard the song of the Trojan War.

However, Odysseus* qualities are not considered heroic today are his impulsiveness, arrogance, and curiosity.+ He struggle @with these points. Odysseus went to Cyclops* cave because he was curious but didn*t think what may happen next. When Odysseus was able to escape from Cyclops* cave, he yelled to Cyclops identifying himself because of his pride. That made Cyclops so angry that he prayed to his father Poseidon to destroy Odysseus. The result of that is Odysseus* companions all died before Odysseus could return home. If he didn*t reveal his name to Cyclops, maybe his companions wouldn*t died.

Even though he has negative characteristics it shows Odysseus is just a human. He is not a god or a perfect man. His negative points aren*t favorable, but they make his positive points look stronger. If he were a god or a perfect man, his positive points wouldn*t be special or great. When his weak points get him into trouble, his strong points rescue him. For example, his impulsiveness with Cyclops almost destroyed him and his companions but his bravery and clever strategy

were able to save almost all of them.

As a result we have been that even though Odysseys has negative characteristics, he is one of the classic Greek heroes. His @positive points compare with some of the world*s modern heroes such as “Star Wars”, Luke Skywalker, Superman Batman,Nelson Mandela and Princess Masako.+ Even though Odysseus and the above heroes come from vastly different centuries, the @qualities that make them heroes are the same. Odysseus is one of the great heroes that we have. The Odyssey has been studied for thousands of years, and people in the future will continue to read about great hero Odysseus because The Odyssey is a timeless story.