Odysseus: Heroes Essay, Research Paper

Odysseus: Heroes

A hero is a brave and strong person, who is also very human. A hero

feels fear and every other emotion that we do. A true hero is a person who does

something great and does not expect to be given any thing in return. A hero

does something that effects a large number of people. A hero thinks more of

others than he or she thinks of him or her self.

The characters in the poem, “Women”, and The Odyssey are both epic

heroes. Odysseus is a strong and brave man, but I think he lacks one of the

major characteristics of a hero. I think he thinks of himself more than of

others. I think the characters in the poem, “Women,” are better heroes because

they can be related to easier.

I don’t think the poem characters are like an epic hero because they are

less into them selves than an epic hero. They also seem to have done lesser

things, I mean epic heroes always do something so great, like take twenty men on,

or lead an army to victory. Everyday heroes seem to be more realistic and do

something that’s great, but its not written up in every news paper in the

country.

Odysseus is a brave man that did great things. In The Odyssey he

conquers a monster using smarts and strength. He also looks out for his crew

mates. He is faithful to his wife, well, in his mind he is. He kills many men

on his own in a battle at his home. He cries a couple of times in the story,

showing sensitivity. Overall, Odysseus is a brave and caring human that is a

little too conceited He is also very smart, like in the book when Odysseus said,

“He thought he’d find out, but I saw through him.”(on page 750 line723.) Also

like most epic heroes Odysseus is physically strong, like when Odysseus said, “I

rammed it deep in his eye.”(on page 751 line 843.) Odysseus rammed a large

spike into the beast’s eye.

The poem “Women” was a great description of black women in the mid

1900’s. They had many of the traits that Odysseus had, like in the poem the

author wrote, “How they knew what we must know.” Saying that they were smart

and knew that they had to make a better life for their children. The women were

also strong, but calm, like when the poem read, “With fists as well as hands.”

Saying that these women had fists to fight with and hands write with. These

women had a hard time, but they continued to do great things and do things that

were never done by a black person before. These women were true heroes.

Odysseus and the women in the poem have many similarities. They are

both brave in how they faced things that nobody had ever faced before and

conquered it. Even though they were brave they still had a human flaw. They

feared. They would conquer things, but they were scared through the whole thing.

I think the one thing that separates these two brave and strong characters is

the way they see them selves. The women seem to do things without any

recognition, they do the great heroic acts for someone else, like their future

children. While Odysseus seems to go out and do things expecting people to fear

him and love him. He does most every thing for him self.

I thought both of the characters, Odysseus and the women, were both

heroic and human. I think Odysseus is a brave and strong person, but he seemed

to be into himself to much. I think the women were much more heroic in the way

that they did so much even though there was so much against them.

I think the women characters are more of a role model to kids today.

Kids need to be told true stories of hope and bravery. I think Odysseus was too

violent and conceited. The women tell children to respect their moms and to go

and do something that you want even though people say you can’t. The real

message is if you put your mind to it you can do anything.

Odysseus and the women are both great heroes and I think that they are

both role models for children of today and yesterday. I think the women are

much greater heroes. And they are true, unlike Odysseus who is a fictional

character. Both of these characters are great and brave and heroic, but The

Odyssey is more likely to be put on Saturday morning cartoons than the “Women.”