“Being a half-blood is dangerous. It's scary. Most of the time, it gets you killed in painful, nasty ways.” (Riordan, 1) The Lightning Thief begins with the typical introduction of a potential hero, in this case, Percy Jackson who is described as an oddball. He believes that he has ADHD, is dyslexic, and does not really fit in with any crowd. (Riordan, 2) Not only does Percy have a rough life at school, but he never knows his birth father and his mother marries a creep that treats both of them poorly. (Riordan, 17) In the Iliad the hero Achilles is introduced, he too was born a demi-god but his fate is slightly different, he is born into a life of near immorality because the only way he is said to die is if Hector from Troy is killed. (Fagles 1990, 79) Achilles is the greatest warrior of the Greek and accepts his fate by setting out to kill Hector (greatest warrior of Troy), regardless of the inevitable outcome. This mindset is typical of that of a Hero. These depictions of Percy and Achilles parallel the lifestyle that Joseph Campbell describes as in a Hero’s Journey. Although every aspect of the Hero’s Journey is not touched upon by The Lightning Thief and The Iliad novels, Percy Jackson and Achilles are perfect candidates to be heroes. The early lifestyle of Percy being a misunderstood teenager and Achilles being a relentless great warrior sets the basis for them to separate from society, be tested and challenged by supernatural obstacles, conquer those obstacles, and in Percy’s case he could finally return home with a greater understanding of who he is, and in Achilles case he accepts the fate of death. Also, it is mind-boggling to see how the theory of a scholar can be applied to stories that were told long before and after h...
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...wing it, after it has been accepted, will follow it at least to a certain extent. For example, if generation after generation told people that the sky was colored orange, after it has been accepted people will only know that to be true for the most part. There will always be oddballs who think otherwise, but their ideas would not be accepted because there is already an idea set in place. To relate this idea back to the stories, if someone were to figure out a way to write about a hero that was completely off-par from what Joseph Campbell theorized, the possibility of that novel being published or well-known is slim to none because it is abnormal and people do not like change or things they feel uncomfortable with. If people do not understand why the book about the hero is written the way it is they will not want to read it or label a character in the novel a “hero.”
In the Hero’s journey, The Odyssey, the main protagonist, Odysseus, changes in a way which helps him gain self-knowledge. Odysseus ' experiences transformed his personality from how he was in the beginning to the end, by leading him through a heroic journey, also known as a quest. The real reason for a quest never involves the stated reason, and this is no different with Odysseus. As the story developed, many of Odysseus’ sides were exposed through the challenges he faced. Out of the countless dangers and obstacles every step back home, him and his crew have only acquired minimal character changes. Even though they are minimal, they are those which take many decades to achieve.
The lightning thief is the first book in the series. Percy Jackson was a twelve-year-old boy but not just any young boy; he was a demigod. In other words he’s half human and half god. In the beginning Percy didn’t know he was a demigod until an incident happen with his so called “algebra teacher”, Mrs.Dodds Percy turned her into dust with a pen,( a sword in disguise as a pen i should say) He told his best friend at the camp Grover right after it happened but he acting like he had know idea what Percy was talking about. Grover claimed that there was never a Mrs.Dodds. Percy also asked his favorite teacher Mr.Brunner; he also said there was never a Mrs.Dodds working at the school, Ever!
The Lightning Thief is about Percy Jackson, a 12 year old boy who has troubles at home (violent step father) and troubles at school (dealing with ADHD). During what seems like another normal day, he's attacked by his math teacher, only to learn that she is a monster called a harpy. Things only get crazier when he is saved by his best friend Grover, who reveal he himself is not human either, but is in fact a satyr, a creature from Greek myths. Percy learns of a world he never knew existed. He is in fact the son of the Greek god Poseidon, and he is what is called a demi god, half god and half human. Grover takes Percy to Camp Half-Blood, a safe haven for demi gods that are hunted by monsters. There he meets other half bloods, like the daughter
The Odyssey, written by Homer, details the dismal voyage home of a Greek Hero, Odysseus; returning from the Trojan War. Plagued by bad luck; the gods hindered Odysseus’ return to Ithaca and in return, he was away from his homeland for twenty years. Odysseus was considered a Modern Greek hero. He was thoughtful, resourceful and respectful of the gods. If we compare Odysseus to Achilles, another Greek hero, most of their traits are similar, they shared in their sense of duty, courage and bravery. However, Achilles was more impulsive than Odysseus and did not contemplate the consequences of his actions. He was solely motivated by his need for vengeance. Even though Achilles had extraordinary strength and a close relationship with the gods, he still seemed less than heroic. He possessed all the abilities to be a great warrior and was portrayed as the greatest warrior in the Greek army yet his flaws constantly hindered his capability to act with decency and honour. He could not control his pride or rage which ultimately affected his actions. An example of this is when Achilles prayed to the gods that the Trojans would slaughter the Greeks because of the indecency shown to him by King Agamemnon. Part of him desired to live a long, easy life, but he knew that his personal fate forced him to choose between living a long life and his name forgotten after a few generations; or a short life, lived with honour and glory. Ultimately, Achilles was willing to sacrifice his life so that his name would be rememb...
Percy Jackson and The Lightning Thief is about a young boy (around the age of twelve) who finds out that he is the son of the greek god Poseidon. Percy (short for Perseus) faces troubling situations that the reader can relate to and gain a deeper connection to the book. “How old was I?” I asked. “I mean. . . when he left”(Riordan 38). This quote gives some readers of the novel a personal connection through parental problems the world faces today. Riordan shows the hardship of being a single mother. This situation can connect to Jane Eyre by showing a want that both Percy and Jane want...love. With the connection to the reader as a foundation to the novels importance, it still does not exhibit value. Horn Book Magazine says “The novel is packed with humorous allusions to Greek Mythology...among with rip snorting action sequences, this book really shines” (Horn Book Magazine). With what Horn Book said about the novel it gives educational support that is taught in schools. “Rick Riordan’s (2005) popular Percy Jackson series for middle school readers provides a substantial link to greek mythology, utilizing Homer’s Odyssey and Lliad to create a window into classical texts” (Bright). By combining two complex and merit-able reads Riordan creates a novel that creates a stepping stone into harder literature to read and analyze. “Riordan
The Ancient Greeks admired their heroes and tried to learn from both their achievements and their mistakes. They believed that most great leaders and warriors followed a predictable behavior cycle, which often ended tragically. In Homer’s epic poem, The Iliad, Achilles is a great warrior who traces the stages of the behavior cycle twice, from arete to hubris to ate and then to nemesis. Achilles is a highly skilled warrior and a great leader who becomes a narcissist and an arrogant person, which leads to selfish and childish behavior resulting in the death of his best friend. Following Patroclus’ death, Achilles repeats the behavior cycle by regaining his courage and motivation, and goes back to battle against Hector. The pride he feels in killing Hector and his overpowering hatred for him, leads Achilles to another bad decision: disrespecting the body of his enemy. This foolish choice leads directly to Achilles death. Although The Iliad is mainly known as a story about the Trojan War, it is understood as a story about Achilles and his struggle to be a hero.
The Greek civilization has brought a wide-range of intellect and visionary philosophies over time. Over a long period, new theories and arts began to embellish. One great art that came about and flourished is Homer’s novel, The Iliad. Throughout this classic novel, Homer emphasized the Greek God’s values through their actions and morals which contributed to their courageous and prideful attributes. In Greek literature, the heroes Hector and Achilles reflect the core values of honor, warfare dexterity, and pride.
The Hero’s Journey is never an easy one. This particular journey, as detailed in Homer’s The Odyssey, is one of struggle, loss, heartache, pain, growth and triumph. It is comprised of many steps that Odysseus has to overcome and battle through in order to achieve his final goal of reaching his home and his loved ones. From the Call to Adventure to the Freedom or Gift of living, Odysseus conquered them all. The story begins in the middle of the story, as many of the oral Greek traditions did, with the Journey of Telemachus to find his father. Although Telemachus has not yet met his father, it is almost as if they are journeying together, where the end of both of their journeys results in being reunited. Telemachus journeys from being a boy to becoming a man, while out in the sea Odysseus is battling Poseidon to return to the home that wife that he loves and the home he has left behind.
In the Iliad, Achilles is the main protagonist. He is a demi-god and is the son of the nymph Thetis and Peleus who was the King of the Myrmidons. He was a Greek hero of the Trojan War. He falls in love with a battle prize called Briseis. He is to portray, “as a brave, loyal, cocky, intelligent and even superhuman soldier. In Achilles ' case, the word "superhuman" is literal; he is the result of a union between a god and a mortal.”(Harvard 1)
My original thought when comparing Percy Jackson and the Olympians: the Lightning Thief the movie and Classical mythology was that there would be many more references to the myth of Perceus than any other myth throughout the movie in its entirety. That’s where I was wrong. After watching the movie again and researching the different hero myths my opinion has changed. My new thoughts are that the movie is not influenced by the myth of Perceus any more than other hero myths. The movie ties together many different heroes’ stories and mixes them together to make a wonderful story about a young boy. The movie was based on a book series written by Rick Riordan.
In Homer's Iliad, Greek heroes gain their glory and honor by winning favor from the gods and respect from their fellow citizens through their glorious deeds on the battlefield. While heroes are depicted as valiant figures, their weaknesses are also exposed in their mistakes and imperfections. However, despite their shortcomings, heroes are deeply beloved and valued by their countrymen. The humanity and flaws of the heroes prompts the questions: what makes one a Homeric hero and why does Homer bring out their weaknesses? By exploring the character and motives of two renowned heroes Achilles and Hektor, the poem's definition and ideas of a hero become clear. Unlike the way the Greeks and Trojans idolize their heroes, the Iliad views heroes as
The first requirement of Aristotle's tragic hero is that they are more admirable than the average character. Achilles meets this requirement because of his ability on the battlefield. In The Iliad, the background to the story is the war between the Greeks and the Trojans. This background is not only the basis for the story overall, but is also the basis for Achilles' own story. This begins when Achilles refuses to join the battle because he is insulted by Agamemnon. This decision results in the action that drives the remainder of the story. Later in the story when Achilles becomes angered and goes to the other extreme, launching into battle and killing ferociously. The significance of this is that it places battle as central to both Achilles' story and to what is important in the setting of the story. Importantly, the aspect that makes Achilles greater than most is his ability o...
The Iliad, the Greek epic documented by Homer that describes the battles and events of the ten year siege on Troy by the Greek army. Both Trojans and Greeks had their fair share of heroes and warriors, but none could match the skill and strength of the swift runner, Achilles. Achilles had the attributes of a perfect warrior with his god-like speed and combat abilities. However, even though he was Greek’s greatest warrior, he still possessed several flaws that made him fit the role of the Tragic Hero impeccably. Defined by Aristotle, a Tragic Hero is someone who possesses a high status of nobility and greatness, but must have imperfections so that mere mortals cannot relate to the hero. Lastly, the Tragic Hero’s downfall must be partially their own fault through personal choice rather than by an evil act, while also appearing to be not entirely deserved of their unfortunate fate. Achilles is a true Tragic Hero because he withholds all of these traits. Achilles proves to be a good man that puts his loved ones first, reveals his tragic flaws of pride and anger, shows dynamic qualities as a character when his flaws are challenged, and has a moment of clarity at the end of his rage. Achilles truly exemplifies the qualities of a Tragic Hero.
Homer's Iliad is commonly understood as an epic about the Trojan War, but its meaning goes deeper than that. The Iliad is not only a story of the evolution of Achilleus' persona, but at times it is an anti-war epic as well. The final book proposes many questions to the reader. Why not end with the killing of Hektor? Most stories of war conclude with the triumphant victory of good over evil, but in the Iliad, the final thoughts are inclined to the mourning of the defeated Hektor, which accentuates the fact that good has not triumphed over evil, but simply Achilleus triumphed over Hektor. Ending with the mourning of Hektor also brings to center stage for the first time the human side of war and the harsh aftermath of it. We see that war not only brings great glory, but also much suffering and anguish. Homer puts his anti-war views on display.
In Homer’s The Iliad he tells of the battles and events during the time of a quarrel between King Agamemnon and the warrior Achilles. This was just a small portion of the Trojan War that had lasted ten years. The Iliad shares the ideas of the glory of war, military values over family life, and the impermanence of human life and its creation. One thing that Homer does is characterize the two different warriors Achilles and Hector. These two great warriors both show different kinds of traits that shape the character they become throughout the The Iliad. Achilles is the main hero in The Iliad, but Homer subliminally tries to persuade the reader that Hector is the true hero in this story.