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Examples of being a hero
Examples of being a hero
Why heroes are important to society
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What Makes Someone a Hero?
A hero is a social superior, the apple of everyone’s eye, and is a tiny spec of hope in a much to hateful world. By basic definition, a hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. Two people have shown their willingness to take on a hero title, Athena, from Homer’s The Odyssey and Stephanie Erickson’s Mackenzie. While Athena is a goddess and has mythical powers, it is clear that Mackenzie deserves this title more.
While it is true that both Athena and Mackenzie are smart, Makenzie most definitely exhibits greater skills. To begin, Athena is smart. According to the text, “First I will disguise you as an old beggar. Then go to your swineherd…” (Homer
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To begin, Athen is helpful. As Homer states, “With my help, you will make sure thatt that evil day day never comes. Dearest of men, remember how I once…” (Homer 60) Yes, it is true that Athena is helpful to save men from evil, however she only does this again because she favors Odysseus. To conside, Athena may save men from dreaded evil, but Makenzie helps fight the Potateas which are highly skilled. When Stephanie Erickson says that Makenzie can save several thousand people by helping David, Tracy, Owen etc, she really means it. It would be right to think that her entire faculty would be helping Makenzie, but really, no one is helpful, smart, brave enough to do the task. Yet even more helpful than saving thousands Makenzie is more helpful than Athena because she has an ability to save humanity. According to the text, Makenzie had a difficult time when she started to use her mind reading powers, but she knew of she continued she would have to ability not very many have. Many do believe mind reading is easy, but it must also be said that it means to hear everyone’s “inside voice” and Athena only helps Odysseus to make her look
Calypso feels that her sexuality makes her susceptible to unfair treatment by the gods. This further proves the point that women were objectified, sexually and otherwise, in Greek culture. It is important to note that Odysseus’ relationship with most goddesses throughout The Odyssey involves the act of sex. Athena, on the other hand, personifies both feministic and non-feministic traits, although they are not necessarily masculine traits. This is quite strange, however, as most women are represented as solely feminine and completely inferior to men. Athena is the goddess of wisdom and war. According to Homer, in the Iliad, Athena is portrayed as a fierce and ruthless warrior, characteristics that women were not generally assigned during this time period. At the same time, Athena is illustrated as being emotional, acting on her emotions. She has a
The great epic, Homer's Odyssey, is a tale of an adventure; a journey through the mind body and soul. Odysseus was strong throughout his voyage and was able to conquer his obstacles thanks to the help from the Goddess Athena. Athena provided physical and emotional support for this man, to get him on his way home to Ithaka. She also provided this same support for Odysseus' son, Telemakhos. Without her involvement, "The Odyssey" would not have turned out the way it did; because she plays such a crucial role in the story. It is understood that Odysseus is the primary character in this epic; concerning his fears and eventually returning to his home, Ithaka. The only reason this was possible is because he had the help of the clever and intelligent Goddess, Athena.
However, there are several female characters in the Odyssey who play essential roles in the stories, which contradicts women’s roles in Classical Athens. First of all, some women are remarked by their helpfulness. For example, Helen, the Queen of Sparta, who tries to help Telemachus find his father. Not to mention the imperative role of the Goddess Athena, who is very helpful and is always there to help Odysseus in difficult situations: in the beginning the helps Telemachus with her divine powers by disguising as a friend of Laertes to convince him to talk to the suitors and make them leave because she knows Odysseus is still alive somewhere. Furthermore, Odysseus’s wife, Penelope is portrayed as very clever and loyal. While her husband is gone for several years, many men try to marry her, but she stays faithful to her husband because she still believes he will come back. Penelope is also a smart woman, which is not typical in Classical Athens: she told the suitors she
...p. 38-39). We also find that due to Athena's great love for Odysseus she may be more inclined to fight and help Telemachus, especially in the pursuit of his mother to marry another "if she cared for you that way, there would be those to quit this marriage game." (p. 41).
These three goddesses represent three different types of women in Greek society. Sarah Pomeroy, author of Goddesses, Whores, Wives, and Slaves, believed that “the goddesses are archetypal images of human females, as envisioned by males” (8). Pomeroy understands the significance of the differences between Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite, and what those differences meant for the women of Greece who were required to follow three important rules. The first rule was for the women to live a life of domesticity and motherhood. This was very important to the men in the society.
As you can see Athena was a very important figure in Greek mythology. She was very close to the same person in some cultures and completely different person in others. Her influence on the people varies widely depending on which stories you read and from what culture they are
She later sparks a flame inside of Telemachus to embark on his journey to find his father. At the first destination Telemachus arrives at, Athena appears once again in the court of King Nestor. She appears in the form of an eagle to represent that she is beside Telemachus in his righteous journey to find his father. When hearing of her son’s departure, Penelope becomes extremely distraught. In an attempt to reassure and comfort her, Athena appears as a “glimmering phantom” and says these comforting words, “Take heart, and don’t be so afraid. The guide who goes with him is one many men pray for to stand at their side, a powerful ally- Pallas Athena. And she pities you in your grief, for it is she who sent me to tell you this” (Homer 342). There are many motivators for Athena in The Odyssey. Some could argue she relates with Penelope, and provides protection for her household throughout the years. Others may say she is enamored with Odysseus because of their relating character traits. Athena basically takes on the motherly role of watching over both Telemachus and Odysseus. She monitors both of the men’s journeys, and allows them to go through tribulations in order to grow emotionally and spiritually. Brian Lower a literature professor from Union College wrote,” Athena allows Odysseus to experience the storm, but not die. She knows that it will make him stronger for it. There is an
Athena’s interesting life started by a very strange birth. When Athena’s mother Metis was impregnated, Athena’s father, Zeus, swallowed her. (2) Soon Zeus had great head pains, so he got Hephaestus to cut open his head with an axe. (5) When he sliced open Zeus’s head, Athena emerged fully grown and with a set of armor on. (2) Even though Zeus had many other children, Athena became his favorite. (8) She had many half brothers and sisters to compete against for this title including Hermes, Hephaestus, Apollo, Ares, Hebe, Artemis, Aphrodite, Persephone, and Tityus. (3)
power than many men do. For instance she is able to convince Zeus, ruler of
An ancient history website states that “Athena was a major protagonist in Homer’s account of the Trojan War in the Illiad where she supports the Achaeans and their heroes, especially Achilles, to whom she gives encouragement and wise counsel. " Athena is first shown in the Illiad when Agamemnon threatens to go to Achille’s tent in the camp and take Biseis himself. Along side Hera and Poseiden, Athena tended to help the Greek side during the war. With the help from others, Athena comes up with the idea of a Trojan horse and that the warriors hide inside the horse and that the horse would be brought into the city and given as a gift.
This is seen in how Penelope comments that Eurycleia is normally very sane and clear headed. Yet to Penelope the gods stripped her of her clear mind (Odyssey 23.13-15). This short ten line passage shows how in their culture women are able to have wit and tact. Penelope describes the old nurse as having wisdom, and inferring that wisdom is from the gods, they see fit to give these gifts to those who deserve it, independent of gender or class. Eurycleia is not only a woman but a member of the servant class, making her knowledge doubly conflicting of ancient stereotypes. Due to her loyal servitude to Odysseus ( Odyssey 2.381-383), who is favored by Athena (Odyssey 1.57), Athena saw it necessary to bestow a gift on her, the gift of wisdom. Penelope is also a marvelous example of female wit and tack in this story. She is able to fend off the suitors and delay them for three years by using her art of weaving and her wit (Odyssey 19.158-170). Penelope’s wit is gained through her relation to Odysseus, though not in the same way the nurses wisdom would have been. Penelope most likely developed her wisdom with the gods knowing that she would need a wit to match her future husbands. She also would have pleased Athena, who is a maiden goddess, by staying loyal to her husband and not having sex outside her marriage. This example furthers that idea that the gods do not determine who
Homer also makes her seem clever when she gets all of the suitors to bring her gifts before she “chooses one” knowing that they are in a short supply of resources. In another instance, he portrays her as clever in the way that she keeps the suitor away by weaving the tunic for Odysseus and secretly taking it apart every night. The role Penelope plays is very important because she is seen as a person, not a possession. Finally, there are the goddesses. They represent women in all their glory.
Athena was the Greek Goddess of many ideas, but she was famous mostly for her superior wisdom, her cunning skills in times of war, and her implausible talent for household tasks, such as weaving and pottery. She was celebrated more than any other God in ancient mythology, was the supposed inventor of countless innovations, and her figure gave reason for Greek woman to gain rights long before others of their time. The goddess of war, the guardian of Athens, and the defender of Heroes; Athena’s impact on the lives of Ancient Greeks is outstanding.
Can a person be considered a hero through a single act? A hero can be defined as a person idealized for their courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. A simple act of bravery of can make anyone a hero or heroine. Ordinary people can become heroes for making one courageous act they did. A hero can also be a person who is admired for their noble qualities and what they did to make a difference.