Essay On Odysseus Is A Modern Hero

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Brilliant, Strong, Heroic, but still not good enough for a Modern Hero. A modern hero is brilliant, strong, rules himself, and does good for sake of others. A modern hero acts not upon his own interests, but upon justice and human emotions. A modern hero learns from his mistakes. In The Odyssey, Odysseus encounters himself in the midst of many confrontations that he overcomes with a heroic outlook. While he is strong and brilliant these characteristics are not what make up a modern hero. Although Odysseus does have attributes that bestow with those of a modern hero, he falls short. The Greek culture embodies his actions as heroic and modern hero like, but his characterization, to the reader doesn’t appear as a modern hero as he is more like a powerless savage human who can only think of himself but is nothing without the power of the gods.

Odysseus most heroic moment was marley like a modern hero one it was only an organic moment that even then showed his real asshat self. As Odysseus and his men get trapped in Polyphemus cave his strength and brilliance come to help him but his arrogance and ego is still present

“...‘Cyclops— if

any man on the face of
the earth should ask you who blinded you,
shamed you so—say Odysseus,
raider of cities, he gouged out your eye, Laertes’
son who makes his home in Ithaca!”” (IX 558-562)
This is the only moment Odysseus shows he has a brain, he was able to come up with a plan to and escape with most of his men. It was the only moment of light where the idea did not come
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from the goddess athena. Although his action was heroic by “goug...ing” Polyphemus eye out, it was clear to the readers that he is arrogant and all he cares to gain his pride back. By showing that beast of Polyphemus who he was “Odysseus, raider of cities” to regain his prideful name and dignity. As Odysseus began to curse Polyphemus out it becomes clear that the life of his men are the least important. Juxtaposing the situation that even though he and his men were free he could not stop himself from retaliating making Polyphemus angrier
“‘...would to god I could strip you
of life and breath and ship you down to the House of Death
as no one will ever heal your eye,
not even your earthquake god himself!’” (IX 580-583).
This show’s Odysseus ego to think that Poseidon wouldn’t do anything to him knowing Poseidon is a god who has more power than him. As he lets his ego take over him making him more vicious “I could strip you of life and breath and ship you down to the House of Death” feeling powerful enough to defeat the beast he believes that he is unstoppable thinking he could mocking the cyclops's father “not even your earthquake god himself”. Putting the last of his men in danger after saving them. This is a clear image of how powerless he that he can’t even take control over himself and egotism character. Which shows how short he falls for a modern hero, his egotistic character and the fact that he fails to see it and is delusional about his power only show he’s a savage human who is brilliant strong but not enough.
Additionally Odysseus has other external conflict in which he ends up having not enough control over to do the right thing. As Odysseus arrives at his home Ithaca after 20 years and
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decides to keep his identity from his wife only to deal with the suitors first, knowing all the pain and suffering his wife has been through. Instead he decides to hide with Eumaeus Odysseus swineherd and get revenge “not even then would I stay my hands from slaughter till all you suitors had paid for all your crimes!”(XXII). This shows Odysseus desire to kill all suitors and juxtaposes with that of a modern hero like thoughts. Odysseus thoughts were those of revenge and rage “I stay my hands from slaughter “ instead of visiting his wife whereas a modern hero’s mentally would process things and worry about his most loved once after 20 years of not seeing them. This leaves Odysseus looking like a heartless human being whose desires for revenge come before love. But also leads to showing that he is powerless as the goddess athena orders him to kill everyone. Here it is clear that is not able to make his own decisions and even if he knew not are were faulty of the accusation he could not give mercy because the goddess was the one who possessed all the power therefore he had to obey. This portrays Odysseus as the man he is, so brutal and pitiful to kill everyone even those who weren’t guilty, and does not have control over his action as the goddess Athena orders him to kill them all. Where he did what Athena told him a modern hero would have done what’s right.
His incapability to take decisions and the help he gets from the goddess Athena makes him look immune to human weaknesses but it in reality the work is being done by Athena. Odysseus would still be captured by the lustrous goddess Calypso
"But Athena, daughter of Zeus, took other counsel.
She stayed the paths of the other
winds, and bade them all cease and be lulled to rest;
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but she roused the swift North Wind,
and broke the waves before him, to the end that Zeus-born
Odysseus might come among the Phaeacians,
lovers of the oar, escaping from death and the fates" (X).
Here it is seen how Odysseus has been able to defeat all his challenges not but himself because he has the help of this goddess.

And as he was struggling to get out of the water “She stayed the paths of the other winds, and bade them all cease and be lulled to rest” there Odysseus was able to survive because of Athena’s powers. This shows he is not prone to human weakness. This also clearly shows he is not to short to be a modern hero, because he requires the help of a goddess daughter of Zeus “she roused the swift North Wind, and broke the waves before him, to the end that Zeus-born” showing his weakness as he gets help from one of the most powerful one time after another. This in seen all throughout the story even at the beginning of the story thanks to Athena’s power over her dad she was able to make a plan and for

odysseus
“'...Son of Kronos, our father, O lord list of the mighty if in truth this
is pleasing to the blessed immortals that Odysseus of the many designs
shall return home, then let us dispatch Hermes the guide, the slayer of Argos
to the island of Ogygia, so that with all speed
he may announce to the lovely-haired nymph our absolute purpose
the homecoming of enduring Odysseus, that he shall come back.'”(I 81-87)
This clearly shows that Odysseus had Athena’s help since the beginning. She had plan “Odysseus of the many designs shall return home,” This is clear that the only reason why
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Odysseus made it home and was able to survive was not because he was strong powerful but because he had a goddess by his side who thought for him and did everything for him and even had Hermes go “to the island of Ogygia, so that with all speed” This depicts Odysseus character throughout the story that he is only savage and a prick. Odysseus thinks he is powerful and can overcome any challenge or so he thinks, but in really he is not powerful he is not brilliant and he is not merely close to being a modern hero.
In addition Odysseus flaws don’t stop there while goes through all the struggles to get home he learns nothing from them even though throughout the story he faces himself with challenges that put his men in danger he keeps falling for the traps and putting his men in danger after being told to be careful he replies “‘Deadly Charybdis—can’t I possibly cut and run from her and still fight Scylla off when Scylla strikes my men?’” (XII 123-124). Here his ego comes out after knowing that most of his men will die he is willing to risk them, it is also selfish in the way that he thinks he can defeat “her and still fight Scylla off when Scylla strikes my men” by using his men as bait while he escapes this is a similar situation as as it was in the beginning where he let Polyphemus eat most of his men as a bait saving the rest of his men knowing that he would indeed need them to get home. This doesn’t stop here as it is clear that when he arrives home to Ithaca he is stuck up and ignorant as he comes home to his wife not revealing his identity but when he finally does his first words are ordering her to go into her room and to not come out. This shows that not even the journey home made him grow as a human. A real modern hero would have grown and learn from his experience and at the end is a better person than he

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was at the beginning. Once again Odysseus fails to complete the characteristics of a modern hero as he ends up in the same place arrogant and and savage like he was from the start.
To conclude Odysseus journey was a waste of energy Odysseus left returned home just to leave again without saying goodbye to his wife. This is not a type of modern hero but a type of unrealistic savage human. Whom was depicted as a heroic character throughout the epic poem.

The Perfect Modern Hero, NOT!

by

Guadalupe Lizbeth Morales

Charles DeFord
Advanced Placement Literature and Composition
April 29, 2016