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Odyssey literary analysis
Odyssey heroism essay
The odyssey heroism
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Peoples loved one’s tent to motivate them more than anyone else un their lives. Others would do anything for their family especially if never seeing them again was on the line. In the Odyssey, Homer uses external conflicts to portray Odysseus as a courageous and determined character.
Homer reveals Odysseus to be courageous through his voyage. For instance, Odysseus returned to his home “disguised as a beggar” (794) so he would not be recognized. He disguised himself because he knew the suitors in his home would recognize him. The suitors have been trying to marry his wife for twenty years, if he showed up they would have no chance of marrying Penelope and they would be furious. Odysseus being courageous still went into his home knowing the danger he would face if he was recognized. Another example, of Odysseus being courageous is when he set sail knowing “Poseidon by no mean [was] ready to allow an easy passage” (752). He uses his intelligence to determined to leave and be daring. He is aware the Gods are still upset him but he proceeds to try and reunite with his family. Therefore Odysseus is courageous and not afraid to do anything in order to get back with his family.
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In the Odyssey, Odysseus is conveyed as a determined man.
An example of his determination is shown when he “spen[ds] ten years trying to get home,” (752) after the Trojan war has ended. Seven of the ten years were spent with Calypso. He continued to remain positive and strong after ten years of being away from home. Later on, in the expedition, Odysseus and his men came across Lotus-eaters who offered them a taste of the Lotus flower. Captivated by the beauty, the shipmates consumed the magical flower. This leads them to forget about ever returning home. As a result, Odysseus became motivated to get all of his shipmates home so he “tied them down under their rowing benches” (212) and set sail. In conclusion, these actions taken by Odysseus show that he is a committed
character. All things considered, Odysseus shows bravery and tenacity through conflicts with others in the Odyssey. Odysseus goes through all this in order to reunite with his family after ten years of nothing but struggle. He does all of this in order to be with his family Others can portray these same traits and persevere to do things that can be difficult.
In The Odyssey, Odysseus portrays an important trait to the story, perseverance. His perseverance really stands out as something that he has and always will have. On his long journey home, he never gives up and just stays where he is, no matter how tempting. He always manages to push through and keep getting closer to his goal of returning home. An example of when he does this is when he is faced with the challenge of getting past Skylla and Kharybdis. He knows that either path will kill at least some of his men and possibly him, but he knows he has to keep going. "And all this time,/ in travail, sobbing, gaining on the current,/ we rowed into the strait---Skylla to port/ and on our starboard beam Kharybdis, dire/ gorge of the salt sea tide." (Homer, 12. 301-305). In O Brother, Where Art Thou, Everett also showed his perseverance. While trying to get back to his wife, he also faces many obstacles that he must get through. There were many people and things keeping him from where he was going, but he pushed through and got there anyway. His greatest obstacle to get through was when he came upon the sirens. He went down to the river and the sirens got the men drunk enough to fall asleep. While asleep, Pete was turned in by the sirens, but the other men hadn't been turned in yet. They woke up and were forced to get out of there as fast as they could with a frog they thought was Pete. Delmar wanted to stay and try to change Pete back but Everett told him they needed to persevere and keep going, and they did. Another trait that both of these men show in their stories is their cleverness. Odysseus show...
One of Odysseus’ traits is bravery. One example of Odysseus’ bravery is when he injures a Cyclops that is 5 times his size, “I drew it from the coals and my four fellows/ gave me a hand, lugging it near the Cyclops/ as more than natural force nerved them, straight forward they sprinted, lifted it, and rammed it/ deep in his crater eye. 329-332” This quote shows how brave Odysseus and his men are to face the Cyclops. Odysseus was intelligent to think about this idea, but he was brave for actually following through and doing it. Odysseus was also brave for fighting Penelope’s suitors even when he was outnumbered, “Now shrugging off his rags the wiliest fighter of the islands/ leapt and stood on the broad doorsill, his own bow in his hand/ he poured out at his feet a rain of arrows from the quiver/ and spoke to the c...
Although some could possibly call Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey, a great leader, the fact that he fails to earn his men’s respect, endangers his men’s lives repeatedly and allows them to die due to his own selfishness states otherwise.
There are numerous heroes throughout “The Odyssey,” but none of them are as significant as Odysseus. “The Odyssey” is a narrative poem written by Homer (around 800 and 600 BCE) to show the numerous adventures and experiences Odysseus goes through. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus a prominent Greek epic hero is on a quest to return back to his home in Ithaca; to his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus. Just like real life, not all heroes are picture-perfect; they all have imperfections. In this case, Odysseus is sometimes insolent, and discourteous; but he is still considered an epic hero because of the many heroic qualities he endures. Odysseus proves himself to be an outstanding hero in various ways such as showing loyalty, intelligence, bravery, strength, and courage which are all some of the most momentous qualities found in a hero. If a true hero can prove they are a true hero, makes them a true hero.
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus’ heroic deeds are recounted through a narrative, written by Homer, that describes his arduous journey of his return from the Trojan war to his homeland of Ithaca. Loyalty, patience, and determination, are necessary traits to survive the perilous, painstaking journey that Odysseus embarks upon to return to his native land. Loyalty is exhibited when Odysseus goes to rescue his crewmen on Kirke’s Island despite the probability of jeopardizing his own life. Odysseus presents patience throughout the entirety of his journey, but most specifically when his crew opens the bag of wind, which causes much regression on the embark homeward. Determination is displayed when Odysseus is on Calypso’s island.
“Our life’s journey of self-discovery is not a straight-line rise from one level of consciousness to another. Instead, it is a series of steep climbs, and flat plateaus, then further climbs. Even though we all approach the journey from different directions, certain of the journey’s characteristics are common for all of us.” Author Stuart Wilde’s impression of journeys and their shared commonalities supports the claim that all journeys have a motive and an outcome. In the epic poem, The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus sets off to defeat Troy, leaving his wife and child behind. After accomplishing his goal, Odysseus faces many problems while trying to return him and his crew back home to Ithaca. Similar to Odysseus’s physical journey, the goal in
Homer’s The Odyssey, a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism, still fascinates scholars and casual readers alike today in the same way it fascinated its audience at the time it was written. The Odyssey, a journey of determination, patience, and virtue, tells the tail of Odysseus, the main character, on his voyage home to Ithaka after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus goes through many unforeseen trials and tribulations, which exemplify his character. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character.
Both men are brave in their own way. Odysseus has to develop his bravery during his travel. He did not want to fight in the Trojan War, but was tricked into going. If he had not gone, then Poseidon would not be mad at him. Odysseus gets braver as his journey continues throughout the epic. Odysseus shows his bravery through the example that he sets for his men. When he and his men are getting the Cyclops drunk so that they can defeat him, he says, “So, you ask me the name I’m known by Cyclops? I will tell you. But you must give me a guest-gift as you’ve promised. Nobody- that’s my name. Nobody- so my mother and father call me, all my friends.” (Homer 9.408-411). Odysseus showed his bravery and wisdom by thinking ahead to what the Cyclops might do when they attack him. This proved to be helpful because the other monsters come to help the Cyclops, but left when he screams that nobody is killing him. Odysseus’s bravery is built into his character and is shown through his
First of all, Odysseus is brave and courageous, giving him the initiative to fulfill his goals. One example is when Odysseus confronts Skylla. Odysseus purposely “made [his] way along to the foredeck—thinking to see her first from there” (Homer 217). If he was scared, he would have hidden underneath the deck. But instead, Odysseus goes out to face the beast. Odysseus knows that Skylla is immortal and cannot die, yet he is brave enough to confront her. Next, Odysseus fights the suitors, who are courting Penelope in his palace. The suitors greatly outnumber Odysseus, but Odysseus still chooses to fight even though the odds are against him and he is able to win. He stands up against those who do wrong. Having the courage to fight, Odysseus defeats the suitors and fulfills his goal of regaining his palace. If Odysseus was a coward and did not fight, then the suitors would have eventually won Penelope, resulting in Odysseus losing his palace and his wife. Many people have bravery and courage, but not many use it, as Odysseus does, to achieve their purpose.
Odysseus left Calypso’s Island and began his journey back home. His odyssey might be described as one’s own life struggles. There are ups and downs to every situation, and through reading The Odyssey, readers can connect parallels between Odysseus’ experiences and lessons learned in their own life. Human weaknesses can still prevail through even the strongest men you may think of; examples of this are shown in this epic. Even though there is a large gap in space between Odysseus’ travels and the present, human nature and weakness still share the same obstacles.
Many poems, books, songs, and movies contain popular archetypes. Hence, an archetype is a repetition of characters, situations, and plots. Furthermore, Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey has many different archetypes, such as heroes, villains, and the innocent.
One example from the text that shows odysseus have courage is found in book 10 of the odyssey, in lines 45-47, Odyssey says, “Agents this advice however, odysseus rushes to save his man from the enchantress.”(387). odyssey wanted to show Eurylochus that he has strength in pain or grief.
Homer’s The Odyssey is a Greek story that follows the journey of its primary character, Odysseus, back to his home in Ithaca after the Trojan War. Odysseus encounters many challenges in his journey home, from encounters with Polyphemus the Cyclops, the witch Circe and even the ghosts of dead Greeks. Meanwhile, his household in Ithaca is being threatened by suitors of his wife, Penelope, all wanting to inherit Odysseus’ possessions in the belief that he was already dead. Like many epic heroes, Odysseus possesses many admirable qualities. Three good characteristics of Odysseus are—cleverness, bravery and strength—here are some supporting instances from the epic that demonstrates Odysseus possession of such characteristics.
In The Odyssey of Homer, Odysseus has a rather respectable overall character, that allows him to be successful in several areas of his life regardless of the hardships and obstacles that are presented to him on his journey back to his family. Along with Odysseus’ admirable character, Odysseus also holds several positive qualities that qualify him for his nickname, “the man of many ways.” For example, Odysseus is persistent in his journey back to reunite with his wife, Penelope, and son, Telemachos. He makes this very clear to Kalypso when he announces that all he wants “is to go back to my house and see my day of homecoming,” instead of settling for an tranquil lifestyle with her. This persistence that was shown throughou...
Homer’s literature served as a moral messenger to the people of ancient Greece. The Odyssey by Homer demonstrates the character development of Odysseus, the epic hero, and his journey of self-discovery. Odysseus was a great, wise, noble, and well respected war hero to his people. Odysseus had one tragic flaw that was demonstrated by his actions throughout the book. The author Homer continued to strip Odysseus of his arrogance throughout the story, by throwing challenges his way, making him pay for his mistakes, and allowing him to continue to overcome obstacles. The main purpose of Odysseus journey also to reach his home a more humble man. Reading Odysseus’ journey also served as a way to look at morals. The