Similarities Between Maya Angelou And Odysseus

“We may encounter many defeats, but we must not be defeated,” (Maya Angelou). Angelou is trying to say to the world that terrible things will happen in a person’s life, but life will move on. She is the living proof. In The Odyssey, the main character, Odysseus is a 3,000 year old Greek hero. Odysseus must go on many journeys to return back to his home and his wife. He was ruthless and fought for what he wanted, no matter the amount of bloodshed. Although what he did in the ancient times was considered “heroic”, someone else is more qualified to be a hero than Odysseus. And this person is Maya Angelou. Maya Angelou was an American author, poet, and civil rights activist. She was able to withstand the aftermath of rape and racial persecution.

She took these experiences and helped others. She too fought for what she wanted, but, unlike Odysseus, she used the more nonviolent approach. Odysseus used his power for destruction. She used hers for peace amongst people. When compared to Maya Angelou, Odysseus would not be considered a modern hero because Maya Angelou had more emotional strength, perseverance, and inspired more than Odysseus did.
To begin with, Maya Angelou had more emotional strength than Odysseus, opposed to physical strength. When she was around the age of seven, her father takes Maya and her brother, Bailey, to see their mother in St. Louis. When they arrive at the house, she is introduced to the mother’s boyfriend, Mr. Freeman. Much later, he starts to take advantage of Maya. Freeman had raped her. He threatened to kill her or Bailey if she told anyone. She then fell into this period of time when she was in shock of what happened and she began to shut down. Maya feels the wrath of the aftermath of the rape:
I discovered that to achieve perfect personal silence all I had to do was to attach myself leechlike to sound. I began to listen to everything. I probably hoped that after I had heard all the sounds, really heard them and packed them down, deep in my ears, the world would be quiet around me. I walked into rooms where people were laughing, their voices hitting the walls like stones, and I simply stood
still - in the midst of the riot of sound. After a minute or two, silence would rush into the room from its hiding place because I had eaten up all the sounds. In the first weeks my family accepted my behavior as a post-rape, post-hospital affiliation. They understood that I could talk to Bailey, but to no one else. (Angelou 85)
In contrast, Odysseus has more physical strength, as opposed to emotional. Odysseus has journeyed far and wide to return home to his wife. He has become aware that suitors have been living at his house and eating his food for many years. He plans to slaughter them all. Odysseus reveals himself to everyone and he speaks to them now:
‘Not for the whole treasure of your fathers, all you enjoy, lands, flocks, or any gold put up by others, would I hold my hand. There will be killing till the score is paid. You forced yourselves upon this house. Fight your way out, or run for it, if you think you’ll escape death. I doubt one man of your skins by.’ (Homer 411)
Both Maya and Odysseus have gone through hell and back. However, the two of them dealt with their situations differently. The way someone is able to express themselves weighs higher than how much brute strength someone exudes. The emotional strength of a person is more valued in the modern world today. A person could be the strongest and toughest person in the universe, but if they don’t feel anything, show no emotion, then that soul is heartless and is a cold fighting machine. In our society, normally, we do not have to go out and slay a Cyclops or slaughter a roomful of men. In a day to day life, people will most likely not encounter these situations. Human beings as a civilization have transformed from beings heartless killers to having more emotion, for the most part. The positions that Odysseus came across vary dramatically from what a person in the modern world will have a confrontation with.
To continue, Maya used her power of perseverance better than Odysseus used his. Through her entire life, Maya has had to deal with racial persecution. In one situation, Maya needed to go to the dentist really badly, but there were no dentists or doctors for African American people. Her grandmother didn’t care, so she took her to a white dentist. After entering the dentist office, the dentist and grandmother get into an argument:
‘It’s been paid, and raising your voice won’t make me change my mind. My policy…’ He let go of the door and stepped nearer to Momma. The three of us were crowded on a small landing. ‘Annie, my policy is I’d rather stick my hand in a dog’s mouth than in a nigger’s.’ (Angelou 184)
On the other hand, Odysseus was able to persevere, but he had wrong intentions in the long run. Without a doubt, Odysseus was able to persist through his long trek. Kirkê warns Odysseus about what he will endure during his expedition home:
‘Her legs - and there are twelve - are like great tentacles, unjointed, and upon her serpent necks are borne six heads like nightmares of ferocity, with triple serried rows of fangs and deep gullets of black death. Half her length, she sways her heads in air, outside her horrid cleft, hunting the sea around the promontory for dolphins, dogfish, or what bigger game thundering Amphitritê feeds in thousands. And no ship’s company can claim to have passed her without loss and grief; she takes, from every ship, one man for every gullet.’
‘No, hug the cliff of Skylla, take your ship through on a racing stroke. Better to mourn six men than lose them all, and the ship, too.’ (Homer 212)
Maya and Odysseus had the determination, but both used it in different ways. Maya was able to take something that was terrible, and turn it into something that encouraged others when she was a civil rights activist. She was able to turn around a bad situation and made it better. Odysseus did persevere, but not for the right reasons. He was selfish because he wanted to get home, no matter if six of his men were sacrificed. He chose to not tell his crew what their journey entailed. To persevere means the steadfastness in doing something despite difficulty or delay in achieving success. With this definition, it is noted that Odysseus did persevere because he had to go through the troubles of passing Skylla and he got closer to returning home. He abused his power to manipulate his unit to advance on the passage. In the end, Maya used her perseverance for good, and Odysseus used his for bad.
To finish off, Maya Angelou was more inspirational to others than Odysseus was.

Throughout her life, Maya Angelou was able to inspire many people by her words and experiences. She fought for what she wanted and what others wanted. She is the epitome of the best characteristics a person can have. She has been through trials and tribulations, laughter and tears, victories and defeat, and she was able to move past it all. She was able to overcome obstacles that others would have given up. She was fighting until her breath. She inspired so many. Maya Angelou said, “I have learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” In comparison, Odysseus was not an inspiration to people. He did not inspire people to do great things. He demonstrated atrocious acts that are inhuman, in most people’s eyes. He killed hundreds of people and was a horrible person, amongst other things. Kalypso speaks to Odysseus: ‘What a dog you are! And not for nothing learned, having a wit to ask this thing of me! My witness then be earth and sky and dripping Styx that I swear by - the gay gods cannot swear more seriously - I have no further spells to work against you.’ (Homer 86) To analyze, Maya Angelou did more things to inspire other people than Odysseus did. He was brutal and unfaithful and disgusting. Maya was kind to everyone and spoke the truth. She touched more hearts than a cold-blooded

killer.
To finish with, when compared to Maya Angelou, Odysseus would not be considered a modern hero because Maya Angelou had more emotional strength, perseverance, and inspired more than Odysseus did. On the other hand, arguments could be say that Odysseus fought for what he wanted and he was dedicated to that goal.