The Journey Of Odysseus As A Fearless Hero

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Recommended: Character analysis of Odyssey

“The brave do not live forever but the cautious do not live at all” (Branson). In Homers book The Odyssey, a brave man names Odysseus endures a long journey of many struggles and heartaches. After winning the Trojan war, Odysseus and his men head home; however, they face some obstacles on the way. From a witch turning men into pigs to a cyclops eating the men for dinner, Odysseus’ determination to get home to his wife drives the whole journey. The struggles Odysseus encounters help shape his heroic character. Odysseus’ will to keep fighting regardless of the obstacles he faces qualifies Odysseus as a hero. To begin, Odysseus’ intelligence saves the lives of many of his men. First, Odysseus’ intelligence occurs when he finds the cyclops’ great club and uses it to burn the cyclops’ eye. After Odysseus decides to check out the Cyclops’ cave and gets stuck …show more content…

One example of Odysseus’ fearlessness is when Odysseus decides to investigate the Cyclops’ cave. Odysseus braves the Cyclops’ cave with some of his men to “see if [the Cyclops’] were uncivilized savages, or [similar to] the human race” (Homer 94). Certainly, Odysseus does not need to investigate the cave; however, he validates his courageousness by not allowing fear to take control over his actions. Another example of Odysseus’ fearlessness is when he is faced with the decision of which monster to face. He attempts to come up with a way to save all of his men by trying to escape Charybdis (a giant whirlpool that would take down Odysseus’ ship and kill all of his men) “but at the same time keep off Scylla” (a six headed monster that would eat six of Odysseus’ men as they pass) (Homer 129). Odysseus’ fearlessness and courageousness is shown through him challenging the odds in attempt to save all of his men. As a result, Odysseus makes his fearlessness evident throughout the journey

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