Essay Sample on Odysseus As A Hero
“Have you ever heard the story of Odysseus.” If you just said no then let me tell you about one of the greatest stories ever written. The Odyssey is an epic written by Homer which is made up of multiple short stories that are about our main protagonist Odysseus. The poem centers around Odysseus and his crew journeying around many mythical lands in order to the islands of Ithaca. In these stories the reader gets to view the main protagonist become a hero through his bravery and quick decision making. Time and time again the readers watch as Odysseus saves his crew from disasters and mythical creatures. In the Odyssey, written by Homer the reader gets to see one of the first heroes that was ever written in text display very unnatural and superhuman abilities.
One of the large traits that Odysseus conveys throughout the stories is cratiness. One of the examples of this superhuman craftiness is when Odysseus ties himself to the mast of a ship so that he could listen to the Sirens without being tempted by their enchanting songs. Also in the same book we see that Odysseus is able to make crafty decisions in the knick of time to save him and his crew. He does this by making it so that Scyllia (A giant man eating sea monster) would only eat some of his crew instead of Odysseus losing his whole crew to the giant whirlpool. Another time we see this craftiness is when he dressed his crew up as sheep so that the Cyclops would not eat them. This is why Odysseus is known for having non-human levels of craftiness and are able to make smart decisions on the spot.
One way that Odysseus was helped by a god is when the daughter of Helios,
Circe warns Odysseus about the Sirens and their irresistible songs. She also tells Odysseus how to avoid the songs by putting wax in their ears. Although Odysseus is helped by many gods he is also harmed in many ways by way more gods. One of the Gods that harms Odysseus is the god of the sky “Zeus.” Zeus harms Odysseus by making a storm as a punishment for Odysseus and his crew killing Helios’s cattle. This storm caused the boat to sink, killing everyone except Odysseus. “Odysseus tries to persuade his men to bypass Thrinacia, the island of the sun god, Helios, but they insist on landing. Driven by hunger, they ignore Odysseus’ warning not to feast on Helios’ cattle. This disobedience angers the sun god, who threatens to stop shining if payment is not made for the loss of his cattle. To appease Helios, Zeus sends down a thunderbolt to sink Odysseus’ ship. Odysseus alone survives.” (Epilogue of book 12). Even some gods have had it out for Odysseus because of actions he did to survive. One of these gods was Posiden. Posiden was angry with Odysseus because during the events of book 9 Odysseus and his crew were captured by his son “Polyphemus.” To escape Polyphemus Odysseus made a sharp stake and stabbed Polyphemus in the eye, blinding him.Odysseus throughout the epic has been helped and harmed by many Gods and Goddesses. This shows Odyssues’s resistance and courage because he was able to survive the attacks from these Gods.
From when Odysseus was written there were many sets of ideas and values that are embodied by Odysseus and the stories told by Homer. One of the values that we see in the book is sacrifice. One major scene of sacrifice is when Odyseusses sacrifices some of his crew to Scyllia so that he should save the rest of them. “Then Scylla made her strike, whisking six of my best men from the ship.” ( Book 12 line 187). Also sacrifice is seen when Odysseus enters the underworld. When Odysseus enters the underworld he sacrifices many sheep so that he can have a safe return to Ithaca. Sacrifice isn't the only value seen in the Odyssey, we also see Xenia. Xenia is an ancient Greek rule of hospitality where people would let strangers into their home in case they were a God in disguise. This is seen when Penelope let suitors into her home, but they ended up not being gods, but random people asking for her hand in marriage. This is how the Odyssey displays ideas of Xenia and sacrifice in the epic.
Being the hero of the story Odysseus emerges victorious from many dangerous situations. One of the situations that Odysseus emerges from is when he escapes the Cyclops by carving a sharp wooden stake and stabbing him in the eye. These actions freed Odysseus and his crew from the clutches of the Cyclops. Another situation that Osyddeus manages to escape is when he and his crew were intoxicated by the lotus flowers. The lotus flowers are a plant that when eaten erase memory and make the consumer want to eat more. He helps his crew escape this situation by tying them to their ors. One of the most dangerous situations that Odysseus and his crew prevail from is when they are trapped between Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus escapes this by sacrificing some of his crew so that the rest of his crew can live. Being the main protagonist of the story Odysseus is able to escape these situations, also his amazing skill set allows him to emerge victorious from these situations.
In the Odyssey, written by Homer the reader gets to see one of the first heroes that was ever written in text display very unnatural superhuman abilities. Throughout the epic Odysseus is able to use his superhuman strength and craftiness to emerge from previous situations. Even when Odysseus is being attacked by the god he is able to overcome these challenges and prosper even when it seems impossible. The Odyssey is one of the first examples of the textbook hero. This template of a hero inspires heroes in fiction even today, but it also inspires what a hero is supposed to be today.
