Odyssey Essay

Hari Senthilkumar
3/1/14
Lit Period 6

Odysseus is not a hero A hero as any society describes is a person who is considered to be above the average human being. All heroes have some extraordinary traits which differentiates them from the rest of their society such as loyalty, intelligence, strength, and courage. Even the modern Webster Merriam dictionary defines a hero “a person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities.” In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus takes on a great quest to return to his home, Ithaca, facing life or deaths situations every nook and cranny. However an important trait every hero must posses is the ability to detach their emotions from the rest of society and learn great wisdom and knowledge through their journey which ultimately transforms them into a hero. However,
Odysseus is not able to stop thinking about his wife, Penelope. By this very definition of having emotions towards people takes away the possibility of Odysseus being a hero. Contrary to popular belief in our modern day society, Odysseus can never achieve the impossible status of a “hero” posed upon him because he never truly detaches his emotions for Penelope and his home or learn great knowledge because of his greed,neglectfulness, and his big ego.
During the Odyssey, Odysseus still shows infallibility through his heart because his heart is still at home the entire journey and true heroes supposed are supposed to forget about their hearts to allow them to attain the position of a hero in society. For example, in the Land of the Dead, diverted from his important duties, the thoughts of his dead mother still linger in his head. Odysseus is not able to let go

of his emotions towards his mother and focus on his vital journey to get him and his men back home safe. His strong emotional attachment to his mother when he is fulfilling his duties is shown when he asks the blind prophet Tiresias, “I see my mother’s ghost among the dead sitting in silence near the blood. Not once has she glanced this way toward her son, nor spoken”(Lines 1145­1150). Odysseus is not able to keep his emotions away from his more serious situation which has to be attended to, his journey back to his home Ithaca. A true hero would have learned to atleast not show his emotions or completely detach his emotions from the rest of his mind and body. Emotions tend to become fatal flaws which can put both the hero's life in danger or the people around him in a dangerous situation which is seen when Odysseus’s emotions towards his wife and his son puts his entire crew in danger and causes all of them to lose their lives. Another great example of how Odysseus poses a threat for him and the rest of his crew is shown again in the island of Polyphemus. His big ego and his greed for more could have cost Odysseus more of his crewmen;s lives. After Odysseus escapes from the Cyclops through a cunning way while still losing a few men, Odysseus has the chance to keep the rest of his crew safe and sound after escaping but his big ego gets in the way. Odysseus taunts back at
Polyphemus yelling while his crew advise him not to “Godsake Captain! Why bait the beast again?Let him alone! That tidal wave he made on the first throw all but bleached us….I would not heed them in my glorying spirit, but let my anger flare and yelled ‘Cyclops, if ever mortal man inquire how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye: Laertes’ son, whose home’s on Ithaca!”(Lines 963­974). One of Newton’s famous law states that “Every action has an equal and opposite reaction.” Newton could never have been more right except the reaction brought on
Odysseus's action is the god of the sea and earthquakes, Poseidon. Poseidon hears his son,
Polyphemus’s, prayers and makes Odysseus and his crew suffer as much as possible until the only thing there was left was the lives of the crew. If Odysseus had taken control of his greed and let go of his great ego, he and his crew would have sailed home safely back to Ithaca. Odysseus’s neglectfulness

has yet caused him another setback and dangerous situation for his crew and himself. When Odysseus gets the bag of winds from Aeolus, the wind king, Odysseus and his crew have hopes of seeing their home soon but Odysseus neglectfully forgets to tell his crew misleading the crew to believe there is treasure contained in the bag. As the Odyssey says “ The bull hide’s bag containing the winds is wedged under Odysseus’s afterdeck, During the voyage, the suspicious and curious sailors open the bag(thinking it contains treasure), and the evil winds roar up into hurricanes to plague the luckless
Odysseus again”(Between Lines 1008 and 1007). Once again, the crew has to pay for Odysseus’s actions. Had Odysseus told the crew about what was in the bag, they wouldn’t have spent another few more years mindlessly wandering about the Ocean longing to go back home. Odysseus is incapable of reaching the status of a hero because of all his careless and emotional mistakes he has made across the entire journey.
Despite all the mistakes Odysseus has made due to his big ego, neglectfulness, greed, and his lack of the ability to emotionally detach himself, some people still believe that he is an epic hero by modern standards in our society. One might argue saying Odysseus was fiercely loyal and cares towards his crew in the land of the lotus­eaters when he refuses to leave behind any crewmen.
Odysseus says “They [crew] fell in , soon enough, with Lotus Eaters, who showed no will to do us harm, only offering the sweet Lotus to our friends­but those who ate this honeyed plant, the Lotus, never cared to report, nor to return: they longed to stay forever, browsing on that native bloom, forgetful of their homeland. I drove them, all three wailing, to the ships, tied them down under their rowing benches”(Lines 673­680). One might argue that no matter what happens, Odysseus is unwilling to leave any of his crew behind. Even though this argument is compelling, one forgets to acknowledge the fact of how many numerous times Odysseus’s careless actions has ultimately caused the death of his crew. Odysseus proves to care for no one but himself. Another flaw Odysseus which he has is self­centeredness. His self­centeredness will again not allow Odysseus to achieve the impossible status

of a hero. Odysseus believes that the world revolves around him and he is the only one who wants to get home to Ithaca. Odysseus had caused the death of two men in the land of the Cyclopes due to his greed for more food and fortune. His entire crew had advised him not to want for more but Odysseus is not able to think for anyone but himself as it says in the Odyssey “It is Odysseus’s famed curiosity that leads him to the Cyclops's cave and that makes him insist on waiting for the barbaric giant.”(Before
Line 697). Odysseus has caused a series of misfortunate events by committing this selfish deed. He incurred the wrath of the sea­god, Poseidon which delays their journey by a milestone. Odysseus’s self­centeredness is shown again when he does not trust his crewmen. Odysseus does not want to tell his crewmen of what is inside in Aeolus's bag of winds. His lack of trust causes his crew to open the bag and destroy any hope of what they had in mind to reach Ithaca. All in all, Odysseus cannot ever be considered a hero because of his lack of thinking for anyone else but himself. His self­centeredness, arrogance, and his lack of trust has ultimately caused the downfall of him and his crew.
In our modern society, a hero is supposed to leave all their emotions at home before undertaking their journey to achieve the impossible yet modern definition of a hero and a hero is considered to be perfect being not containing any flaws which will make him come down to the level of an average human­being. Odysseus will never attain the position of a hero due to his inability to discard his emotions and his flaws; greed, neglectfulness, and his big ego. Even though one might still acknowledge Odysseus as a great hero due to his heroic qualities such as bravery and intelligence, one has to understand the fact that there is no point in having these traits when they are used to help only himself and no one else in the world. Odysseus should have used these traits to help his crew come home to Ithaca safely rather than carelessly and selfishly take their lives. In the future, Odysseus should learn to use his heroic qualities for the good of hi society rather than the good of himself to achieve the impossible status of a hero in our modern­day society.