Okonkwo In Chinua Achebe's Things Fall Apart
There is no such thing as an ordinary hero. Heros are the people that go above and beyond what is asked of them in this world with such grace and humility that ordinary people are compelled to take note. All heros may have different quests but they all share several key attributes such as determination, courage, and adroitness. In Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe, Okonkwo clearly demonstrates the heroic trait of determination. Unlike his peers, Okonkwo wasn’t able to inherit his delinquent father’s land, title or barn. This set him back years in social and economic standing. Still, due to his intense tenacity, Okonkwo is able to become a respected man of the village completely due to his own willpower.“With a father like Unoka, Okonkwo
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His quick thinking shines through was when he is trapped by Calypso, a goddess who had holds him captive for seven years as her lover. In order to escape, he quickly spins a clever lie when challenged on his devotion to her. "My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger. My quiet [wife] —how well I know— would seem a shade before your majesty, death and old age being unknown to you, while she must die. Yet, it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home” (Homer 1209). Instead of revealing his true feelings and admitting his love and longing for his wife, Odysseus knows exactly what to say to appease Calypso whilst getting his way. His skilled mind also acts a deus ex machina when he and his crew are trapped by an angry Cyclops. “Cyclops, try some wine. . . . Three bowls I brought him, and he poured them down. I saw the fuddle and flush come over him . . . Lifted [a large wooden spike], and rammed it deep in his crater eye . . .” Odysseus quickly came up with an complex plan to lull the cyclops to sleep with wine, blind him, and use him to open the door of the cave, allowing Odysseus and his crewmen escape unscathed. Odysseus uses his cunning plan to not only save himself but also his men. As a sort of insurance in case the Cyclops would complain to its powerful brothers, Odysseus shrewdly claims a nom de guerre. “My name is Nohbdy: mother,
His quick thinking shines through was when he is trapped by Calypso, a goddess who had holds him captive for seven years as her lover. In order to escape, he quickly spins a clever lie when challenged on his devotion to her. "My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger. My quiet [wife] —how well I know— would seem a shade before your majesty, death and old age being unknown to you, while she must die. Yet, it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home” (Homer 1209). Instead of revealing his true feelings and admitting his love and longing for his wife, Odysseus knows exactly what to say to appease Calypso whilst getting his way. His skilled mind also acts a deus ex machina when he and his crew are trapped by an angry Cyclops. “Cyclops, try some wine. . . . Three bowls I brought him, and he poured them down. I saw the fuddle and flush come over him . . . Lifted [a large wooden spike], and rammed it deep in his crater eye . . .” Odysseus quickly came up with an complex plan to lull the cyclops to sleep with wine, blind him, and use him to open the door of the cave, allowing Odysseus and his crewmen escape unscathed. Odysseus uses his cunning plan to not only save himself but also his men. As a sort of insurance in case the Cyclops would complain to its powerful brothers, Odysseus shrewdly claims a nom de guerre. “My name is Nohbdy: mother,