The Hero Of Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

A big part of being a hero, is leadership. When Odysseus and his crew show up on the island of the lotus eaters, Odysseus sent his crew out. They found the lotus eaters,people who eat lotuses which makes them forget all of their goals and worries. When the crew is offered some they to forget what their goals and worries are. Odysseus soon finds out what is going on and went to investigate. When he saw what had happened to the crew he tried to get them off the island. In this moment Odysseus dragged them off the island and forced them to grab the oars and sail off. This is not most people's idea of a strong leader. On the other hand, he was able to save his crew. In conclusion, Odysseus knows when to be a strict or kind leader which contributes to why he is considered a hero.
Polyphemus was the fourth monster Odysseus faced.
Out of all the monsters I think the cyclopes brought out the best and worst of him. When he first got there, he and a couple of his men went into a cave. This cave was Polyphemus's. The cyclopes was not a very good host and ate some of his men. That was when Odysseus used his wisdom and cunning to hatch a plan. When he was asked for his name he said his name ws nobody. Then, he got Polyphemus drunk and waited for him to fall asleep. Next, declaring revenge for his comrades he and his crew stabbed the cyclop’s eye.When the other cyclopes came over to see what was going on Polyphemus said nobody was there. Finally, when Polyphemus opened the door, gigantic boulder, Odysseus and his crew hid underneath the sheep and made it back to the ship. In this scene Odysseus showed wisdom,courage, loyalty and teamwork. All of these are defining character traits for a hero. This is how the cyclopes brought the best out of
odysseus.
The last “monster’’ he faced was Calypso. She held Odysseus there for eight years. During this time they slept and lived together. Calypso offered him everything, eternal love,food,an island all to themselves, no danger or fighting and greatest of all immortality. However, throughout all eight years Odysseus's loyalty to Penelope and Ithaca never wavered. He never stopped thinking about them and in the end when Calypso gave him the option to go back home, thanks to Hermes and Athena, there was absolutely no hesitation. In the end, when he was told he would have to build a boat and he would have no crew, he persevered, built his boat, and sailed off back home. This is just the beginning of how odysseus showed he was a hero.