Preview

Why Odysseus Is Not A Hero

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
459 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Why Odysseus Is Not A Hero
If you have read the Infamous book the Odyssey most would say they have a particular opinion on whether or not the main character Odysseus is a hero or not. I Strongly feel that Odysseus is not a hero. Odysseus is not a hero for three main reasons I would like to share with you, One of the reasons is that he is not a hero is that he takes his won ego and pride over the safety of his men and his mission.In one part of the story, He and his men are escaping on their boats away from the cyclops that had kept them there now I want you to think well the men are on their boats and they are gonna get away peacefully right well....that would have been the case if Odysseus had not decided to shout back his name and where he was from for those who don't know the cyclops was blinded by Odysseus and his men and him stabbed him in his eye Odysseus speccifically says his name and pretty much who he was but his biggest mistake was yelling back at the giant who from Odysseus's voice caused him to know what direction Odysseus and his crew were he hurled a boulder at the Fleet of ships causing lives to be lost If he would have kept silent some of his men might have still been alive. …show more content…
Another reason That Odysseus is not a hero is that he has many situations in which he has many chances to escape or go back to his kingdom but he decides to go back to my first point to take his own ego and pride over the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    {Odysseus is a hero in The Odyssey because of his bravery throughout the story, The Odyssey. He may have made a few unintelligent decisions however one can’t blame someone for an unintelligent decision. Odysseus was only human and no one is perfect. }…

    • 291 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    A person may act as a hero at times and those heroic actions may overshadow their past. This is especially true in the case of Odysseus. In the Epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus and his men plunder Cicones on their way home from Troy. In his recount to King Alcinous, Odysseus states, “I stormed that…

    • 317 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    From the epic poem by Homer, The Odyssey, Odysseus lack heroism presented in his actions. His success is due to the fact, he is able to intelligently apply himself in dire situations. However the majority of feats are unnecessary, as he tends to indulge in these predicaments due to his selfishness and curiosity. For example, at the time of Lotus Eaters, Odysseus sets course to the Lotus Eaters to discover who are natives of the island. His curiosity ended up of 3 of his men getting paralyzed and brainwashed by the Lotus Eaters.…

    • 327 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    My first reason why is Odysseus is not a hero is that he is a murder. For my first example on why Odysseus is a murder is that he killed all the men on an island when he was sailing home. Odysseus landed on an island on his way home and he killed all the men and enslaved the women on the island. My second example…

    • 617 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus is a hero because he had many traits that represented a hero, such as a great leader,a smart mind, and he was very brave. Real heroes represent these same character traits which shows that Odysseus was a great hero. Odysseus went through many hardships with his crew but like every hero he found a way to get out of the struggle and he executed the plan and arrived home…

    • 470 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus is a hero because of how he got all the suitors out of the house. I believe that he is a hero for that because of the way that they just moved in and tried to marry his wife. Also that they were eating all of his animals fruit and other things also that they were drinking all of his wine. They were also mean to his servants and to son which made him mad at them. Then when he came they did not know and they were treating him like that he was nothing and that he should die. So that is the reason why he had to kill all of the suitors.…

    • 464 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    A hero is normally someone who helps others; not just worries about themselves. In that chapter when they are on the island of Circe, Odysseus had no intention of leaving anytime soon because he was gifted with shelter and food. The book said, “So all that day till the sun went down we sat and feasted on sides of meat and heady wine. Then when the sun had set and night cmaae on the men lay down to sleep in the shadowed halls but I went up to that luxurious bed of Circe’s” (Homer, 245). Moreover, there was also another instance where Odysseus killed a suitor who had begged for mercy. “‘ I hug your knees Odysseus - mercy! spare my life! Never, i swear did I harass any woman in your house - never a word, a gesture - nothing, no, I tried to restrain the suitors,whoever did such things’”(Homer, 449).Odysseus was taking his anger out by killing this man instead of thinking how other people felt first. As stated before, a true hero would never put himself first. However, this is exactly how he acted. Conjointly, in book ten, a king gives Odysseus a bag of wind to help guide them home. He did not mention this to the Achaeans so once they found the bag, they were curious to what was inside it. Homer wrote, “They loosed the sack and all the winds burst out and a sudden squall struck and swept us back to sea” (Homer, 232). If Odysseus thought of others before himself, he would tell the crew that he had this with him. If the crew knew what was inside, they most likely would not have opened…

    • 1262 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    I believe Odysseus to be a hero, because all his flaws are what make him human. He is not a god, so he will make mistakes. His intelligence saves him and his men’s lives, and he does not give up. He was a great leader and was willing to pay a price for knowledge. He recognized that knowledge really is power, and decides to learn everything he can on his journey home. He also acknowledges that sometimes lying, cheating, and stealing might sometimes be necessary. That is what makes him human. “He achieves both kleos and nostos in the end and doesn’t have to die for either”…

    • 571 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Flaws In The Odyssey

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages

    In conclusion, Odysseus is not a hero. Heros are supposed to be role models, not god-angering crew killers. In fact, Odysseus himself barely survived his journey. Heros must influence society by proving how doing the right thing and being a commerable citizen leads to a happy things. When we accept someone as a hero, we also accept their flaws. Odysseus just has too many flaws to accept as a true…

    • 459 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus is without a doubt a hero. Throughout the epic he demonstrates key aspects of being a hero. For example, he overcomes tough situations and makes important decisions for not only the betterment of himself but the betterment of his crew. He always stays positive and loyal to his men no matter what happens. Odysseus is the symbol of a hero.…

    • 556 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus Weaknesses

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To the Greeks, someone who was able to get past the tempting, blood lusting Sirens and lived to tell the tale was considered a hero. Odysseus was a man of courage and bravery, and nothing was more important to him than getting his men and himself home safely. Without him, his men would have surely perished. Odysseus displayed strengths and weaknesses on his journey home, but he also came into contact with many difficult conflicts.…

    • 414 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Is Odysseus a Hero? Have you ever had an argument and there are two sides to it? Well, I have an argument that I know that I am right about. Many people have argued over the topic about Odysseus being a hero or not. I am here to tell you that Odysseus is NOT ahero.…

    • 866 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Is Odysseus A Hero

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Is Odysseus a hero? In my opinion, yes he is a hero for many reasons. Such as trying his best to keep his crew safe and alive, putting his family first, and getting through rough times.…

    • 345 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Odysseus is not a modern day hero because he tricked his men into thinking that he has logos. He convinced his men to be as brave as he is when they were going to fight through scylla. He does this because he knew he whould not get eaten while his men whould. as shown in this quote he gives his men ethos to get them ready “Well, I walked up and down from bow to stern, trying to put heart into them, standing over every oarsmen, saying gently, have we ever been in danger before this.” after he told them this they went to scylla and fought. Odysseus also has bravery when he stabbed the cyclops in his eye, he told him that his name is nobody to trick him. he also disguised his men as sheep so that they could get out of the cave. But one reason that is…

    • 465 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Odysseus Is A Hero Essay

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages

    A hero must have every element to become a true strong hero. Odysseus is portrayed as an early hero since he was one of the first to be put on a rigorous journey as there might have not been any influence on him to become a great hero before that. Compared to his crew men, they were not a hero as they did not have great nobility, achievements, and courage. His crew men, non-heroic, all died throughout the journey as they were not as strong as Odysseus. Even though Odysseus’s crewmen died throughout the journey, it does not portray Odysseus as a nefarious leader as he was the bravest and had to make the sacrifices of his crew men as they were weak and non heroic, and if he had the ability to save them, it would hold him back and put him in the risk of…

    • 664 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays