Essay about Odysseus

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The Epic Hero Odysseus The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer about a hero named Odysseus and his long journey. Odysseus, the king of Ithaca goes to fight in war and does no return home for twenty years. Along the way, he faces many struggles and battles and has to use his heroic qualities and the help of gods to find his way home. A hero is a leader who is a strong and wise fighter, someone who impacts other people lives, and never gives up, and Odysseus does all these things. Although Odysseus may not always be the best role model he is still an epic hero. To be a hero you have to be cunning and sharp. Odysseus shows this trait multiple times, one of them being during his encounter with the Cyclops and he says, “my name is Nohbdy: mother, father, and friends, everyone calls me Nohbdy.” (pg. 991) Odysseus tricks the Cyclops here, and it helps him escape the island. Even though he is ignorant by yelling at the Cyclops, it’s outweighed by his crafty getaway. He then can move forward with his journey because of his creative idea. Odysseus always seems to know what to do, even in the worst of situations. He also shows he’s cunning when he returns to Ithaca and says, “let no one hear Odysseus is about.” (pg. 1027) Odysseus is a wise man and he is sharp. He already has a plan on how he will kill the suitors and reunite with his wife Penelope. Another heroic trait that Odysseus portrays is his strength and skill. During Penelope’s challenge he grabs the bow and arrow ready to shoot through the axes with much skill and “the bow clean as a whistle through every socket ring and grazed not one.” (pg. 1035) The suitors were complaining how impossible this was, but Odysseus did it on the first try. Odysseus comes off cocky at times, butt its true that the other men couldn’t even manage to string the bow while Odysseus showed them up with his perfect shot. Not only is Odysseus so skillful that he can execute nearly impossible tasks, he is also a very strong man. His significant strength is shown where “nowhere I had to stand, no way of climbing, the root and bole being far below, and far above my head the branches and their leaves, massed, overshadowing Charybdis pool.” (pg. 1029) Against the intense power of the storm Odysseus still holds on and stays alive. Odysseus makes fault by not trusting the gods sometimes, and
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