Odysseus: A Hero In Homer's The Odyssey

Why do people tell stories? People tell stories to spread awareness, and tell things that happened a very long time ago. Homer’s epic poems have been told over and over again because in the Odyssey, Odysseus did a lot of heroic, and un-heroic things. He had a big amount of hubris. The Odyssey is about a god that travels the sea with his men and goes through so many obstacles to finally get home. People consider this to be a story about heroism because Odysseus did a lot of heroic things and saved a lot of people. I think a hero is a person who is brave and helps a lot of people out. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is not a hero because he is selfish, secretive, and uncaring. Odysseus is unheroic and shows being selfish when he drags his men …show more content…
Odysseus and his men went through Scylla, but Odysseus didn’t tell his men that he was sending them to/through Scylla. This is clearly shown when Odysseus states, “Voices came down to me in anguish, calling my name for the last time,” (Homer, 985). Instead of Odysseus telling his men about the monster Scylla, Odysseus didn’t care to tell his men about the monster they had to go through. Which is most clear in the words, “Voices came down to me in anguish.” Odysseus shows being unheroic because he didn’t give his men a heads up before they went through the monster. Even when his men were yelling for him to save them, he showed no remorse. This was a very ordeal for everyone. This shows being unheroic because if he was a hero, he would be saving his men, not watching them die. In The Odyssey, book 12, it states that once again, Odysseus didn’t tell his men about …show more content…
Odysseus shows being unheroic and uncaring when he makes his men wait until they are pretty much starving, to finally let them eat the cattle. Being uncaring means being inconsiderate, and not caring about others, or their feelings. Being uncaring means not having any sympathy or concern. Circe told Odysseus that he can't injure or kill the sun god Helios' cattle. So when Odysseus and his men got to the island, Odysseus didn't think to tell his men about what Circe had told him. Odysseus and his men ate everything and anything they could find on the island, that wasn’t the cattle. When Odysseus says,“Now after six full days my gallant crew can feast upon the prime beef,” (Homer, 990). Odysseus waited until they were close to dying until they were able to eat the cattle. Circe told Odysseus to not land on the island, and to not eat the sun god, Helios. Odysseus did not tell his men about this. He just told them not to eat the cattle. After almost a week, Odysseus and his men ate the cattle because they had no food. “...feast upon the prime

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