Hero Comparison Essay: Odysseus vs Gandhi
Hero Comparison Essay
K A K
16/12/2011
A hero, a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster). There are two types of heroes, epic heroes and modern heroes. Odysseus, one of the most famous epic heroes ever, will be compared to Mahatma Gandhi, a modern day hero, to see if there really is a large gap separating the two types. However, one thing is certain, modern heroes can be identical to epic heroes if they are larger than life, embody the ideals of their culture, embark on a perilous journey, and possess super-human, prominent characteristics.
Epic heroes are always larger than life; however, modern day heroes can achieve amazing feats too. Odysseus, an epic hero, demonstrated this through the gods’ interference with his affairs. Poseidon played a major role in knocking Odysseus off course (Applebee, 912). Also, he is so famous, that people all over Greece know him. For instance, the Phaeacians sung about Odysseus’ triumph in Troy to Odysseus just a couple of years after it happened (Mythweb). Gandhi, my hero, achieved independence for his country using only nonviolent protest. This is shown by the “Salt March”, in which he embarked on a 240 mile march, protesting about the British salt tax, which made it illegal to sell or produce salt, allowing a complete British monopoly (Thenagain). Also, he has quotes that will live on forever, such as, “Where there is love there is life”, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, and, “An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind” (Proverbia). These quotes are some of the most used and repeated quotes of all time. In different ways, Odysseus and Gandhi are both larger than life, proving that epic heroes and modern day heroes aren’t very different after all.
Another characteristic of epic heroes would be how they embody the ideals of their culture. In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus warns Polyphemus, a giant, man-eating cyclops, that
K A K
16/12/2011
A hero, a mythological or legendary figure often of divine descent endowed with great strength or ability (Merriam-Webster). There are two types of heroes, epic heroes and modern heroes. Odysseus, one of the most famous epic heroes ever, will be compared to Mahatma Gandhi, a modern day hero, to see if there really is a large gap separating the two types. However, one thing is certain, modern heroes can be identical to epic heroes if they are larger than life, embody the ideals of their culture, embark on a perilous journey, and possess super-human, prominent characteristics.
Epic heroes are always larger than life; however, modern day heroes can achieve amazing feats too. Odysseus, an epic hero, demonstrated this through the gods’ interference with his affairs. Poseidon played a major role in knocking Odysseus off course (Applebee, 912). Also, he is so famous, that people all over Greece know him. For instance, the Phaeacians sung about Odysseus’ triumph in Troy to Odysseus just a couple of years after it happened (Mythweb). Gandhi, my hero, achieved independence for his country using only nonviolent protest. This is shown by the “Salt March”, in which he embarked on a 240 mile march, protesting about the British salt tax, which made it illegal to sell or produce salt, allowing a complete British monopoly (Thenagain). Also, he has quotes that will live on forever, such as, “Where there is love there is life”, “You must be the change you wish to see in the world”, and, “An eye for eye only ends up making the whole world blind” (Proverbia). These quotes are some of the most used and repeated quotes of all time. In different ways, Odysseus and Gandhi are both larger than life, proving that epic heroes and modern day heroes aren’t very different after all.
Another characteristic of epic heroes would be how they embody the ideals of their culture. In “The Odyssey”, Odysseus warns Polyphemus, a giant, man-eating cyclops, that
Cited: Applebee, Arthur N. The Language of Literature. Evanston, IL: McDougal Littell, 2006. Print. Benner, Alana. "Gandhi Salt March: 1930." Then Again. . . 12 Sept. 2003. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://www.thenagain.info/webchron/india/SaltMarch.html>. Fischer, Louis. The Life of Mahatma Gandhi. London: HarperCollins, 1997. Print. Herman, A.L. Community, Violence, & Peace. New York: State University of New York, 1999. Print. "Hero - Definition and More from the Free Merriam-Webster Dictionary." Dictionary and Thesaurus - Merriam-Webster Online. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hero> Kelly. "The My Hero Project - Mahatma Gandhi." The MY HERO Project. 16 May 2005. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://myhero.com/go/hero.asp?hero=gandhi_fredericksburg_05_ul>. "Mahatma Gandhi Quotes - Quotations and Famous Quotes by Mahatma Gandhi." Famous Quotes, Quotations and Proverbs in Proverbia.net. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://en.proverbia.net/citasautor.asp?autor=12726>. Skidmore, Joel. "The Odyssey - Book Eight - Detailed Version." Greek Mythology. Fleet Gazelle. Web. 16 Dec. 2011. <http://www.mythweb.com/odyssey/book08.html>