December 18, 2012
“Hero” Writing Assignment Would somebody still be considered a hero even if they had help with every problem he or she faced? Well, in the classic Greek novel The Odyssey, written by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, goes through a long journey in which he faces many challenges. When he originally left his true love, Penelope, to fight in the battle of Troy, he never expected that his expedition to return home would take 20 years. During that time period, several suitors tried to prove themselves to Penelope to take Odysseus’ place. Odysseus, on the other hand, faces the ultimate test: staying loyal and faithful not only to his wife, but to the men and women who helped him return home as well. Odysseus obtains many traits of a hero, like confidence and bravery. However, he overcame the obstacles that he faced with help from various g-ds and g-desses, which therefore disqualifies him as a true hero. Athena in particular, helped Odysseus with a lot of things when he initially arrived on the land of the Phaeacians. She not only altered Odysseus’ appearance to make him seem more g-d like, she planted in confidence Nausicaa’s heart so she wouldn’t run away at Odysseus’ lack of clothing. On page 172 of the Odyssey, it says,
After Nausicaa lent him some clothing and gave him some food, Odysseus walked (alone) towards the main town. When he reached the city, Athena disguised herself, again, as a little girl who pretended to guide him to the palace. She then set up a magical mist to shield Odysseus in order to protect him from other men in the town (stranger = danger). Without all the help he received from Athena and various g-ds and goddesses, all besides Poseidon, Odysseus wouldn’t have had the chance to return home. Not to mention, that he never thanked them for what they did. A true leader would be brave in any situation; if they faced a challenge, they would try to do it on their own before taking advice and/or accepting help. Even though Odysseus is courageous and loyal, without the help he received, he wouldn’t have made it home safely. In my opinion, Odysseus is not a hero, just a good leader.
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