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  • Essay / How Odysseus Isn't a Hero, He Seems to Be

    In the 21st century, I would consider a hero to be a person who commits acts of courage and kindness. Many people would recognize this individual as a true hero if they performed these acts in order to help others. After fighting in the Trojan War, Odysseus returns to his homeland of Ithica. During his adventure, he really shows his arrogance, ruthlessness and ignorance. After examining his adventures and actions in depth, Odysseus is not the “hero” he appears to be. Odysseus may seem like a hero, but many of his "brave or kind" actions in places such as the island of the Cyclops, the Sirens, and Ithica are just ways to earn kleos or wealth. 'honor. As I have already noted, Odysseus falsely claims to help others. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay To begin with, Odysseus's actions on the island of the Cyclops were unfamiliar to him and dangerous to his crew. In book ! If anyone ever asks you who extinguished your ugliness, tell them that your blinder was Odysseus, the conqueror of Troy, the son of Laertes, whose address is in Ithaca. These quotes reassure the ignorance of Odysseus, who had many advice from intelligent men, but he himself only listened to one person. This ignorance then led to the deaths of other men. Even after Odysseus finished distracting the Cyclops, he had to make sure to get his "honor" by telling Polyphemus that he was the one who put out his eye. This was a reckless act on his part, as it cost him valuable time to escape and led to him being further cursed by Poseidon. This is what author Lloyd Alexander says: "Every man is a hero if he strives more for others than for himself." » Following Odysseus' statements and actions, he almost gave himself up to Scylla and Charybdis shows his pride and ego. In Book XII they state: “Suppose I move away from Charybdis and fight when the others attack my men”… “She immediately replied: “You hothead!” Fighting and looking for trouble is all you care about.” These quotes reassure Odysseus' arrogance, because Odysseus believes that he is strong enough to fight an immortal being and would risk causing more men to die rather than rely on a wise nymph. He tries to boost his ego by trying to show his strength, but doesn't consider that his actions would affect how his men perform. Odysseus wanted others to know his “strength” by being recognized as the man who “defeated” Charybdis without considering all factors. Finally, Odysseus' actions on Ithica against his maids showed his ruthlessness. In Book XXII they say: “Drive out the women between the domed house and the courtyard wall, and run your swords through them; kill them all and teach them to forget their secret movements and their cuddles with these gallant giants.” This quote personifies the ruthlessness and coldness of Odysseus. Odysseus did not need to kill all these women just to show his “loyalty” to his people. He didn't even consider that they treated the maids like slaves. With his reasoning, this shows his unfair reasoning and hypocrisy because he slept with other women like Calypso. Odysseus just wanted to look like a hero in his homeland, but he doesn't care about morality to get the title. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get now.