Why Do We Consider Odysseus to Be a Hero - 797 Words

Why do we consider Odysseus to be a hero? Was he all bullets and bravado like the â€Å"heroes† of today? Was he a testosterone and power armor kind of hero we see in video games? No, but he was heroic nonetheless. His loyalty, valor, humanity and most importantly, his intelligence, sets him apart from many other heroes from his era and from ours. He exemplifies the most important ideals of Homeric Greeks and is portrayed not only as a proud adventurer, but also as a caring father and a husband. Loyalty is one of the most important of Homeric Ideals. Odysseus has always been seen as loyal to his family in Ithica and the men who he travelled with. Some examples of his loyalty towards his family are his journey itself, traversing stormy seas†¦show more content†¦This would make him easy to relate to by the reader/audience. This is one area where Odysseus surpasses Beowulf. While Beowulf may have had unparallel courage, much of his qualities were often inhuman. Beowulf did not show to have very strong family bonds, whereas family bonds are the reason why Odysseus never gave up on his twenty-year journey home. He may have been easier to relate to during the era where his story was being told in taverns where nearly every man at one aspired to be a noble warrior. However, to the modern reader, Beowulf may seem like a heaping mass of muscle that while having strong values, showed little emotion. This makes Beowulf seem less realistic then Odysseus. The most renowned heroic quality of Odysseus was his intelligence. This is what sets him apart the most from many other heroes, such as Beowulf who would have tried to battle through every obstacle that came his way. Odysseus’s cunning is the main reason why he stayed alive, why Greece finally defeated Troy with the Trojan Horse, and ultimately the reason why he managed to get home against all odds. Even when confronted by the goddess Athene, he remains cautious and invents creative lies on the spot. His expertise in the art of deceit saved his life during his encounter with the Cyclops Polythemus. First, by convincing the Cyclops to drink the wine and putting him into a deep sleep where his single remained open. Secondly, by sharpening theShow MoreRelatedOdysseus, A Hero Essay1135 Words   |  5 PagesIs there such a thing as a true hero? Or are those that are considered heroes just regular people who made the right choice at the right time and became idolized for it? To be a true hero, the person would have to be totally good. It is impossible for a human being to be totally good because weaknesses, character faults, and the tendency to make mistakes are all rooted deeply into human nature. Therefore, no human being can ever truly be a hero, though we may do heroic deeds. A well known exampleRead MoreOdysseus : The Characteristics Of A Homeric Hero1720 Words   |  7 PagesA Homeric epic hero is considered to be above a normal human being. The traits of a typical epic hero are strength, loyalty, courage, and intelligence. In fact, the Macmillan Dictionary for Students defines a hero as one who is admired and looked up to for valor, achievements, and noble qualities (483). Odysseus fulfills all of the requirements for an epic hero and more. He demonstrates his ability to be an articulate speaker, and his poise aids him on his journey. His endless curiosity has gottenRead MoreWhat Is The Word Hero? Bravery?767 Words   |  4 PagesWhat comes to mind when you hear the word hero? Bravery? Courage? Selflessness? When you hear hero, you may think of Harry Potter who saved the world seven different times. You may think of Superman, and how he defeats the villains. You may think of Malala Yousafzai, who put her life on the line for her education. You may think of your mom, who cares and supports you unconditionally. God may come to mind, who continues to show mercy and forgiveness every day. These are all perfect, stereotypicalRead MoreHow Does Homer Use The Effectiveness Of Ajax s Speech1723 Words   |  7 Pagesnature of Achilles. In book IX of the Iliad, Ajax, known primarily for his brute strength and martial prowess, delivers the speech Achilles finds most compelling. Conversely, Odysseus, although the most adept orator sent, is the least effective in convincing Achilles to rejoin the war. In my opinion, this is because while Odysseus uses a well-reasoned and debatably superior argument, Ajax, as a character, is similar to Achi lles and is able to more effectively direct his argument towards Achilles’ definingRead MoreOdysseus Character Analysis2044 Words   |  9 PagesOdysseus is a man of many ways. He has seen numerous cities and has learned the minds of countless people (Book I: 1 – 4). He is glorious. Zeus calls him godlike, greatest among other men in mind (Book I: 65). Athena and Hephaestus taught him the arts of war and carpentry, respectively (Book IV: 233). He sacrificed more to the gods of heaven than any other mortal and thus, he is loved by all the gods. Additionally, he is a noble father and is as just and kind to his subjects as to his own kin. HeRead MoreThe Books Say Nothing !1723 Words   |  7 Pages I disagree with Betty when he states The books say nothing! Nothing you can teach or believe because in the text and in reality books do not say nothing, then they won t have any words in them. But looking deep within the books, many individuals can acknowledge that books hav e many capabilities, such as the ability to reveal the truth to people. As Faber states in the text Books has pores...the more pores, the more truthfully recorded details of life per square inch you can get on a sheetRead More`` Nightcrawler : The Homeric Perspective1596 Words   |  7 Pagesday choices. Hero’s are portrayed in modern day society to be someone who is willing to risk their lives for others, would you consider a hero to be someone who films a toddler being stabbed? Or how about someone who films the murder of three people and deceives the police? By using mood in Gilroy’s film the â€Å"Nightcrawler† character Louis Bloom represents a classical hero by following the hero’s journey all through the perception of a Homeric Greek. After millions of men died in the trojan war justRead MoreOdysseus Is Not A Hero1965 Words   |  8 PagesMerriam-Webster defines a hero as, â€Å"A person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.† For Odysseus to be a hero this definition is supposed to fit and describe him and his character, but why does this definition not describe or fit him and his character? This is because Odysseus is not a hero. Odysseus has done unethical things on his journey that makes him a person that should go unadmired. For example, when Odysseus ignored the death of his man in order to make more progress onRead MoreThe Odyssey : The Epic Tale Of Strength, Courage, Nobility, Knowledge, And Confidence2752 Words   |  12 PagesThe â€Å"Heroic† Odysseus The Odyssey is an epic tale of strength, courage, nobility, knowledge, and confidence reflected in a numerous amount of characters. The poem is centered on the most obvious candidate for a hero, Odysseus. However, many argue that he is, in fact, not a hero. He does not do things for other people out of the goodness of his heart, he does not consider other people’s values and needs, and he is self-centered and arrogant. There is also a difference between Odysseus having theRead More Tennysons Ulysses and The Lotos Eaters Essay1928 Words   |  8 PagesUlysses and The Lotos Eaters The great hero Odysseus has captivated readers throughout the ages. It is no surprise that the Victorian poet Tennyson not only read the Odyssey but wrote poetry about Odysseus as well. In the poems The Lotos Eaters and Ulysses, Tennyson remains true to the legends, but he infuses the characters with the ethos of his own day and his own experiences. The Lotos Eaters recalls the Homeric legend that has Odysseus and his men passing through an island that

The Black Death During The Middle Class - 1379 Words

When many people think of the Black Death they only think of the aspect of sick people dying. Although that was the tragedy that occurred, the whole picture includes social and economic changes within Europe. Since the population rapidly decreased due to the disease causing many to perish, the aftermath involved population regrowth, which also brought many changes along with it. Although a time of great loss, the Black Death allowed for the laboring class to financially benefit, causing financial distinctions amongst social classes to diminish. It also allowed for the rights of the lower class to increase and financial suffering for the middle class. The Black Death resulted in a push in the direction of modern Europe. Many people had different ideas on what caused the Plague. Some of the reasons included that God was correcting issues such as human wrongdoings, Jews were poisoning the Christians by putting poison in the water sources, and that an earthquake caused fumes to get into the air that people were then breathing in and becoming ill from (Marks, Geoffrey J). In reality, the plague was caused by Yersinia Pestis, which is a bacteria carried by rodents. If a rat carrying the bacteria were to bite a human, then the bacteria would enter the human’s bloodstream and would spread rapidly. The individuals that were affected had large swollen lymph nodes, high fever, and became delirious from pain (The Black Death). The most distinguishing side effect was patches on theShow MoreRelatedThe Effect Of The Black Death Essay1115 Words   |  5 PagesThe Affect of the Black Death England in the year 1250-1350 BC was prosperous in the field of agriculture production. This prosperity was brought by good weather and favorable climate. This in turn brought the increase growth and harvesting of cash crops, such as wools. The population in England during this period also increased, which means that workers and peasant also increase. Due to the increase of workers the labor forces become excessive. In order to resolve those excess workers, they wouldRead MoreThe Black Death And Its Effects979 Words   |  4 Pagesby trade ships. This disease was called the Black Death. â€Å"The Black Death earned its well-known nickname through its very visual symptoms. Once infected, a patient would notice the following symptoms: Painful swellings (known as buboes) in the lymph nodes (found in the neck, armpits, groin and legs).The bubo would become inflamed and would at first be a deep red in color, but as time passed the bubo would change from red to purple and finally to bla ck. Patients would also suffer with a particularlyRead MoreThe Author of the Black Death: John Aberth Essay828 Words   |  4 Pages There he teaches several history class. He has also taught at many other colleges in Vermont, including the University of Vermont. In 1992, John Aberth received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in Medieval Studies after he received his masters from the University of Leeds. He is the author of five books, whose main focus is the effects of the Black Death in the later Middle Ages, including The First Horsemen: Disease in Human History, The Black Death: The Great Mortality of 1348-1350,Read MoreEssay on The Black Death1474 Words   |  6 PagesThe Black Death was an extensive epidemic that spread across Europe from 1346 to 1353, killing over an estimated one-third of Europe’s entire population (Medieval World 56). Although historians are not entirely sure of its origin, the Black Death spread quickly across both Europe and Asia with a death toll that augmented rapidly. The plague also had unusual and deadly symptoms, causing â€Å"panic everywhere, with men and women knowing no way to stop death except to flee from it† (Kohn 28). The chaosRead MoreMiddle Ages And Renaissance Essay1123 Words   |  5 PagesMiddle ages Renaissance Stephani Klingensmith Western Governors University The middle ages, also known as the dark ages lasting about a thousand years. A time in history when life was hard and people were very poor. According to the article written in 2008 The middle ages western reserve public media, the middle ages were from 476A.D to 1450A.D. The article stated that the middle ages were called the dark ages because, the great civilization of Rome and Greece had been conquered. BecauseRead MoreThe Black Death And The Middle Ages879 Words   |  4 PagesThe Middle Ages lasted from the 5th century to the 15th century. Another name for this time period was the â€Å"Dark Ages† because many important records from this time was not able to be saved or they were lost. Many events that occurred in this time drastically affect the culture of the citizens of Europe. The Middle Ages affected the European World socially, politically, and religion wise. The lack of morale in the country called for a lot of changes to occur. The Black Death was one of the most drasticRead MoreThe Decameron Was A Collection Of Bawdy And Serious Tales Written By Boccaccio1006 Words   |  5 Pagesï » ¿Professor Mark Bocija, History 1111 Rezvan Ngalla November 16, 2015 The Decameron- Black Death. The Decameron was a collection of bawdy and serious tales written by Boccaccio. Boccaccio was most likely born in Florence or Certaldo and was the illegitimate son of a wealthy Florentine merchant, Bocacino di Chellino. As a youth he was trained to follow in his father s business but he eventually chose instead to study canon law and subsequently pursued the arts. It is a combination of Greek wordsRead MoreThe High Middle Ages1314 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Foster HIS-109 March 6, 2014 Professor Carta The High Middle Ages The Christian religions rise to supremacy in the middle ages was the result of several factors. Christians had long been persecuted by the Roman Empire because the Romans felt that Christianity challenged and offended the Greco-Roman Gods and the Christians were prone to revolt against Roman rule. Christianity survived because it had many teachings that appealed to the downtrodden in Roman society, these teachings beingRead MoreTupac Song Analysis924 Words   |  4 PagesThe first verse of the song discusses the effects of poverty observed in the majority of predominantly African American places of living. Historically, Black poverty had been an unresolved issue that persists even today. An NY Times article during the time had provided studies done by Richard P. Nathan, a professor of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University, which revealed that in the past decade (1980s), the African American poverty rate in the 50 major U.SRead MoreThe Pursuit Of Personal Fulfillment965 Words   |  4 PagesIrene and Brian: The pursuit of personal fulfillment in Passing In the novel Passing, Nella Larsen explores the intricacies of the social and ethical pressures mounted on the middle class bourgeoisie black community. The middle class black, as they aspired to embody the stereotypical image of middle class which boader on white values, represses their individuality and â€Å"blackness†. Some of the mixed race, African Americans who were pale enough to pass for white, take that opportunity to marry white

Education Is Life Iself Free Essays

EDUCATION IS LIFE ITSELF Once John Dewey said, â€Å"Education is not preparation for life; education is life itself. † It is quite difficult, even impossible to contend for the statement. We should clearly understand that education is a long process which lasts for the whole life. We will write a custom essay sample on Education Is Life Iself or any similar topic only for you Order Now More than that life is the best teacher we might ever have. In other words, we can denote that we live educating ourselves and educate ourselves for living. First of all, it is interesting to note that the notions â€Å"education† and â€Å"life† can be regarded as identical ones. The matter is that speaking about education we keep in mind that it is not just a period of life but a lifelong process of learning. As Albert Einstein once noticed, â€Å"Intellectual growth should commence at birth and cease only at growth. † Keeping to the point it should be also mentioned that education can be given and taken anywhere – at school, university or home. It doesn’t matter. However, there is no better teacher than life itself. Nobody can dispute it. People learn much deeper and more effectively through their own actions and mistakes. Life motivates, directs, controls and evaluates us. Life teaches us. What is more important, life is always fair towards us. That is why we consider life to be the best teacher. To sum up, it should be said that every person has his own attitude towards education. For some people education seems to be an obligation, even a burden, for others it is the meaning of life, for the rest it can be a means to achieve some higher goals†¦ but there is no doubt, education is the most powerful tool that has a certain impact on our lives. The other question is how to use this tool. Nukhayeva Kamila How to cite Education Is Life Iself, Essays

Art Museum Visit Essay Example For Students

Art Museum Visit Essay I went to the San Diego Museum of Art. They had all kinds of art from different time periods from different parts of the world. They had a special exhibition on Indian art and a gallery of photos about the history of America. At first I went to Asian art section, which had some stuff from Japan and a sculptures related to Buddhism. There was this collection of swords that I found kind of interesting. A piece (painting? ) by Yoshitoshi Mori caught my eye, it was called Warrior on a Horse. I liked it because the horse looked very cartoony. I think it was because the eyes were rather large. I went into another room with European art. The portraits I saw really put mine to shame, but there were plenty of ridiculously pale women and children back then. There was a panel called Mystic Marriage of St. Catherine with Saints and Angels by a workshop called the Master of Frankfurt. I thought the angels wings looked neat, it nice to see something different than the traditional white wings. I also saw this painting by Francisco de Zurbaran called Lamb of God. It was a depiction of a lamb tied up with a halo around its head. I really liked the concept of that. I also liked Daniel Seghers Garland of Flowers with the Holy Family. It looks like memorial for the Holy Family, or a grave marker. I just think it looks pretty. I didnt really find the Photo Gallery on America that interesting. It was called Changing America. Im very critical on photographs, it doesnt take that much skill to press a button, and the picture is a perfect representation of what you are trying to depict. So I better be totally blown away by the subject of the photograph. Some photos seem to do their job; they did capture the essence of the time. But others I looked at just made me say, what Another room featured only landscapes and cityscapes. I prefer landscapes/cityscapes to be without people. I dont know why, I just like it like that. I also prefer photos I take when I go on vacation to be without people, drives my mom nuts. But anyways, in the room of 15 works, only one was without people, and it wasnt really that great a scene. I went into the gallery of American paintings, and saw this really nice landscape of a volcano. It was called Sandwich Islands, done by Jules Taverner. Plus, it didnt have any people in it. It was very pretty, I liked it a lot. There were also a lot of still lifes, I thought it was funny to see dead animals in them. Although the place was huge, nothing really caught my eye. There was also a special gallery on Indian art (from India). I browsed by it pretty quickly, I didnt see anything new. I grew up in Malaysia, which is pretty rich in Indian culture, so nothing really surprised or amazed me. Overall the museum was ok, it wasnt the greatest art museum Ive been to, it wasnt the worse either. Looking at the older painting I got this surreal feeling. I couldnt believe that this picture was done at the time the tile said it was done. That this exact canvas was worked on hundreds of years ago. And if I followed this piece back in time to a certain point, some guy would be painting on it. I dont know why, it was just hard to grasp. I also noticed that the more modern the artwork, the more it gets further away from naturalism. The more recent works are not as real looking as the older ones. I really like naturalism better; I think it takes more skill to realistically depict something. When I look at a painting I want to feel like the artist is better than me, or seem more intelligent than me. It easier to look at a beautifully done landscape and feel that, than look at 3 squares. I know that the artist probably does have a thought process he/she goes through before painting merely 3 squares on the canvas, but it still doesnt impress me much.