Michael Drambel

Miss Bonsmann
Honors English 10
10/30/15
Odysseus
The Ancient Greek warrior, Odysseus, is often disputed on whether he is a true hero. In
my opinion, a hero is a person who is able to complete difficult tasks and help the lives of the
people around them. Odysseus is tested with many difficult problems in the epic that help shape
the heroism of Odysseus. He makes some questionable decisions which sparks some controversy
of him being a true hero. I argue Odysseus is a genuine hero based on his abilities to defeat
difficult creatures, plan through difficult situations, and the attitude he demonstrates toward his
crew members. I will explain these points for the remainder of the essay.
For instance, Odysseus is faced with many dangerous creatures and events throughout the
epic. Odysseus is able to defeat many creature in the epic including the cyclops, Scylla, and
Charybdis. I will prove the heroism of Odysseus by discussing the situation in the Cyclops cave.
The cyclops captures Odysseus and all his crew in his cave. Odysseus used his intelligence to
defeat the much stronger and bigger cyclops. Odysseus is able to offer alcohol to the cyclops
causing him be intoxicated. Odysseus then strikes by stabbing the Cyclops in the eye with a fifty
foot piece of wood. The story describes the pain of the cyclops as, His lids and brow were all
singed by the heat from the burning eyeball and its roots crackled in the fire and hissed (Homer
72). Odysseus is able to demonstrate his courage and complete the Herculean task of stabbing
the Cyclops. Odysseus and his crew are able to escape the cave the next day because of the
planning of Odysseus, which I will explain in the next paragraph.

Thus, Odysseus shows his ability of careful planning in the cave of the cyclops. Odysseus and
his men are unable to open the door the cave and they needed to find a way for the cyclops to
move the rock. As the cyclops opens the boulder to flock his sheep, Odysseus came up with the
plan, Each middle sheep carried a man underneath, protected by the two on either side (Homer
74). The sheep sprinted right by the cyclops allowing the men to escape. Odysseus also utilizes
his ability of careful planning as they pass the Sirens. The Sirens are able to lure sailors in to be
killed by their smooth melody. Odysseus places wax in his crew members ears and tells them to
tie him to a pole and not untie him. They safely pass the Sirens with little difficulty. Odysseus is
able to show his ability to plan under pressure to achieve his goal. This brings me to my next
point of Odysseus attitude towards his crew members.
Accordingly, I will talk about the relationship of Odysseus and his crew members with
the death of Elepanor. The story states, Such were the sad words we exchanged sitting by the
pit, I on one side holding my sword over the blood, my comrades ghost on the other (Homer
97). Odysseus shows his compassion for his crew member and later holds a funeral. Odysseus
demonstrate a true quality of hero by showing his care for the people around him.
As I conclude this paper, I will explain why Odysseus should be considered a true hero. A
hero is able to defeat the obstacle in their path in order to achieve their ultimate goal. Odysseus is
able to achieve his goal of reaching his home of Ithaca through determination. Odysseus defeats
the creatures through his courage and his ability to use his intelligence. Odysseus possess the
qualities and his abilities that make up a true hero and should always be considered a true hero
we can use as motivation to live by today.