Heroism, an ambiguous word that can be interpreted into numerous definitions, such as “great bravery” or “good deeds.” But when held accountable as a quantity, or a measurement of “how much there is” in an individual, do we define a hero as a character who has the most valiant traits or a character with fewer heroic attributes but to a greater extent? In both situations, Odysseus meets the criteria more thoroughly than Everett does; he inherits more of these characteristics, all to a wider breadth. In other words, Odysseus portrays a greater capability of successfully completing life-threatening quests and slipping away from death right on the dot as compared to Everett on a much greater scale because of his role as an honorable and mighty leader, his past experiences during life-or-death situations, and his
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In the midst of a confrontation with a menacing Cyclops several times his size with no hopes of fleeing, he had no choice but to watch Polyphemus greedily gorge his men whole. Nonetheless, this compelled him to start analyzing his surroundings to formulate an escape plan. “He left me there, plotting a nasty scheme deep in my heart, some way of gaining my revenge on him…An enormous club belonging to the Cyclops was lying there beside a stall…Moving over to it, I chopped off a piece, six feet in length.” (page 175) Odysseus, full of ideas and grit, challenged the Cyclops, “lifted up that stake of olive wood and jammed its sharpened end down in his eye.” (page 178) Carrying out his plot the way he wished to, Odysseus managed to defeat Polyphemus and slip away. On the other hand, Everett is quite rash in getting himself in and out of danger. Recognizing Tommy Johnson as a victim prepared to be hung, he dives in without a second thought to rescue him. He catches himself tangled in the turmoil and, relying merely on the luck of a falling cross, stumbles himself out of the
In the midst of a confrontation with a menacing Cyclops several times his size with no hopes of fleeing, he had no choice but to watch Polyphemus greedily gorge his men whole. Nonetheless, this compelled him to start analyzing his surroundings to formulate an escape plan. “He left me there, plotting a nasty scheme deep in my heart, some way of gaining my revenge on him…An enormous club belonging to the Cyclops was lying there beside a stall…Moving over to it, I chopped off a piece, six feet in length.” (page 175) Odysseus, full of ideas and grit, challenged the Cyclops, “lifted up that stake of olive wood and jammed its sharpened end down in his eye.” (page 178) Carrying out his plot the way he wished to, Odysseus managed to defeat Polyphemus and slip away. On the other hand, Everett is quite rash in getting himself in and out of danger. Recognizing Tommy Johnson as a victim prepared to be hung, he dives in without a second thought to rescue him. He catches himself tangled in the turmoil and, relying merely on the luck of a falling cross, stumbles himself out of the