Odysseus Greek Hero Essay

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J. Michael Straczynski, the American writer and producer, said “[t]he point of mythology or myth is to point to the horizon and to point back to ourselves: This is who we are; this is where we came from; and this is where we're going. And a lot of Western society over the last hundred years - the last 50 years really - has lost that. We have become rather aimless and wandering.” Today when people think of the mythology of Rome, Greece, or Egypt, they might think of statues in museums or parks or distant unrelatable characters. While many people see the heroes of Rome, Greece, and Egypt as little more than statues in the park or cartoon movie characters, the reality is that famous mythological heroes such as Hercules, Odysseus, and Isis still influence modern society today. Hercules, the most famous and well known Roman hero, remains an important hero today, because he teaches society the values of perseverance and using one’s personal strengths. In addition to his physical strength, Hercules displays strength of character when his wife and his children die. Hercules neither complains nor refuses when he is ordered to complete twelve impossible tasks to repent for his family’s death, despite the fact that it is Hera’s fault that his wife and children die. Instead, Hercules shows perseverance when tasked with the twelve heavy labors. Hercules does not even despair when King Eurystheus refuses to credit Hercules for two of these completed tasks because of spite. Additionally, Hercules exhibits a large amount of honorable moral character throughout his life, despite Hera’s efforts to discredit him and make Hercules’ life miserable. Hercules strives to achieve great glory in his life and is well known for the amazing feats he completes. Hercules’ accomplishments make him the perfect embodiment of an idea the Greeks called pathos, the experience of virtuous struggle and suffering which would lead to fame and, in Hercules' case, immortality. J. …show more content…
K. Rowling, one of my favorite authors, has said, “Of all the subjects on this planet, I think my parents would have been hard put to name one less useful than Greek mythology to securing the keys to an executive bathroom.” Odysseus, a prominent Greek Hero, is important to society because he perfectly demonstrates the timely use of craftiness, prevarication, and resourcefulness. Odysseus uses craftiness and a timely use of prevarication to help his crew escape the cyclops, Polyphemus. He also uses resourcefulness to help his crew escape the sirens and make sure he could listen to their song without suffering any of the consequences. Using craftiness and wisdom, Odysseus and his crew escape Circe and sail past Scylla instead of Charybdis. He uses craftiness to choose the option which will result in the least amount of lost lives. He uses resourcefulness such as when he dresses as an old beggar when he returns home and contends with the suitors trying to marry his wife. Because of this, he gets rid of all the unwanted men in his house and is reunited with his wife. Odysseus, the favored hero of Athena for obvious reasons, wisely uses his craftiness, prevarication, and resourcefulness to overcome all of the challenges that await him on his return trip home and we can learn from his example how to confront everyday challenges in a wise and clever way. Isis, an important Egyptian heroine, teaches society the importance of being a good parent and the importance of patience. Isis is known as

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