The Hero In Homer And Roger Rosenblatt's The Iliad

The definition of a hero is often one that is subjective to the individual. The portrait of hero can be painted and viewed differently based upon those observing his or her actions. In the epic, The Iliad by Homer, Hector, known as the guardian of Troy, is seen as a heroic by the Trojan people. Hector, a prince of Troy, is the best fighter of all the Trojans, and known for his astounding character. In the article “The Man in the Water” written by Roger Rosenblatt, the man in the water can also be seen as heroic through his life saving actions while in a perilous situation. The actions of “The Man in the Water”, define a hero as someone who is willing to knowingly sacrifice himself for the greater good, while also providing hope to those around …show more content…
Hector constantly puts others before himself, and willingly accepts that he will die by continuing to fight when speaking with Andromache, he states, “I tell you this- no one escapes his fate, not the coward, nor the brakeman, from the moment of his birth . . . war will be every man’s concern, especially mine” (6.131-137). Hector accepts his fate that he will die in the Trojan war, and by doing so he saves the lives of many Trojan men by fighting. He selflessly chooses to fight for his country when he could instead run away from from his death. By continuing to fight, Hector decides to sacrifice his life for the Trojan people. In addition, as as the Trojans prepare to attack the Achaeans, Hector issued orders and is seen as god-like amongst the other Trojan men as, “Hector carried his shield, an even perfect circle. As some ominous star now suddenly appears, shining through the clouds and then disappears again into the cloud cover, that’s how Hector looked, as he showed up in the, then in the rear, issuing orders. All in shining bronze, he flashed like lightning from Father Zeus” (11.32-38). Hector is characterized as god-like and ultimately acts like one too. Furthermore, Hector provides life, and also order to those around him as he is able to fluently command the Trojans. In addition, the comparison of Hector and a star can be seen as his …show more content…
Throughout the article, “The Man in the Water”, by Roger Rosenblatt, the selfless actions of the man to sacrifice himself in order to save the lives of others depicts heroism at its finest. This sacrificial suicide of a human for the rest of his kind is the ultimate act of courage; the realization of how the life of one person compared to thousands is truly an act of Nirvana. As Siddhartha Guatama said, “ To conquer oneself is a greater task than conquering