Who Is Athena A Hero In The Odyssey

Improved Essays
A hero is someone who steps up when everyone else backs down. Heros come in all different sizes but are recognized as people who are admired for their great qualities and good deeds. Both Athena, a goddess from the book the Odyssey by Homer and Harry Potter, a wizard from the book series by JK Rowling are considered great heros. While it is true that Athena is a great hero, it could be said that Harry Potter appears to be an even greater hero because he is loyal, selfless and has courage. Both Athena and Harry Potter are heros that share the quality of selflessness. Athena to begin is selfless. According to the book The Odyssey by Homer, Athena helped Odysseus even though he was in great danger( The Odyssey). This shows that Athena is selfless because she is willing to help Odysseus at any …show more content…
Harry Potter on the other hand is much more selfless because he miraculously risks his life to save others.According to the book The Deathly Hallows by Jk Rowling, Harry risks his life in order to save others from Voldemort( Harry Potter The Deathly Hallows). Some may think Athena is a better hero because she is helping Odysseus but this shows that Harry is more selfless because he is helping everyone at the risk of his own life. Another way Harry Potter is more selfless is he is willingly able to give up stuff just to help his friends. According to the text, Harry gives up the Deathly Hallows just to defeat Voldemort(Harry Potter The Deathly Hallows). While some may believe that Athena is more selfless this shows that Harry is more selfless because he is willing to give up stuff that might help him to help others. Athena and Harry also share the key quality of a hero, courage. Athena to begin has as much courage as Batman. According to the text, Confident Athena is going to help Odysseus defeat the suitors(The Odyssey). This shows that Athena has courage because she is prepared

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Odyssey and The Wizard of Oz both have heroes that make the story epic and intriguing. In each story a hero is present with supernatural abilities or qualities that help them along their journey home. A) Odysseus would be the brave hero in The Odyssey because he is smart and makes decisions based on h is mental ability. 1) One example of when Odysseus use his brain was when the cyclops Polyphemus asked Odysseus what his name is and Odysseus respond with nobody.…

    • 622 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Odyssey “I see destruction for ship and crew. Thought you survive alone(780/645-646).” This is one of the main plots in the Odyssey, by Homer. The Odyssey is about an epic hero named Odysseus, king of Ithaca, tries to get back home after the Trojan war, but it takes twenty years to get back to his palace because of Poseidon, the sea god.…

    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    How is Athena important to the story so far? Why? Athena, the goddess of wisdom, and a major character in The Odyssey, is significant in the story so far by becoming the supporter to both Odysseus and Telemachus. Unlike other gods and goddesses, Athena favors and lavish Odysseus to the point that she became the passionate goddess that plead with her father, Zeus, to help Odysseus out.…

    • 457 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Hero: (noun) A man of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his brave deeds and noble qualities. In the epic poem called “The Odyssey” by Homer, the main character, Odysseus, is forced from his home to pursue his duties as king of Ithaca. He leaves to protect his country and win the trojan war. Once Odysseus is in the midst of his quest, he is faced with many conflicts of which he must overcome.…

    • 934 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Outline Is Odysseus a hero According to Maya Angelou a “Hero is any person really intent on making a better place for all people.” In other words, a hero is someone that makes sacrifices, and contributes to others. In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus must defeat supernatural obstacles such as gods, and cyclops to return home to his son and wife after 20 years. Although Odysseys is quickly perceived as a hero through its narrative perspective, He is ultimately an antihero which is explained through Odysseus’s selfish personality, and lack of compassion.…

    • 1075 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    “…A hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people” (Maya Angelou; American author, poet, and civil rights activist). The world is filled with many epic characters, movie stars, and other people that are considered to be heroes: one of them is Odysseus. However, many of Odysseus’ actions brought forth the fact that he was not heroic. A hero is selfless, humble, and a good leader that has many admirable values and. While Odysseus, did not have those qualities.…

    • 1063 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Odysseus Being A Hero

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages

    To be a hero you have to have characteristics of being brave, strong, and willing to risk your life for your friends or family. In The Odyssey, Odysseus has different heroic characteristics like being very strategic, having an emotional side and being a leader. Odysseus and his men are trying to get home to Ithaca. Odysseus has to do some heroic things and lose all the lives of his men as he learns to overcome challenges. Odysseus is a very strategic leader.…

    • 312 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    During the relative time of Odysseus and Antigone, a hero could be a man or a woman, someone who belonged to a divine ancestry, who was favored by the Gods, and showed great courage and strength in one’s actions. When reflecting upon heroes from the works we have read, the first two that came to my mind were Sophocles 's Antigone, and Homer’s Odysseus. These two characters exhibit heroic actions throughout both works, and stick to their ways by portraying perseverance and confidence. Sophocles’ Antigone is about a passionate woman who arrives in Thebes to see that both of her brothers are dead. Her brother, Polyneices, is not being granted a proper burial because the infamous leader, Kreon, has prohibited a burial for him to occur.…

    • 1243 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus Epic Hero

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Epic Heroes: Odysseus and Harry Potter The Odyssey by Homer tells the story of Odysseus, a young man who spends twenty years of his life from the people he loves. After a ten-year war, he and his companions fight to come home to Ithaca, but are continuously stalled by ferocious monsters and captivating goddesses. Odysseus serves as the model for an epic hero.…

    • 836 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Maryam Poonawalla Sadia Warraich Essay The Odyssey Every hero is composed of exclusive characteristics that defines them in a unique way. In today’s society heroes are often described by their significant character traits such as; courage,loyalty and great strength. In the epic poem, The Odyssey the main character Odysseus fulfills all these characteristics by defeating his enemies with the help of his crew.…

    • 804 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    (Homer 598). This quote proves that Athena was the reason Odysseus was able to succeed in his Supreme Ordeal by killing all the suitors and saving Penelope. Without Athena Odysseus would have had no guidance, no help, and no time to prepare for his final test. Joseph Campbell writes in the monomyth how important allies are by saying “without assistance of their companions and helpers along the way, most heroes would fail miserably” (Campbell). This quote stands by Odysseus when he comes across his Supreme Ordeal, without the help of Athena Odysseus would have failed himself, his wife, and kingdom.…

    • 867 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Odysseus Hero Quotes

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Odysseus What is a hero? A hero is a person who combats adversity through impressive feats of ingenuity, strength or bravery. In The Odyssey written by Homer, the protagonist Odysseus has traits of a hero such as loyalty, courage, and cunningness. The king of Ithaca shows these traits multiple times throughout his twenty year journey home.…

    • 502 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Be bold, have nothing to fear" (Homer 181). Here again, Athena is helping Odysseus as an Angel. In our Bible, Jesus also said I will send you my spirit to protect you ….. In other words, the Greek gods is like our God, they establish strong relationships with us and ensure that we, people are going in the right path. Further examples of Athena's role in The Odyssey prove this.…

    • 869 Words
    • 4 Pages
    • 1 Works Cited
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Ever heard the story of Odysseus? He is one of the most recognizable epic heroes in Greek Mythology. An epic hero is someone who possesses strength, courage and desires to achieve immortality through heroic actions. Take Theseus for example. He shows his strength when he preferred to go through the dangerous road rather than the safe sea.…

    • 590 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Throughout the history of literature, there have been many different examples of the characteristics present in a heros. Such works of literature come from great ancient societies such as the Greeks and the Romans. “Ancient Greek society placed considerable emphasis on literature and, according to many, the whole Western literary tradition began there, with the epic poems of Homer. ”(Mastin) Examples of these include Homer’s, The Iliad and The Odyssey, as well as Virgil’s The Aeneid.…

    • 785 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays