The typical vision of a hero in TV and in movies is someone who shows bravery and honor and fights for the greater good. Those qualities are important, however there are much more important qualities that makes a hero. The truth is that a hero is someone who shows selflessness and uses good judgement. In The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates heroic qualities during his journeys, however he lacks selflessness and good judgement. If he is a hero, then he would not be the only one who survives the entire journey.
Selflessness is the quality where a hero must put himself before others. A hero must sacrifice something of his whether it is his life or his strength when needed. What hurt Odysseus' chances of being a hero is that he is too proud of himself. While he encounters the Cyclops, Odysseus selfishly demands provisions from the Cyclops due to the hospitality code instead of just leaving peacefully. Selflessness also requires loyalty to someone, even if they are in a tempted situation. Odysseus could have proven himself with this quality by not cheating on Penelope with the Calypso and Circe. Those kinds of behavior is out of line and Odysseus needs to know that he must think of others before himself.
Using good judgement is necessary for being a hero because there are difficult decisions that a hero must make in order for the success of a mission. The choices a hero makes affect the outcome of the mission and the fate of his comrades. There are times where Odysseus makes bad decisions during his travels. A bad choice he thought of is not going straight back home when leaving Troy. He could have saved ten years of his life and his all of his men would not have perished. Being a leader he must think of the negative consequences when being given an opportunity. The best example would be is when he says "So he spoke, and and the evil counsel of my companions prevailed, and they opened the bag and the winds all burst out" (X,46). If he is the hero and leader he claims to be, then what he should have done is to hold the bag himself and use it when it is necessary or at least tell his crew what is in it. However he did not rule out the possibility of the fact that some crew members might be foolish enough to look into the bag. Odysseus needs to make wiser choices if he wants to be considered a hero.
Odysseus has heroic qualities; however, he needs to be more wiser with his decisions. Being selfless is heroic because they have courage to stand up to certain death and temptation. Having good judgement is heroic because it will determine the outcome of what the mission will be. Odysseus would have been successful in returning home if he only put in selflessness and good judgement into proper use. Those two qualities are more than enough to be classified as a hero.
The typical vision of a hero in TV and in movies is someone who shows bravery and honor and fights for the greater good. Those qualities are important, however there are much more important qualities that makes a hero. The truth is that a hero is someone who shows selflessness and uses good judgement. In The Odyssey, Odysseus demonstrates heroic qualities during his journeys, however he lacks selflessness and good judgement. If he is a hero, then he would not be the only one who survives the entire journey.
Selflessness is the quality where a hero must put himself before others. A hero must sacrifice something of his whether it is his life or his strength when needed. What hurt Odysseus' chances of being a hero is that he is too proud of himself. While he encounters the Cyclops, Odysseus selfishly demands provisions from the Cyclops due to the hospitality code instead of just leaving peacefully. Selflessness also requires loyalty to someone, even if they are in a tempted situation. Odysseus could have proven himself with this quality by not cheating on Penelope with the Calypso and Circe. Those kinds of behavior is out of line and Odysseus needs to know that he must think of others before himself.
Using good judgement is necessary for being a hero because there are difficult decisions that a hero must make in order for the success of a mission. The choices a hero makes affect the outcome of the mission and the fate of his comrades. There are times where Odysseus makes bad decisions during his travels. A bad choice he thought of is not going straight back home when leaving Troy. He could have saved ten years of his life and his all of his men would not have perished. Being a leader he must think of the negative consequences when being given an opportunity. The best example would be is when he says "So he spoke, and and the evil counsel of my companions prevailed, and they opened the bag and the winds all burst out" (X,46). If he is the hero and leader he claims to be, then what he should have done is to hold the bag himself and use it when it is necessary or at least tell his crew what is in it. However he did not rule out the possibility of the fact that some crew members might be foolish enough to look into the bag. Odysseus needs to make wiser choices if he wants to be considered a hero.
Odysseus has heroic qualities; however, he needs to be more wiser with his decisions. Being selfless is heroic because they have courage to stand up to certain death and temptation. Having good judgement is heroic because it will determine the outcome of what the mission will be. Odysseus would have been successful in returning home if he only put in selflessness and good judgement into proper use. Those two qualities are more than enough to be classified as a hero.