Odysseus, 69, died April 4th, 1152 BC, by disease, when sailing on the ocean. Odysseus was born in Ithaca. He was the son of Laertes. He and his wife Penelope had a child named Telemuchus. As the king of Ithaca, Odysseus led his troops went on the fight which lasted for 10 years, the Trojan War. During this journey, he and his troops encountered a numerous of difficulties and obstacles, like Circe, cyclopes, and the Sirens. However, Odysseus conquered every single difficulty with his intelligence, courage, and immense strength.
Finally, he reached his homeland, but found a problem with the suitors of his wife gathered during his absent. He again, solved this problem with his cunning and strength and got back his kingdom. He is a semi-god hero. Intelligence, brave, and strong. Those three important characteristics make Odysseus a hero. He showed his intelligence when he and his troops were planning to escape from the one-eye monster, cyclopes. Odysseus called himself ‘nobody’ so that cyclopes couldn’t know who he actually is and made cyclopes seemed crazy later on.
Also, he told all men to hide under the sheep to go out of the cave so that the monster couldn’t discover their action. Moreover, Odysseus was brave enough to go to the underworld, where no living things exist. He also showed his immense strength when he pulled open a bow which no one else were able to do. Odysseus is a man who face difficulties with confidence and courage. Odysseus is a man who got both powerful physical strength and mental strength. Odysseus is a man who I admire. He is a hero. To my opinion, a hero should do things for the goods of other people, the country, and the society, just like Odysseus.
A hero should be caring for others, he/she should be willing to sacrifice in order to achieve the good of others, even willing to sacrifice his/her life. A hero should also be moral, making ethically right decisions. In addition, a hero should help others when needed at any time. ‘Hero’ this word is not only used to describe people who are famous, or who have had done big successful things, it can also be used to describe people who are not famous but have passion in their hearts. I think everyone can be a hero.
Bibliography
- David, McConkey. Brandon. and Manitoba, eds. Obituary Guide. August, 2007. 18th, Aug, 2010. <http://www.obituaryguide.com/index.php>
- James, Hunter. Odysseus. MMVI Encyclopedia Mythica. 3, March, 1997. 18th, Aug, 2010. <http://www.pantheon.org/articles/o/odysseus.html>
