Heroes in the odyssey
Heroes in the odysseyWhat kinds of things make up a hero? Well, there are many characteristics and attributes that a hero can have. The dictionary says that a hero is; 1. In mythology and legend, a man, often of divine ancestry, who is endowed with great courage and strength, celebrated for his bold exploits, and favored by the gods. or 2. A person noted for special achievement in a particular field. But what really makes up a hero? But what divides any normal day person from a hero or heroine? The Odyssey tells us a lot about the physical qualities of what make up a hero. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is a very strong man. He can solve any problem or dilemma by using his strength, and quick thinking to get his men, and especially himself, out of a fix. However, Joseph Campbell goes deeper into what a hero is all about. He describes the different kinds of heroes there are, if there are different kinds, and he generalizes these heroes so you can understand the many definitions that there can be about them. I wonder if there is only one kind of hero out there. If there is one kind of hero that can live up to their laws, instead of someone else’s. These two pieces of writing have clearly supported the question of “Is there one kind of hero?” and “What makes up a hero?”. These two pieces of writing have described what a hero, is and how heroes will act.
In the book The Odyssey, the main character, the main hero, Odysseus, is trying to get home from the land of Troy. He has just taken part in a battle and has survived. Odysseus is a very strong, handsome, and intelligent man. He knows how to get out impossibly situations of gods, goddesses, monsters, and even hardships at sea. He has the help of Athena, a goddess, who guides him through his heroic journey home. However, this is the only kind of hero Homer is portraying in this book. He is describing a man who can take on anything, any battle and any storm. This hero is obviously someone who will get what he wants, like with the Sirens. “If you wish to hear them yourself, make the men tie up your hands and feet and fasten your body tight to the mast, and then you can enjoy the song as much s you like” (The Odyssey, p. 139) Athena is speaking to Odysseus, telling him he can listen to the beautiful voices of the Sirens and bask in its beauty. Because Odysseus is the hero, as the main character, and the leader of the boat, he is the only one who gets to hear the gorgeous voices. The rest of his men must close up their ears and watch Odysseus so he doesn’t break free and fall into the Siren’s trap. Here is where being the hero definitely pays off. Odysseus gets to take advantage of this opportunity, he can listen and not worry about falling into the trap. Odysseus is also being very selfish here. This hero gets to do and get anything he wants. The hero in The Odyssey is very selfish and conceded. Odysseus knows what he wants and he’s going to get it. Now how is that fair for the people who aren’t the heroes, the ones helping him out. This is how the Odyssey is portraying a hero. They are showing that he can get what he wants and that it is okay for him to do so at any time.
“As soon as they tasted that honey sweet fruit, they thought no more of coming back to us with news, but rather to stay there with the lotus-eating natives, and chewing the lotus, and good bye to home. I brought them back to the ship by main forces, grumbling and complaining, and when I had them there, tied them up and shoved them under the benches” (The Odyssey, p. 102) Odysseus is taking real authority. He has made a decision and gone all the way with it by taking his men physically, with his own two hands, on to the boat and tie them up. The rest of his men took orders and helped him do this. He guided the ship back on it’s path, never loosing any men to the lotus. He was performing a very unselfish, kind, heroic deed for the welfare of others. Now he is showing the kindness a hero can give. Here is another characteristic of the strong hero in The Odyssey. “Tomorrow morning I want to go and beg in the town, for I don’t like to be a burden you all. I should also like to find the house of Odysseus, and tell my news to the noble lady, and have a try at those high mighty groom-to-be; perhaps they will give me a meal, for they live on the fat of the land” (The Odyssey, p. 175) Odysseus has used trickery and the power of the gods to transform himself into an old man. This way he found out news much better about his family and the life that had proceeded while he was away. The hero used a very smart and fortunate trick to get what he wanted and reach his goal of getting back home safe and sound to his family. Odysseus has once again been strong and noble about the task that he wants to over come, and went for it. This is another attribute a hero must have. He must know what he wants and go with it, and he had the help for a higher power to do so. The Odyssey has said without that confidence, power, and knowledge you would never be able to make it on your quest.
Joseph Campbell has, in a way, dissected heroism, and understandably made it clear that there is more than one kind of hero. “The main character is a hero or heroine who has found or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and experience. A hero is someone who has given his or her life to something bigger than oneself.” (The Hero’s Adventure, p. 127) This is a very important comment because it lets the reader know that the act of heroism goes a long way. Now we know that a hero can have a wide range of boundaries to define with. It reminds us that any person, from any form or category, of helping and succeeding, can be a hero. “There are two types of deeds. One is the physical deed, in which the hero performs a courage act in a battle or saves a life. The other kind is the spiritual deed in which the hero learns to experience the supernormal range.” (The Hero’s Adventure, p. 127) Joseph Campbell is distinctively making a clear point in distinguishing the two kinds of deeds a hero can do. Now these are very general, but they lead you in the right path of identifying a hero. In this easy passage you get to understand what a hero is made up of, and what kind of journey they will be going on, a physical or spiritual journey. Joseph Campbell says there are two kinds of heroes, “some that choose to take the journey and some that don’t.” (The Hero’s Adventure, p. 129) Some intentionally decide to perform the deed and have the adventure. Others are thrown into doing something good for another, and rising “above normality”. Many times people read books or see movies with distinctive kinds of heroes. People say that those things never happen in real life, that people are never treated that way or act that way. However, they are wrong. People are doing acts of heroism and courage every day. Helping an old person walk across the street, teaching fire safety to a group of people, or tutoring a child. These are all deeds that can affect the people they are helping greatly. Joseph says that they do happen all the time in real life, “you bet it-and if he doesn’t recognize it, it may turn him into Darth Vader.” (The Hero’s Adventure p.147) This is what reading about about heroes and heroines gets you to do. It makes you relate your life to theirs of a hero and see how you can help someone in need. You see how many people are living their lives and how you can change yours to be better. To be a hero you don’t have to fit into some sort of suit or height requirement. You just need to affect somebody’s life in a positive way, possibly courageous, possibly strong, possibly smart. Any way is still heroism, and this piece of writing lets you know that. It teaches you about what a hero is really about, all of the good and the bad.
Joseph Campbell is creating a more “politically correct” form of a hero. The Odyssey is incorporating strength and knowledge into what a hero is made up of. However, what if a person just does an act of courage and saves somebody’s life. If they aren’t smart or strong or witty they are still a hero or heroine. Joseph Campbell distinguishes that in his piece saying that any person can be a hero, no matter who they are. He even states that the Beatles were heroes. They appeared at perfect timing with the era and brought a whole new name to music. “The public hero is sensitive to the needs of his time. The Beatles brought a new spiritual depth into popular music which started a fad, let’s call it, for meditation and Oriental music.” (The Hero’s Adventure, p. 134) This music taught young people all about meditation and oriental music and they understood what it was about and what it meant. Their music probably saved people from horrors in their lives and doing that is definitely a form of heroism. Many times hero’s and heroines die in stories and fables. If you don’t die that still doesn’t mean you aren’t a hero. “You can’t say life is useless because it ends in the grave.” (The Hero’s Adventure, p. 135) Many people think if a person died for what they believed in of for their act of heroism than it wasn’t worth it and their try was useless. Many people give lives for others. “Out of the given life comes a new one”, says a myth. If someone dies for a cause of helping there will be good and change resulted from it. No matter what the person, no matter what the task, no matter how it ends up, all are equally heroic and amazing.
Reading these two pieces of writing has made me realize that a hero is so much more than what they look on the outside. The meaning of hero goes deep into the soul. There is not one possible way you can show all the sides of a hero in one person because there are so many ways to portray a hero, and each one is correct. It is important for people to know what is made up of a hero, especially if they have read a book like The Odyssey because that book only presents one version of a hero. It doesn’t portray the many sides heroes can be. Knowing what a hero means makes one understand the real meaning, and that there are many characteristics that go with being a hero. Reading both of these writings have led me to realize I am surrounded by so many people in my life who are performing heroic deeds all the time, and they should be appreciated. The Odyssey gives you a mythical step into the meaning of a hero, while Joseph Cambell is explaining the various characteristics a hero can have. Putting these two pieces together has brought the word hero/heroine to a much more meaningful word. Once you have established what a hero really is you can then apply it to your life and find ways you can perform a heroic deed too.