Would Odysseus be Considered a Hero Today - Essay Example

A hero is the saviour and thinks about his people before himself, and puts himself in danger just to save his people. Moreover, he is a person who is greatly admired and loved for his noble and fine qualities. There are several values of every culture that change during the course of time. The modern values of our culture include the very basics honesty, loyalty, respecting friends and family, helping others, etc. Some distinctive qualities in our culture are survival, hard work, patriotism, respecting laws, devoting oneself for the well being of the country, and the people.

Odysseus can be considered as a modern-day hero because he has all the qualities of a hero and even though the values have changed over time, he has a heroic character which is inspiring. The most common trait of a hero is bravery and courage which is present in Odysseus greatly (Homer 32). He is on a long trip where he is stuck on an island and battles it out to get back to his wife and son. He has battled and fought against many witches and sea monsters. He goes through a lot but never seems scared or frightened and tends to portray bravery in every gesture (Morden 26).

A hero like Odysseus is put in many troubles by the people who are jealous or lower to him, but he manages to overcome all troubles using his witty mind and bravery (Barnouw 16). The second characteristic of Odysseus was his love for his people; his friends and family (Bittlestone 65). He was trapped but carried out the journey and overcame all hurdles just to get back to his family. He also fought for his wife at the end of the story showing how much he loved her. This is a heroic quality which is needed and admired in every culture in every era (Beye 55).

The third characteristic is his fine nature and noble qualities. This can be seen when in the end he fights the suitors of his wife and orders to take care of the women’s doorway, and lock it so that no one shall see the woman’s face (Montiglio 25). This shows his honourable character and his respect for women. This is the character because of which he is a hero and is admired by all. This reveals the soft spot and gentle side of his character (Connolly 32). Odysseus’ story is mostly about his fighting and battles with monsters and other people to save himself and his family.

However, these traits are not seen in heroes of today as open wars are not any more common (Nortwick 31). Heroes have to use their intellect and imagination to do something great and earn respect. Odysseus’ character is seen as a warrior which is something not relevant in modern cultural values (Reid 14). Thus, the hero of today shall be brave and courageous, not to fight wars, but to face the problems that come to him strongly and fearlessly. Today’s hero must also be dedicated to family and loved ones and should stand like a pillar for the family as this is what the society values require from a heroic personality.

Moreover, a hero must not only be dedicated to his family but must also respect and care for others around so that he receives love from all members of the society. Love and respect are received when the hero has admiring qualities such as loyalty, honesty, and noble qualities that please people (Jeffrey 54). Odysseus has all the qualities of a perfect hero, thus he can be considered a hero of today.