Stories about Heroes - Essay Example

The truth is that a hero is someone who puts others' mental and physical needs before their own. They sacrifice whatever they need to care for the ones they love.
The greatest question that faces all heroes is mortality. Although they are the strongest in their class they are not invincible (even if they are part God, like Achilles or Gilgamesh). They are tempted to use their great strength to do good for themselves or their cause, but they have limitations that they may not know. In this way, the heroes of epic stories tell us something about ourselves: although human beings are the strongest species on the planet we can often harm ourselves through our hubris. Hubris and Nemesis are issues that all heroes must face often on a huge and dramatic scale. In the end, however, a hero is someone who proves their mettle by putting others' interests before their own.
A good example is in The Odyssey a remarkable story of one man’s journey back home, a journey of return to his loved ones. For Odysseus, nothing is more important than family. That said, other values in the story are very important.
One is a collection of martial values—honor, fellowship, solidarity—that runs like a golden thread throughout the story. Another is the duty of the living toward the dead. All of these have played an important role in my own life. Just as Odysseus tries to live his life according to these values—familial love, martial honor, and duty to those gone before us—so do I try to live my own life. It is the story of a man trying desperately to return home after many years away fighting in a terrible war. But he is being punished and his journey is very dilatory. He must constantly deal with obstacles. Each obstacle presents in its way a moral or ethical challenge that will try Odysseus. Although my own life is very different that Odysseus’, and much less straightforward, nevertheless, I too have been challenged by obstacles that have made me think hard about the values I live by. Throughout the story, he does everything possible to put the interests of his crew and family before his own. He shows that at the core of all true heroes is love.

Also, his associations make him heroic. He surrounds himself with good, honest men because they have a similar character to him. He tries to improve himself and not lie. He works on his grammar so that he can learn more about the heroic major. Although he does not cross a battlefield to save a dying soldier, it could be said the narrator is a hero—someone whose quietness and patience help to make the people around him better. Read More