Comparing Heroes

'The Wife of Odysseus'

    Literary works are an avenue to define a hero, which the definition of, varies in different cultures. The ancient poem by Homer known as The Odyssey, written in the eighth century B.C identifies a Greek hero, Odysseus or Ulysses (Ulysses is the name given to Odysseus in Roman Mythology). Fast forward to the twenty first century, heroes are commonly depicted by pictures in story board form in  books such as; Marvel Comics. I will be writing about the similarities and differences of an Ancient and Modern hero.
     First, I would like to discuss the qualities and tests Greek heroes are put against.  Greek heroes consist of courage, strength, wit, maturity, and often commit bold exploits to prove their heroism. They do suffer failure as well but learn from their mistakes and become stronger. Greek Mythology takes a large part in the heroes' life, gods and other creatures manipulate their journey in good and bad ways. It is clear that Ancient heroes, when not relying on gods, rely on their human strengths and qualities. While most Modern heroes have abnormal powers within themselves. Some heroes' power is natural born while others are bestowed upon them through nature and or science; the gods of the Modern age.
     I have extracted a few examples of Greek heroism from the book. Ulysses uses his wits to escape from the clutches of a menacing cyclops. He uses humor to gain confidence with Polyphemus, who then asked for his name. Ulysses uses this opportunity to deceive Polyphemus and gives his name as, 'Nobody.' Soon Ulysses men are in terrible danger and he blinds the one- eyed creature in order to escape. Polyphemus seeks help for his injury and when asked who did this to him he replied, "Nobody." Secondly, he used his physical strength to hang on to moss growing on the side of a precipice to escape the treacherous monsters Scylla and Charybdis.  He also commits to bold exploits, though not mentioned much in the book, Ulysses fought The Great Battle Of Troy and was credited as the mastermind behind their demise through the Trojan Horse.
      Modern heroes share basic qualities with Greek heroes, similarities seem to be neck and neck but one difference stood out to me. Modern heroes seem to acquire the characteristics of a god while Greek heroes accept guidance from them. Modern heroes are depicted with special god like powers. For instance, Peter Parker, who is a human teenage boy is bitten by a spider that was experimented on in a science lab. He goes through a physical transformation and takes on the finest abilities of the spider enhancing his performance and senses.  His transformation into Spiderman makes him better than human and this was bestowed upon him through an accident. Other modern heroes such as The Incredible Hulk, Captain America and Iron Man depict a hero who have god-like powers through natural abilities enhanced by science and technology.
       Through discussing the similarities and differences of Ancient and Modern heroes, one character rose above and proved as a true hero, her story crosses all bridges of time. This hero was Ulysses's wife, Penelope. Penelope defines a true hero with her reaction to real life circumstances.  She is put against a plight, we find her waiting patiently for her husband to return from his glory war in Troy. She not only waits 5 years but we enter her story in her twentieth year of faithful biding despite  suitors constantly at her door because they assumed Ulysses was dead (Penelope thought otherwise). She endured in her love for her husband who she only knew for a brief moment before his travels took him away and shows this by telling her suitors that she would not remarry until she finished a burial shroud for Ulysses. She uses her wits to delay succumbing to an unworthy match who would use and abuse not only her but her son and the land they lived on. So, each day she would work on the piece and rip up her progress by night ,so the cloth was never to be finished as a way to delay the suitors.  Her heroism rests in her character and the resolve to stay true to her word and original commitment to her husband. She protected her son, her household, herself and her property through her virtuous, un-selfish substance. She did this without a god interfering or helping and this relates to a more real view of our human story.
      In conclusion, Ancient and Modern heroes have worthy qualities and flaws that support the idea that self sacrifice in order to help those that cannot protect themselves defines a hero.