An Epic Hero, Odysseus

     In one of Homer's great epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus is considered an epic hero because of his traits and actions given to him by Homer. In The Odyssey, Odysseus must find his way back home to Sunny, Ithica from Troy, where he fought in the Trojan war. In his journey Odysseus is put through a number of obstacles and challenges in order to get home, he goes through some of these challenges alone and some of them with his crew. He is also one of the most intelligent person in his society, this also follows him into battles and challenges, such as the time when he and his men were in the cave with the Cyclopes named Polyphemus. He can also overcomes obstacles, such as when he is on the ship with his crew and he was the only one to hear the tantalizing Sirens.

     One of the ways Odysseus is considered to be an epic hero is because he is put through a number of challenges in his journey home. Challenges such as when he and some of his crew were in the cave with the cyclops Polyphemus. The men were trapped and the cyclopes began the eat them. Odysseus knew he was going to be eaten soon so he devised a plan. Odysseus took a spear from the cave and lashed it into the one eye the cyclops Polyphemus had. The cyclopes was blinded  he could not see where Odysseus, or the rest of his men were. The men escaped and survived, Odysseus had a successful challenge on his part. Challenges such as this is one part of what makes Odysseus an epic hero. Odysseus is a wise man, and he uses his wisdom to overcome challenges or obstacles.