Writing Resources
Avi Ross Literature and Composition Stokol D Track January 19th 2018 Question One An Age of Heroes The Ancient Greeks defined a hero as an individual aided and favored by the gods and who acts in bravery There is no greater embodiment of this definition than the hero of The Iliad Achilles In Robert Fagles translation of Homer s The Iliad he sets these standards when speaking to his goddess mother about his imminent demise I ll meet my death freely for not even Hercules fled his death for all his power favorite son to Zeus The Iliad 18 137 140 In Robert Fagles translation of Homer s The Odyssey the bravery of Odysseus s deeds is not as obvious Upon closer examination however the deeds of Odysseus can be seen as brave and he is seen as favored by the gods proving him to be a Greek Hero Though at times frightened Odysseus always acts in a brave manner this is especially highlighted in The Kingdom of the Dead where Odysseus overcomes his fears to finish his goal Odysseus accounts his initial reaction stating the grim display as great armies of the dead wrapped in bloody armor thousands swarming around from every side unearthly cries with bleaching terror gripp ing me The Odyssey 11 45 48 Homer intentionally lays out a grim and menacing scene to explore the depths of Odysseus s bravery Graphic displays of bloody armor and great armies of the dead are intentionally used to invoke the trauma the Trojan War The imagery of Odysseus being swarmed by bloodied shades furthers the notion of fear as it shows how trapped Odysseus is If that were not enough Odysseus explicitly describes himself as gripped with terror proving how effective this scenario is in frightening Odysseus
