Franklin

Olivia Franklin

Mrs. Weaver

LNG 311

10 December 2010

Two Great Epic Heroes of the Greek

Indiana Jones and Spiderman are huge blockbuster hits due to the superhuman

qualities that kept the watchers on the edge of their seats to see what was going to

happen next. The famous Greek epic tale “The Odyssey” is written by Homer

around 200 B.C. that portrays the superhuman qualities that an epic hero would

possess. In 2009, a contemporary version of “The Odyssey” was written by Rick

Riordian in which he created a character named Percy Jackson. Although 800 years

span, the creation of these two heroes, there are similar qualities between the two.

Both Odysseus and Percy have been guided by the gods through their adventures

as they battle monsters and have thought of their companions before they even

thought about themselves. Even though Odysseus and Percy have different goals,

they both are motivated to see their family in the hard times they are in. Odysseus

and Percy Jackson both lead similar heroic lives but at a different time and culture

periods in history and are considered epic heroes.

Like all heroes, past and present, they usually have that special person in

their lives that help them through the hard times. Percy and Odysseus are guided

by the gods that are beyond the expectations of an ordinary person. They are both

are both risk takers and don’t worry about the fact they can die any minute because
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they know they are being watched by the gods. For example, Odysseus is guided

by Athena through the hard times in the sea when the ship is blown off to a

mysterious island. She also boosts the confidence and interferes his life in a positive

way and helps him in the fight against the suitors. Poseidon, the god of the sea, also

helped Percy because he is Percy’s father. When Percy is in search of a pearl in the

Lotus Hotel, Percy and his friends went to eat these Lotus Fruit which made them

into a trance. Finally, after five days, his father told him not to eat them because

they were dangerous. Athena and Poseidon helped Odysseus and Percy in a great

journey.

Even though Odysseus and Percy live in different time periods and had

different cultures, they still put their companions before themselves. For example,

Odysseus made sure that all of his crew members were safe from the Cyclops cave.

He also was protecting his kingdom people from having a war for a long time by

creating the idea of a plan called the Trojan Horse. For Percy Jackson, he protected

his companions by Percy taking care of the battles instead of Grover and

Annabeth.We as humans would love to have close relatives or friends think of us

even though we didn’t ask for anything. Even though they both had their

differences in protecting their companions, they still think about their friends before

themselves.

Odysseus and Percy were very motivated to see their family again in the crucial

tunes they were in. Odysseus’s motivation was to see his wife Penelope and his son

Telemachus he hadn’t seen in years. He wanted to see them badly because their

was a special bond between them before he left; for example Penelope would and

will be loyal to Odysseus while he was gone by unweaving Odysseus death bed so

she wouldn’t have to marry the suitors. On the contrary, Percy wanted to have
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peace on earth. In order for that to happen, he would have to return Zeus’s

lightning bolt. Another motivation of Percy’s was his mother who was captured by

Hades. She was trapped by Hades by the Minotaur capturing when they were on

their way to the Camp Half Blood. The two very important motivations of Odysseus

and Percy is their family.

As long as the battle between the good and evil exists, people will continue to

create heroes with the skills to overcome the obstacles that threat mans peace and

happiness. Like Odysseus and Percy Jackson, epic Greek heroes are born every time

they are motivated, every time they are favored by the gods and thinking of others

before themselves.