Perseverance is the only thing that will truly keep the world alive. If humans had given up instead of persevering America would not exist, tyranny would reign and slavery would still exist. Several characters throughout literary history, such as Odysseus from Homers’ Odyssey, and Louis Zamperini in Unbroken are the prime examples of perseverance, and they did it through personal strength and determination to not be broken. After all, it is better to persevere and live a hellish life than to relinquish that life in order to live more comfortably in the hands of those who seek to degrade the soul. When Winston Churchill said “if you’re going through hell, keep going,” he might as well have been prophesizing about Louie and reiterating those …show more content…
In The Odyssey, perseverance is an important lesson and is one repeatedly seen throughout the whole play and occurs with more than one character. Odysseus, his wife Penelope, and his son Telemachus all displayed strong actions of perseverance. Odysseus fought through terrors and deadly sins in order to get back to his wife and son, his family, his home. He persevered from the beginning of Homers’ epic all the way through till the end. From his escape from Calypso’s hold to Circes temptations Odysseys was relentless in getting home and never gave up on that. He and his men can in contact with the lotus-eaters and the sirens of the sea, but never once did he stray his course and give up his perseverance. Everything from his way of thinking to his desire to survive and conquer, fall into the promotion of perseverance. When Odysseus finally returns home and finds his wife’s suitors he undermines them and takes his rightful place back on the throne of his house. Odysseus’s wife Penelope exhibits this heaven worthy trait also, by relentlessly pursuing the belief that her husband is not truly dead, and even though she lets her suitors take advantage of her house and her kindness she never once sways in loyalty to her husband. Through tears and grief she persevered and when he finally returned to her, her heart was filled naught with guilt but with love for him because unto him she had done no wrong. Lastly, Telemachus displayed perseverance by pursuing the truth of his father even when his own doubt clouded his judgment. Telemachus went on voyages and discovered the real truth about his biological father all the while growing as a person. Perseverance appears to be one of the strong traits in Homers’ The Odyssey and the fact that several of his characters all have this trait and displays it in different ways and at different times to one another really goes to show how profoundly
Not only does Odysseus demonstrate a strong sense of courage in his journeys to prove that he is a hero, but he also shows never-ending perseverance through the countless adversities berating him. Although much of Odysseus’ journey is guided and assisted by various gods, especially in tough situations, what he does is ultimately of his doing and free will, as demonstrated by his tenacity when coming across many hardships. An example of this is later on in Odysseus’ story, as he and his men sail away from the Island of Aeaea to complete their journey home to Ithaca, they encounter many obstacles. The sea monsters Scylla and Charybdis terrorize and put Odysseus’ men and journey into peril, as his crew is struck with the terrifying might of the sea monsters.
There are always going to be a moment in life when it feels like giving up is the only solution. Sometimes if one digs a little deeper like Odysseus did, goals in life can be achieved. Odysseus was faced with multiple obstacles that were difficult to overcome. However, the toughest are Penelope because she tested Odysseus’s loyalty and mental strength, Scylla and Charybdis kept Odysseus from being capable of using his physical strength, and Calypso tested Odysseus’s honor to his loving relationship with his wife Penelope and his ability to separate greed from his goals in life.
Perseverance is a human quality expressed in The Odyssey that the Greeks valued. As Charybdis sucked up the water and everything in it, Odysseus “sprang for the great fig tree…nowhere had [he] to stand, no way of climbing…but [he] clung grimly” (807-813). Odysseus was determined to make it back to his wife and he wouldn’t let even a great force like Charybdis stop him from that. With sheer willpower he hung on to that branch for hours and hours until the monster spit out his raft. When his ship landed in Thrinacia, Odysseus warned his crew that “the cattle here are not for [their] provision, or [they] pay dearly for it” (676-677). Odysseus’ crew were tired and hungry hence they wanted to stop as long as they promised to not slaughter Helios’ cattle for food. Hunger overcame them and Odysseus was the only one who resisted the temptation of a nice meal in order to live one more day. The desire to survive and achieve is a characteristic of an
In the epic poem, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus goes through many trials while trying to return home from the Trojan War. On his voyage home, he must visit the Land of the Dead, evade the Sirens, Scylla and Charybdis and when he does arrive home, participate in a tricky reunion with his wife, Penelope. All of these examples show that Odysseus has extreme determination and perseverance. Perseverance is an excellent quality that few possess which can spark achievement.
Perseverance is exhibited again in the episode of “Circe, the Grace of the Witch,” when Circe gives Odysseus a magic drink but it does not affect him and he threatens to kill her with his sword.” (Homer, P.387) This shows that Odysseus used his mind and perseverance when dealing with Circe and ended up creating a deal with her, which eventually saved his men. This is important because his key quality of perseverance played a big role in his part of surviving, and without perseverance, the story might have changed completely. Perseverance was another bold trait that identified Odysseus as an epic
The idea that perseverance is an essential human quality is displayed In the Novella Rita Hayworth and the Shawshank Redemption by Stephen King. King shows that perseverance is an essential human quality through a character named andy dufresne the main protagonists. Throughout the story Andy is faced with many difficult scenarios that the average man would never have to overcome but andy perseveres and triumphs over all that is thrown at him and is entitled as a shawshank legend in the end. King also shows how if one does not persevere they will fail this is shown through a character named Brooks Hatlen
The Legendary story of Odysseus is an epic depicting the life of a man (Odysseus) and his journey home after the Trojan War. He wants to go home to his wife and his kingdom but runs into trouble along the way. The only way for him to get out of this trouble is to enact one of his many heroic attributes: courage, nobility, a hunger for glory, and confidence.
What make the Odyssey a lasting song? Its themes of family, perseverance, and suffering are timeless. Odysseus is a brave and strong character. He perseveres through suffering because he wants to get back to his family. These themes are similar to the ones found in the song “Lose Yourself.” This is the theme song from the movie 8 Mile about a young rapper named Eminem. Eminem wants glory and honor but has to persevere through suffering to take care of his family. Eminem and Odysseus go through personal battles but in different ways.
During, Homer’s, The Odyssey many strengths were tested throughout the entire book. This book was a mythological Greek folk tale that was created between the eleventh and eighth century B.C, therefore it is filled with many exaggerated stories about the Gods and treacherous adventures Odysseus had ventured on. He encounters a cyclops and after battles a six-headed monster. His crew discovers their talent for making mistakes such as being turned into pigs by Circe and letting strong winds out of the bag sending them farther from home. Odysseus experiences battles with his emotional stamina as well. His depression about his travels are shown through his lamentation on Calypsos’ island and his will power to discover the loyalty of his house mates is tested by Odysseus disguising himself as a beggar in his own home. Throughout, Homer’s, The Odyssey perseverance holds significance emotionally, physically, and mentally when enduring the battles and setbacks he experiences.
The Odyssey, an epic poem written by Homer in the eighth century, tells the story of Odysseus, a bigger than life hero. Odysseus must embark on a twenty year long journey to get back to his home, fighting mythological monsters and creatures. Over the course of this quest he had to overcome many obstacles, including a monstrous cyclops, terrible cannibals, alluring sirens, and swaggering suitors. During this time he shows a multitude of impressive characteristics, including perseverance, the ability to learn from his mistakes, and self discipline. Throughout my three years in middle school, I too had to overcome my fair share of obstacles. Middle school is often portrayed as one of the worst experiences of your life, but I would disagree. Although
In The Odyssey, Odysseus the main character leaves his family to go on a quest. Getting back home was the hardest part of Odysseus's journey. It had taken a decade trying to return home. Along the way, he had to overcome hardships and battle various creatures. While Odysseus was away from home for a decade his wife Penelope had to overcome some hardships of her own including resisting suitors who were attempting to take Odysseus’s place. Also, Odysseus’s son had his own battles with the suitors who were trying to ruin his home.
In The Odyssey, Homer suggests to his contemporaries that the most important character trait that Odysseus exhibits is perseverance. During the fight the Cyclops, he came up with a brilliant plan to hurt him, and even though he lost good men that didn’t stop him from getting the rest of his crew back to their boats and sailing away." neither reply nor pity came from him, but in one stride he clutched at my companions and caught two in his hands like squirming puppies to beat their brains out, spattering the floor." ( Homer 902 ). He is an intelligent man, but he also is very conceded.
Tenacity can be a worthy quality to have, but too much tenacity can be a flawed trait. In the epic poem, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows ambition and tenacity to reunite with his wife and son, Penelope and Telemachus. Odysseus displays loyalty to his wife and son and uses his ambition to defeat Troy in the Trojan war with the help of the goddess Athena, goddess of wisdom and battle strategy. Odysseus has a constant goal to arrive home on the island of Ithaca with his family, Penelope and Telemachus. However, when Odysseus was sleeping, his ship got near enough to the island of Ithaca that Penelope could see his ship. Then his shipmates unleashed the bag of wind given to Odysseus from the wind god, filled with the winds that would steer Odysseus’s
The Odyssey is an epic poem that is taken place after the Trojan War. Odysseus and his men were sailing from Troy to Ithica. The trip lasted 10 years and they had some positives and negatives. So even though they had their ups and downs, throughout the adventure they learned many lessons throughout their journey to Ithica. As Odysseus home from Troy, he changes physically and mentally as he learns the following lessons: cunning overpowers physical strength giving into temptations has negative effects, and loyalty and perseverance are heroic and admirable.
Through Homer’s Iliad, it is revealed that Greeks thought fighting in battle and victory constituted a good life. To them, the definition of a hero seems to be someone who can battle and be victorious in war, no matter what the cost. Heroes believe that risking their own lives as well as the lives of those surrounding them. In a way this is what they viewed as “honorable” for any Grecian warrior: one who would lay down their life for the battle. In this story, I admire Nestor for his wisdom and perseverance. Although old and frail, Nestor could always be found at the front of each battle. As I was reading, I pictured Nestor as the ‘Dumbledore’ of this story as he seemed to act with wisdom and was knowledgeable on how to be victorious in battle.