Heroes demonstrate many acts of generosity, bravery and wit in the face of danger, and put aside their own needs for others. They are also admired and appreciated by many that have heard of their acts. Heroes will always be remembered. They can be found in today’s news like Harry Swimmer of the CNN Heroes series, or in old stories, such as Robin Hood. Although Rosemary Sutcliff’s Odysseus is a hero to some but that is very debatable, because there is much evidence that he is the opposite of a hero.

Although Odysseus displays some heroic acts in the book The Wanderings of Odysseus, by Rosemary Sutcliff, Odysseus’ heroic qualities do not compare to his sins. Odysseus shows wit and determination but his many acts of hubris is never heroic. Odysseus shows excessive pride after cleverly blinding Poseidon’s son, the cyclops, Polyphemus. “If anyone asks who blinded you, tell them it was Odysseus, son of Laertes and Lord of Ithaca, Odysseus the Sacker of Cities.” Odysseus taunts Polyphemus after he have wounded him and causes Poseidon to bestow a curse on Odysseus and his men for this act. A true hero would have tried to save himself and his men but not shown ignorance and boasted about his win.

Harry Swimmer is a hero and a friend to many disabled kids that went to his non-profit farm. He works all day to help kids that normally can’t ride to ride horses. It takes two-hundred volunteers every day to help so many kids ride. They need two sidewalker and one leader for one horse and one child. It’s been running for twenty-two years now and he never gets tired. Harry feels like his farm is a “Sanctuary to the kids that come”, and “It’s not just my farm it’s their farm too.” Both show how much he cares for all of them, and how much he wants to help. It helps all the children build up their core muscles so if they couldn’t walk or speak or sit up they can.

Without heroes the world would fall into a deep pit of selfishness and cruelty. Nobody would help the helpless. Nobody would inspire people to be their best selves. Heroes like Harry Swimmer bring the world out of that darkness with their generosity and bravery. People like Odysseus are the culprits that brought the world into the pit with their selfishness. Lots of people think that heroes are the people that fight crimes and put bad guys behind bars. That’s not true. Heroes can be found in everyday life; they can be your mom or dad, your best friend. We are living in a world that needs more heroes. More people to save the hungry, more people to save the animals, more people to help us.  After learning about so many wonderful people that are heroes, actual ones, I decided I need to step it up. I need to make a change in  the world, help the world on it’s path to greatness and peace. Everybody needs to make a change for the better.