American/Greek Heroes

            A person I always considered to embody the spirit of America and define the ideals it represents, is The Duke, John Wayne.  He represented American values and a “don’t tread on me” attitude that most Americans feel about our country.  He also starred in more than 150 movies, and in the latter part of his career became vocal about politics.  Odysseus, a popular Greek hero, seemed to represent a similar embodiment of Greek ideals in the epic The Odyssey, written by the poet Homer.    Honor, courage, and eloquence were attributes that the Greeks held in high regard, and were attributes that were often summarized in the stories of Odysseus.  John Wayne represented American ideals in much a similar manner that Odysseus did for the Greeks; they both were mythologized by their respective cultures.  The tales that they both were featured in were for the most part fiction; tales of heroism and bravery in the face of danger.  John Wayne may have been a real person; Odysseus may or may not have been.  The roles John Wayne played though were mostly fictional characters themselves, which can be related to the hero Odysseus in the Greek epic The Odyssey.  Many of the stories Odysseus were in can be traced back to real events.  Similarly, many of the movies John Wayne was in were based in part on real events and exaggerated for entertainment purposes.  Also, both the Duke and Odysseus had an impact on their respective cultures for prolonged periods of time, although Homer’s The Odyssey remains an influential piece of literature to this day.

            Dissimilarly, it can be proven that John Wayne did in fact exist.  It cannot be proved, however, that Odysseus did as well.  The writings of Homer have held as a classic piece of literature for over three thousand years, unlike John Wayne’s, that have only been regarded critically for a few decades.  The character of Odysseus, whether fictional or not, was only placed in The Odyssey, and absent from literature of the time.  John Wayne seemed to almost define the ideal American male for a generation of movie-goers, with over 150 movies to his credit over his career.  Although Greek and American heroes may appear to be different at the surface, they still have many fundamental similarities that can be traced back to ancient Greek heroes.