The `Odyssey' by Homer tells the story of the character Odysseus and his journey and return as a hero. People see him as a hero because of his great journey and all the things he overcame during it, and was still able to return in the end. I am going to show how he relates to a modern day hero.

A modern day hero is someone who helps lots of other people in modern day problems. Such problems can range from natural disasters such as fire to the starving refugees in foreign countries. For an example of such a hero, I am going to look at a firefighter.

Firefighters are hero's because they save peoples lives, and sometimes homes and possessions. When there is a fire, they get on the scene as fast as they can. If there are people trapped inside, they will go into the fire and pull them out, risking their lives in the process. If the house isn't in flames yet, they will go in and stop the fire from spreading, saving the house and the peoples possessions. Firefighters are hero's because they help out immensely.

This kind of hero is similar in some ways to Odysseus. Odysseus did save peoples lives, and he did help out in general. He came back home and became a hero. Here is a quote from Odyssey where Odysseus demonstrates how he is a hero by saving peoples lives:

"After the long, enduring ten year battle of Troy, Odysseus and his fleet split apart from the Greek convoy. But when going around Cape Malea off of the Pelopenessian peninsula they are blown off course and end up in Northern Africa. Here they encounter the Lotus-Eaters. Some of the crew eat the temptful fruit, but Odysseus drags them back aboard the ships and then the sail off."