Nance1
Maddie Nance
K. Mount
English 9
3 March 2016
Epic Essay
An epic is a long narrative poem that tells the extraordinary events of a hero and
his or her journey. One famous epic, Beowulf, was written anonymously sometime
between the 8th and 11th century. In this epic, the hero, Beowulf, is the hero of the Geats.
He has to fight against three antagonists before dying from a fatal wound that was caused
in his final battle. Another epic, The Iliad, was written by Homer around the 8th century
BC. The Iliad shows events dating in the 10th and final year of the military operation in
Troy. Finally, The Odyssey, written by Homer, takes place after the Trojan War. This
epic shows Odysseus’ ten year journey back home and the fight he put up once he got
there.
All epics feature heroes. A hero is someone who impacts someone’s life, usually
in a positive way. Heroes are usually skilled, strong, attractive and wise. In To Kill a
Mockingbird, by Harper Lee, Boo Radley is a hero. Boo showed bravery when he saved
Jem and Scout from Bob Ewell while he was trying to murder them. Also in To Kill a
Mockingbird, Atticus is a hero. Atticus stood up for Tom Robinson when Tom, an
African American, was blamed for raping Mayella Ewell, a Caucasian girl. Even though
Atticus knew he couldn’t win the case, he knew that after the trial everyone in town
would know Tom was innocent. Katniss Everdeen, from The Hunger Games by Susan
Collins, is also a hero. Katniss shows bravery and strength when she risks her life to save
Nance1
and heal her fellow tribute, Peeta. Heroes are also found in movies. One famous hero that
is found in a movie is Spiderman. Spiderman has great agility and strength. He can climb
up almost any surface and he uses his “web-shooting power” to help him. Superman is
also a hero that is found in movies. Superman wears a red “S” on the chest of his blue,
yellow, and red costume. He has the ability to fly, has incredible speed, amazing vision,
and extraordinary hearing.
Odysseus is a hero in many ways. He showed wisdom when he saved his men
from the Cyclopes. While the Cyclopes was drunk and passed out, Odysseus tied all of
his men to the bottom of the Cyclopes’ sheep. When the Cyclopes woke up the next
morning, he let all of his sheep out as usual, allowing the men to secretly escape.
Odysseus also showed loyalty. Throughout the epic, he never tried to go off with another
girl. His main goal was to get home safely to his wife. Odysseus was also loyal to his
men. He always tried his hardest to keep his men safe whether he was fighting the
beautiful sounds of the sirens or an angry Cyclopes. Lastly, Odysseus was very brave.
After a long 20 years of battle, Odysseus returned home. When he got home, there were
118 men in his house trying to become his wife’s new husband. After looking around to
see how all of the men were acting, he began to fight. He shot arrows and threw spears
until all 118 of the men were dead.
Many people today enjoy reading comics or watching movies about superheroes.
One very famous superhero is Batman. Batman, a comic book superhero, was created by
Bob Kane in 1939. Batman, who’s real name is Bruce Wayne, is known for his amazing
detective powers. He can figure out the hardest problems by using incredible strategies.
Batman has a vehicle called a Batmobile that he relies on to help him solve cases.
Nance1
However, Batman doesn’t really have any superpowers. His ability to solve cases makes
him seem like a superhero to everyone who reads about him and watches him in movies.
Batman is usually found wearing a black or gray uniform, with a cape and a gold belt.
(“About.com Comic Books: Batman”)
The Odyssey by Homer is an epic for a few reasons. The definition of an epic is “a
long, narrative poem.” The Odyssey fits the description; it is a long poem that tells a story
and has many different settings and events. The Odyssey is also an epic because it deals
with Gods and Goddesses. Gods such as Athena, Hades, Apollo and Poseidon both
helped and harmed Odysseus on his way home after the Trojan War. Lastly, the main
character in The Odyssey, Odysseus, is an epic hero. Odysseus is a larger than life hero
who is wise, strong, and brave. Reading epics can benefit you in many ways. Epic heroes
have epic flaws like people in real life have flaws. When you read epics you can see that
even people who seem perfect and have super powers aren’t perfect and have flaws like
we do. Epics can also help you learn about ancient Gods and Goddesses. In The Odyssey,
Odysseus was helped by many Gods and Goddesses on his way home. This helps the
reader understand the control the Gods had and what each God had control over – such as
Hades and the Underworld. Epics also help build your imagination. Most of the events
that occur in an epic wouldn’t usually happen in real life - such as a person hanging off of
a tree over a cliff for hours before being saved by a piece of wood.
Works Cited


"Top 10 Greatest Epic Poems." Listverse. Listverse, n.d. Web. 3 May 2012.
<http://listverse.com/2008/07/06/top-10-greatest-epic-poems/>.
Albert, Aaron . "Batman." About.com Comic Books. About.com, n.d. Web. 4 May
2012. <http://comicbooks.about.com/od/characters/p/batmanbio.htm>.