EPIC HERO ESSAY
HOW DOES ODYSSEUS FIT THE MOLD OF AN
EPIC HERO?
A FIVE PARAGRAPH ESSAY
ESSAY STRUCTURE
INTRODUCTION
FIRST BODY PARAGRAPH -- ONE REASON WHY ODYSSEUS IS AN EPIC HERO.
PARAGRAPH MUST USE EXAMPLES AND EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT TO SUPPORT.
SECOND BODY PARAGRAPH -- ANOTHER REASON WHY ODYSSEUS IS AN EPIC
HERO. PARAGRAPH MUST USE EXAMPLES AND EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT TO
SUPPORT.
THIRD BODY PARAGRAPH -- A FINAL REASON WHY ODYSSEUS IS AN EPIC HERO.
PARAGRAPH MUST USE EXAMPLES AND EVIDENCE FROM THE TEXT TO SUPPORT.
CONCLUSION
INTRODUCTION
INTRODUCTION SHOULD FOLLOW THIS STRUCTURE:
1. TOPIC SENTENCE/HOOK - ANECDOTE (a brief story/situation that relates to the main topic of the
essay)
2. TRANSITION INTO DEFINITION OF AN EPIC HERO
3. INTRODUCE THE TITLE AND AUTHOR WITH A BRIEF SUMMARY OF STORY
4. INSERT THESIS WITH THREE POINTS OF PROOF
(THESIS SHOULD ANSWER THE QUESTION: “HOW DOES ODYSSEUS FIT THE MOLD OF AN
EPIC HERO?”
SAMPLE INTRODUCTION
A teenage boy jumps into a freezing river to save the little boy next door. A doctor
moves to a third world country to provide free health care to the needy. These
two peoples are examples of heroes. A hero is someone of distinguished courage or
ability who is admired for his or her brave deeds and noble qualities. But, there is a
specific type of hero that is depicted in an epic poem; the epic hero. An epic hero
is a larger than life hero who embodies the values of a particular society. Commonly
epic heroes have superior strength, have strong love for their people, are fearless of
death, and are very ethical people. The Epic of Gilgamesh, one of the oldest works
of literature, describes Gilgamesh, the historical king of Uruk in Babylonia. He was
physically beautiful, immensely strong, and very wise. He set out on a quest to
find life fulfillment and eternal life. The hero, Gilgamesh, is a seemingly invincible
person with all the extraordinary traits required of an epic hero. He is able to use
his super-human physical strength and courage to put his people before himself.
Gilgamesh is a perfect example of an epic hero because of his super-human
strength, his noble standing in society and his use of guile and skill.
BODY FORMAT
Topic sentence should include transition - (One reason, Another example, etc)
Give an example from the text
Insert quote that further supports the example
Explain HOW quote supports example
SAMPLE BODY
One reason why Gilgamesh can be considered an epic hero is because he
exhibits superhuman strength and courage. Throughout the entire epic
Gilgamesh shows outrageous skill as a warrior and leader. In Tablet I it is said that,
“Gilgamesh is strong to perfection.” (p. 2). Also, he is described as “an awesome
beast with unmatched strength and a chant that fosters armies”(Pg. 3). He leads his
tribe into battle fearlessly and defeats everyone they come into battle with.
Additionally, Gilgamesh reveals his strength during his journey to Utnapishtim
when he climbs the double cliff up Mt. Mashu. When he reaches the top the
poison scorpion guard said to him, “No mortal man has ever come to know what
you seek here. Not one of your kind has come so far, (Pg.61)”. Clearly, Gilgamesh is
superhuman since no mortal man could ever climb the mountain.
CONCLUSION
Topic sentence should restate thesis
Summarize main points
End with final statement about topic -- heroes/epic
heroes
SAMPLE CONCLUSION
It is clearly apparent that Gilgamesh holds all of the characteristics of an epic hero.
He is skilled as a warrior, has superhuman strength and courage and is a noble and
an intelligent leader. He gives credit to others for his great accomplishments and
shows a fearless respect for death. Gilgamesh has proved to be that hero as he
shows all the characteristics and meets the Heroic Code.