Sundiata An Epic of Old Mali Vs. The Odyssey - 971 Words

Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali Vs. The Odyssey The definition of an epic hero can be defined as one who is triumphant in some manner that reflects the idea of his/her culture. â€Å"Heroes have always dominated mythology, fairy tales, nursery rhymes, history, and literature. No culture seems to lack tales of human, superhuman, or god-like heroes who save the innocent from the wicked, conquer evil, and deliver the threatened and oppressed† (Shunnaq). Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali and The Odyssey can be compared and contrasted in different ways. Both of these literary pieces are epics that contain heroes who precisely mirror the values of their respective ethnicities. While some values displayed in the epics are similar to each other, there†¦show more content†¦From this action, one can infer that the African culture believed in taking necessary precautions to obtain power, but do not believe in killing others for their pleasure. After reading The Odyssey, one can conclude that the Greek culture values stinginess , spontaneity and stinginess highly. In the epic, Odysseus was trapped on an island with the goddess, Calypso. Instead of him remaining faithful to his wife, Odysseus slept with Calypso. His actions proved that the Greek culture believed in getting what they wanted right away; they do not know what it is like to be patient. Odysseus is also known to be a very stingy character. After he invaded the cyclops’ cave, he and his shipmen, began to raid all of the cyclops’ belongings. The Cyclops eventually arrived angry, and Odysseus being bold told them, â€Å"We’re at your knees in hopes of a warm welcome, even a guest-gift†¦That’s the custom (9. 300-302).† Odysseus displayed revenge after returning to Ithaca and having a battle at his house. He killed all of the suitors who had been feasting at his estate while he was away. Mercilessly, he tortures one of the suitors, Melanthius by ripping his genitals from his body then feeding them to the dogs. That was just a personal enjoyment for him because he already planned on killing Melanthius. One easily concluded from this epic that the Greek culture does not see anything wrong with using revenge as a way of personal gain. Sundiata: An Epic of Old Mali and The Odyssey