Heroes are present in everyone's life. Whether someone's hero is a living person or a legendary character from a movie, everyone has come into contact with some kind of hero. In fact, the concept of heroes has been around for hundreds of years, dating back to ancient Greece. However, heroes haven't always been people who dress up in disguise and fight crime, as our current society would have us believe. No, heroes started out differently and evolved over the centuries. Heroes generally reflect the ideals of their society, and while they are not perfect, they demonstrate the qualities and traits valued by their society. Heroes have always possessed distinctive qualities, but these traits and qualities have changed dramatically over time. The Greek definition of hero is very far from the romantic and modern definitions of hero. Early heroes were characterized by extraordinary physical abilities and incredible combat skills, while contemporary heroes rely on their intellectual abilities and rebellious nature. Specifically, the original Greek heroes had divine physiques and were deadly, unstoppable warriors. One of the most prominent Greek heroes, Odysseus, demonstrates these qualities in Homer's epic poem, The Odyssey. Ulysses displays his superhuman strength for the first time in the cave of Polyphemus, the Cyclops. His men prepare a large olive stake to drive into Polyphemus' eye and Odysseus "puts his weight on [the olive stake] from above and drives it in" (Homer, 223), a astonishing feat of which only Ulysses is capable. Odysseus again demonstrates his physical dominance when he escapes from Charybdis' whirlwind by "jumping to the great fig tree" above, and then escapes from Charybdis, need I say it/high..... . middle of paper ......everyone's example (smart for equality, fighting social boundaries for Jane) but now you say both do this (which is true for most) after years "mentally brilliant" like Equality and Jane, and fight their social boundaries as opposed to physical armies and enemies. In Greek society, those who were fearless and muscular fighters were those who were honored and praised, a comma was necessary, but in modern society, exceptionally bright and courageous people can become honorable heroes. Barack Obama is a perfect example of a modern hero. Barack is extremely intelligent, as is required of any president to lead a country. He is the first African-American president, a rebellious act against the normal customs of American presidents. He can't single-handedly defeat an entire army of pretenders, but he has used his courage and intelligence to become a hero to many..