Question

Which information best helps portray Odysseus as a heroic archetype?

Answer 1

A - he overcame great odds to achieve his goals

Answer 2

The idea of archetypes, especially in Literature, first came to be when Carl Jung applied it to the analysis and studying of literary works. Jung believed that there were common denominators in certain stories and that were universal, regardless of time, place and cultural background. He even believed that archetypes represented what he believed was a common way of thinking, ingrained in human beings and that he denominated primal memory. But it was Joseph Campbell who used the idea of archetypes to study mythology and in the book "A Hero with a Thousand Faces", Campbell defined the concept of hero.

There are 12 different archetypes and all of them are a representation of an image, a plot pattern, a specific character and his/her characteristics, an idea, among other things, that are present in stories. One such archetypes is the idea of the Hero as a Warrior. In this archetype, the character, in the case in mention on the question, Odysseus, is believed to be the paragon of this archetype as he is able to overcome, almost in a god-like manner, physical challenges and defeat all enemies. The correct answer then is A.