An article written in the New York Times called, “Floating at the Edge of a Dream” and Odysseus has uncanny characteristics. “Floating at the Edge of a Dream” is a feature story about a promising athlete, Erick De Leon. He is one of the top amateur boxers in America, and a 2012 Olympic hopeful. De Leon faces a major problem. He has not yet acquired a U.S citizenship. He needs a citizenship in order to represent America in the 2012 Olympics. The title of this article, along with De Leon’s endless desire to compete, relates to Odysseus. These men have a tough road ahead. For De Leon, he must acquire a U.S citizenship and win his matches to qualify for the Olympics. Similarly, Odysseus has an arduous road ahead before he will home and unite with his family. Both of these men share the same fighting spirit though, as said by Eurylochus; “You’re a hard man, Odysseus. Your fighting spirit’s stronger than ours, your stamina never fails. You must be made of iron head to foot.” (A, 407) These men share the same character traits. Neither De Leon nor Odysseus will ever quit. Their toughness and drive as fighters and love for their family is unprecedented. Odysseus motivation is to make it home and unite with his wife and son. De Leon seeks inspiration from his father, a construction man. “Construction — it’s too hard, and I feel bad for him. I wish I could just make him stop working. So every time I see him working, I got to work hard, too.” Both of these man will accomplish their objectives because of their persistence and determination.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/11/sports/11boxer.html?pagewanted=print
