Odysseus: An Attractive Leader In Homer's Odyssey

This shows that Odysseus is a good leader because he followed what he believed was most important in life, family. He was not selfish and tried to make sure everyone was going to be home, not on a distant island.

The question of whether or not Odysseus, the main character in Homer’s The Odyssey, is a good leader is very difficult to answer; however, it seems as though the bad things he did trumped the good things he did, resulting in him being classified as a weak leader. Countless times in this epic, Odysseus is very arrogant and cocky, which puts his men’s lives in danger more times than not. For example, when they entered the cave of Polyphemus the cyclops, the majority of his men wanted to leave so they wouldn’t get eaten. Odysseus, however, decides to test Polyphemus’ hospitality, ultimately resulting in 6 deaths. He made his decision knowing the danger he was putting his men in, which isn’t something a strong leader would do. Strong leaders should

According to the book on how Odysseus approached the situation about Scylla, it says, “That was all, and it brought them round to action. But as I sent them on toward Scylla, I told them nothing, as they could do nothing.”(L. 160-162), and thus showing his foolishness. Odysseus continued onward and gave his men an illusion of victory and safety that they would be able to pass through this enormous obstacle they come upon. Odysseus knew it himself that he and his men may not be able to get through this big of an obstacle, but he just pushed them forward. This shows an act of foolishness as leader because he did not notify his men of the dangerous obstacle coming towards him, but just keeps put to leave his men to fend for themselves. An example of Odysseus’ arrogance is when Odysseus brags to Cyclops and yells out, “O Cyclops! Would you feast on my companions? Puny am I, in a Caveman’s hands? How do you like the beating that we gave you…” (L. 390-392). This piece of evidence has two parts on how Odysseus endangers his men. The outcome of Odysseus’ outburst is a majority of his men dying and being cursed by Cyclops’s father, Poseidon, the God of the Sea. This shows how Odysseus bragging and his arrogance leads his men and him to danger. The role of a leader should be to lead his men to safety and

In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is an effective leader in chapter twelve. A leader who has too much pride is now showing too much humbleness for what’s important by following all the things he has told to do to save his crew and himself. He does what he is told to do to save his crew and keep them safe. “ But now, fearing death , all eyes fixed on Charybdis now Scylla snatched six men from our hollow ship, the toughest, strongest hands I had, and glancing backwards over the decks, searching or my crew I could see their hands and feet already hoisted, failing, high, higher, over my head, look wailing down at me, comrades riven in agony. Shrieking out my name for one last time” ( XII 265-270). This quote clearly makes us see that Odysseus has

John Ruskin once said, “The first test of truly great man is his humility”. In The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, the central character Odysseus learns humility through his failures and growth in obedience making him a hero. Odysseus reaches a heroic status through the lessons learned on his journey, which ultimately taught him the value of obedience and the dangers of arrogance.

Odysseus is a leader that portrays both non-heroic and heroic traits throughout the story. These traits reflect his way of thinking and what actions he takes. These traits fluctuate from bravery to overconfidence. Nonetheless, the traits all contribute to the hero and as a result, they contribute to the story.

Throughout the story “The Odyssey” by Homer Odysseus, the main character counters countless amounts of trouble. As king and leader it is his job to keep his men save and get the job done. Odysseus does whatever it takes to keep his men unharmed, and more importantly, alive. All his crew and him dream about is getting back to their homeland, but first they have to pass the obstacles. Odysseus demonstrates good leadership qualities by doing whatever it takes to get the job done, using his advanced cunning abilities to trick his enemy, and constantly saving his crew from dangers.

In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.

Odysseus is not a hero because he stabs Polyphemus in the eye and blinds him. Odysseus is still a hero because he is a leader. Moreover, after Odysseus and his men fight the Cicones, he orders ¨Back and Quickly! Out to sea again!” (Homer 984). When Odysseus commands his men to go back to sea to voyage, he is a good leader because he is telling his men what to do. He is being a leader by protecting his men from the Ciccone 's army by leaving before reinforcements come. For example, when Odysseus and his men are heading to the sirens Odysseus states “you are to tie me up, tight as a splint” (Homer 1005). Odysseus is an admirable leader when he orders his men to tie him up and do not untie him because he is sacrificing himself for the good of his men. He is a leader when he does this because he lets his men not suffer the sirens while he has to. Odysseus being a leader makes him a hero because he makes bold decisions and he protects himself and his

TS1 (Thesis): In The Odyssey, Homer depicts Odysseus’ real foe as the theme of temptation with displays of hubris and lustrous goddesses, which portrays the importance of being vigilant to not submit to temptation.

Honor is like a crown, which is only worn by those who are worthy enough to take it. Failure to wear such an exquisite accessory with dignity reveals one’s lack of honor and worth. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, honor is displayed through a leader’s courage as tested through deeds and battles. Although Odysseus exposes cracks in his honor, he is ultimately represented as an honorable leader when his violent actions and authoritative decision-making show how he has acquired honor.

A leader is a person with the power or the ability to lead others, this relates to being a hero because a hero cannot do all work on their own. A hero must have help from others who are willing to follow them and help them with their final goal. This is shown is John C. Maxwell’s quote “A leader is someone who knows the way, goes the way, and shows the way”. What he means is that someone who is considered a leader can know the right path, and be able to help someone else on that same path, and continue on that path with that person. This is shown in “The Odyssey” odysseus was warned by Circe, the witch, that he had two options while sailing to Thrinika. His first option was to pass by Scylla which is a six headed monster that he knew would eat six of his men. His other decision was to pass near charybdis which is a large whirlpool that sucks ships into it and everyone could possibly die. “Better to mourn six men than lose them all, and the ship, too” (Odysseus 917). This shows Odysseus “knowing the way” he had to decide which way was better for the men. He “went the way” when they set off for scylla, and he “showed the way” while on the ship with his men when he knew he could possibly die. This example of leadership goes on to prove that he is in fact a hero, he had to make a hard decision for his men but knew he had their back and they had his.

However, examples within the literary narrative of the Odyssey leaves the discussion open with regards to his leadership. Thus, the question of leadership supersedes the topic of Arete. Was Odysseus the ideal leader or did he portray undesirable leadership tendencies? The examples that will presented will illustrate that Odysseus hubris, risk taking prowess, and at times unwillingness to follow instructions often placed his crew in danger as he journeyed Ithaca. Yes, the terribly challenging circumstances in narrative in which the Odysseus finds himself is a challenge of courage and heroism of which very few would willingly volunteer. His ability to remain courageous in the face of brute beast, the actions of gods and demi-goddesses, and in almost impossible natural and supernatural circumstances certainly admirable. However, it is evident that there are circumstances where his hubris leads him to trust his intellect and wit over more reasonable course of action that not only endanger his life, but the life of his entire

In what ways does Odysseus develop as a character during the time of the story?

There are very few traits of a good leader which Odysseus possesses, and they aren't the most important ones. He is brave