Only thinking for oneself is often favorable initially. However, this mindset can have a large effect on others as well. These consequences are often negative and harm all of those involved. The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, is based around the adventures of a hero named Odysseus and his crew. Odysseus spends 10 years away from home at war and spends just as long trying to get back. He arrives at multiple places along the journey, some more dangerous than others. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is an ineffective leader and shows how risky qualities and carelessness of an individual can lead to disastrous consequences for a group.
Odysseus is a poor leader because he shows risky qualities while with his crew at the cyclops. At
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When they get to the island, one of Odysseus’ crewmen suggests, “‘Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, / throw open all the pens, and make a run for it?/ We’ll drive the kids and lambs aboard. We say/ put out again on good salt water!’ Ah, how sound that was! Yet I [refuse]. I wish/ to see the cave man, what he [has] to offer—” (Homer 167-170). The crewman’s idea is very solid and poses little risk with a substantial reward. However, Odysseus decides to take a risk and go into the cave to see the cyclops. The cyclopses have no value for hospitality at all. Odysseus looses many men while staying at the cyclops’ island. His crew could have left the island with enough resources and no losses at all if not for Odysseus’ ineffective leadership. Odysseus’ trait of being risky as a leader overrides the crewman’s idea of quickly leaving. Even though Odysseus survives, many of his crewmates die to the cyclops. This not only makes his crew weaker because they have less men, but it also decreases the crewmates’ trust in Odysseus, harming them as a whole. His idea satisfied his personal desires, but it ended up being harmful to his crew. Odysseus and his men later end up blinding the cyclops and escape his cave. They get back to the rest of his
During the Cyclops incident in The Odyssey, Odysseus and his crew get stuck in the Cyclops’ cave. While losing some of his best men,
Odysseus didn’t have enough respect for his crew. Odysseus’ men were taking him across the ocean so that he could get home and weren’t getting compensated for it. Odysseus showed bad leadership when he left his men alone so he could sleep and while he was sleeping they opened a bag of wind and they were blown in the opposite direction of where they were headed. Odysseus showed very little care when six of his men were killed by Scylla, he almost ignored it and just continued his
The Odyssey is one of the most famous epic poems of all time. Written by the Greek poet Homer. Odysseus demonstrates his wit and intelligence on many occasions. From his clever escape from the Cyclops to his great thinking when visiting the Laistrygonians. Odysseus is a master strategist who always manages to stay one step ahead of his enemies.
This harms Odysseus, as he is unable to maintain the crew's trust and loyalty. These decisions highlight Odysseus’s tendency to prioritize dominance, which leads to his failure to return home on
From the interweaving of these elements, Homer teaches us that the experience of making mistakes helps a person become wiser. Even Though The Odyssey was written to tell the story of Odysseus, there were many other characters that showed reckless behavior and made their trip back
In Homer’s Odyssey, there are many themes shared throughout the book. One of the more important topics is self-control. Self-Control is good because it allows the character to be able to restrict themselves at will. Also, it enables the user to of self-control to be calmer and calculated when in dire situations. Both of these examples of self-control are implemented by Homer in Odysseus, who is the main protagonist of books six through thirteen.
In the famous poem written by Homer, The Odyssey, the protagonist Odysseus had left a 10 year battle with the Trojans and had begun to set sail for his home, not knowing he would soon enter a new conflict with the gods. During this journey, Odysseus faces many trials with only one thing seeming to aid him through it all, his Machiavellian mind and intelligence. But all is not well with this gift as it is shown to be a positive as well as plaguing him. This character helps readers divulge the complex nature of gifts and how they can both help and hinder an individual's journey. Odysseus’ intelligence is his most significant trait which stands him out from all the other great warriors mentioned in the poem.
Webster Dictionary defines leadership as simply, “providing direction or guidance,” but to be a successful leader one must focus on completing a goal in a way that is beneficial for the majority, not only the one in charge. This can be achieved by utilitarianism, which is doing of what is best for the most number of people, and carrying out actions that lead to positive effects, instead of merely being done with good intentions. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is not an exemplary leader because he went against utilitarianism by not being honest with his men, letting his arrogance control his behavior, and by killing many people in his house without a fair trial. Firstly, a leader must be truthful with those he works with in order for no errors or confusion to occur as a result of information being hidden. In The Odyssey, not being truthful lead to negative consequences for everyone on Odysseus’ ship, and thus contradicted the principle of utilitarianism stating that actions must lead to positive effects.
Odysseus is extremely selfish by betraying his crew. His crew believes that Odysseus is trying to help them return home, when he is actually only concerned about himself.
As a leader Odysseus should be careful to do exactly what will benefit his crew the most. The lack of communication throughout the whole journey home will eventually lead to mistrust and betrayal of Odysseus by his crew. Following Scylla and Charybdis they reach the island of the god of the sun, and because of the crew’s spite for Odysseus they don’t follow his directions not to harm the cattle of the Sun. Just in the events of the journey back to Ithaca alone the reader can see how Odysseus’ inability to be a strong leader leads to the dismantling of a good relationship between him and his crew, which leads to a much more difficult trip. Odysseus’ inability to be a great leader for the group leads to a lot of conflict among the crew members.
The Odyssey by Homer is an exemplary story that teaches life lessons to those going on a journey for themselves. It illustrates how the challenges and obstacles one may face can help someone become a better leader. The Odyssey highlights one man, Odysseus, a man filled with excessive pride, experiencing the wrath of the god Poseidon. He expects to arrive at his home, Ithaca, safely to reunite with his wife, Penelope, but unfortunately faces many temptations and setbacks. Due to the challenges he faces, it prevents him from arriving home as early as he thought he would.
(Book 10, page 159, PDF). Odysseus had left almost always meant to die with only saving a few which may have caused a sense of controversy and confusion. Also Odysseus hadn’t thought of a way to save all of his men, which eventually impacted his journey and his entire crew. Though Odysseus did have several acts of heroic deeds, the amount of failure in a majority of those other acts overpowered them
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.
When Odysseus and some of his crew stumble across Polyphemos’ cave, his crew suggests they take the goods from the cave and run. But Odysseus refuses and “‘wished to see the cavemen, what he had to offer- no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends’”(151). As illustrated Odysseus refuses to listen to his crew’s advice, and as a result, several of them are eaten. Odysseus throughout the story shows several other instances of hubris, where he does what he wants regardless of the advice given to him by others. Ultimately his crew pays for his hubris, as they all die due to Odysseus’ refusal to listen to Kirke’s advice and avoid the island where Helios keeps his cattle.