ipl-logo

Odysseus As A Good Leader In The Odyssey By Homer

574 Words3 Pages

In the epic the The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is bad leader because his selfishness leads to bad outcomes and he does not communicate with his men properly. One of the reasons Odysseus is an unfit leader is because he puts himself above others. When Odysseus and his men go to the island of the Cyclopes, they discover a cave that Odysseus wants to explore. His men try and convince him to leave, but to this he ignores their pleas and says “Yet I refused. I wished to see the cave man, what he had to offer- no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends” (155-157). A good leader would have taken his men’s concerns into consideration. Odysseus is quick to decide that they should stay even if it meant potential danger. His quick and impractical decision eventually led to death among his men. This shows that he prioritizes himself over his men and is clearly selfish, a quality good leaders should not have. Another part of the adventure where this is portrayed is when Odysseus and his men are on Circe’s island. When they land on the island his men are held captive and are turned into animals. This is Odysseus’s response to the situation.“After Circe releases his men from the spell, Odysseus spends a year with her” (pg 506). In this situation, …show more content…

He is not thinking of his men who have homes and families to get back to. A good leader will make decisions based on

Show More
Related

  • Frustration In The Odyssey

    850 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus displays strong leadership when his men abide by his direction. Odysseus also cares for his men when he does not tell them about Scylla and Charybdis for their own good. “‘Now I say by hook or crook this peril too shall be something that we remember. Heads up, lads! We must obey the orders as I give them’”

    Read More

  • Pathos And Ethos Of Culture In Homer's Odyssey

    1177 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Odysseus: An Exemplary Leader In The Odyssey

    769 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Examples Of Odysseus Being A Good Leader

    489 Words  | 2 Pages

    Was Odysseus a good leader? Odysseus is known as a great leader who was able to solve any problem in the story, but in reality, he was a terrible leader. He put his men in danger and only cared for things that benefited him. Odysseus shouldn’t be considered a hero because of how much he puts his men in trouble and how selfish he is. He sacrifices his men so he can get home and become king again, which shows how selfish he can be.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Is A Bad Leader Essay

    508 Words  | 3 Pages

    Dwight Eisenhower once said, "The supreme quality of leadership is integrity." Odysseus displayed a lack of integrity and poor leadership by not fully communicating all the facts of the situation

    Read More

  • Essay On Intelligence In The Odyssey

    407 Words  | 2 Pages

    A powerful leader shows the strength of a lion and the wisdom of an owl. One gets their men out of any predicament they may find themselves in while staying mostly intact. It’s difficult, but the main character Odysseus often makes the correct and moral decision. Intelligence is greatly valued in the world of ancient Greece and Odysseus is fortuitous enough to have it. In The Odyssey, intelligence is seen as an important trait to the Greeks because quick thinking and careful decisions shows a great likelihood of becoming a strong leader.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Crew Analysis

    2242 Words  | 9 Pages

    This also shows that he is inconsiderate because if someone is a good leader, they usually listen to other inputs and act according to that, but Odysseus was headstrong and wanted to continue the taunting. The next time that Odysseus shows that he is inconsiderate is their stay at Circe’s land. The crew members have families at home which they want to see once again, but Odysseus is reluctant to

    Read More

  • Greek Values In Odysseus In Homer's Odyssey

    811 Words  | 4 Pages

    Ultimately Odysseus can be a good leader but behind the scenes, he's not. He may of saved his men multiple times, but also got them killed them due to his neglect. He might be intelligent but really he tolerably manipulated his crew by saying things such as “don’t you want to go back to your home again?”. In closing, throughout the whole story, Odysseus progresses himself and designates many Greek

    Read More

  • How Is Odysseus Selfish

    290 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the novel The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus is portrayed as a bad leader because of his selfish decisions and bad character. Odysseus makes a selfish decision when he leads his crew to stay in Polyphemus’s cave thinking he would offer gifts and Odysseus would “accept (his) help, or any gifts/” he had to “give” (9.726-727). This is a selfish act because he is putting his crew in danger for something that would only benefit himself. In the end, many of his people died and no one benefited. Once again, Odysseus displayed selfish acts when Circe told him “ he will be the only survivor of their long journey” (Homer 764).

    Read More

  • Examples Of Leadership In The Odyssey

    761 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus used bravery, cleverness, and determination to be a good leader and get his men through all these dangerous obstacles. Odysseus is a good leader as seen through his bravery, cleverness, and determination. Odysseus demonstrates good leadership through his use of bravery.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Is A Bad Leader Analysis

    285 Words  | 2 Pages

    Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, however, what gives someone the title of a good or bad is decided by the decisions they make and how those decisions affect others. Odysseus led the squadron of soldiers in the trojan horse and is a hero of the Trojan War and the king of Ithaca. Consequently, this gives him experience when it comes acting in difficult situations. This experience should guide him to choose correctly when being put in a tight spot.

    Read More

  • The Leadership Of Odysseus In The Odyssey By Homer

    765 Words  | 4 Pages

    Odysseus in the book The Odyssey by Homer is a bad leader due to the lack of attentiveness he shows towards his teammates in many different ways. For example, Odysseus’s goal was to get him and all of his teammates home but by the time he got home all of his teammates had died. Odysseus also failed to communicate with his teammates many times. As well as the fact that Odysseus was also very easy to convince and that led to a lot of lost time in their journey.

    Read More

  • Odysseus Leadership In Homer's The Odyssey

    620 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Odysseus As A Hero In Homer's Odyssey

    865 Words  | 4 Pages

    During these situations, Odysseus gains leadership and tactical skills from fighting in the war in Troy, which costs him 10 years of his life and another 10 years of sailing out on the sea from Poseidon 's curse. Odysseus is therefore a heroic and efficient leader because he plans his moves ahead of time and is vigilant at all times to ensure his safety. Yet, though Odysseus possesses these heroic leadership qualities, his arrogance sometimes leads to his downfall and inability to lead. While Odysseus is a little arrogant, he can also be a great leader because he is able to trust his second in command, Eurylochus, and give him more power while he is away. When Odysseus is away from Circe’s island, Odysseus has a change of heart and suddenly wants to go back to Circe’s island to retrieve his crew.

    Read More

  • Odysseus: A Good Leader In Homer's The Odyssey

    571 Words  | 3 Pages

    Odysseus is a good leader in that he uses his wits to get his men out of trouble. As Odysseus and his men prepare to face Kharybdis and Skylla, his men are nervous, so Odysseus reminds them “‘Have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the kyklopes penned us in his cave? What power we had! Did I not keep my

    Read More

More about Odysseus As A Good Leader In The Odyssey By Homer

Open Document