Odysseus Techniques Used For Survival In Homer's The Odyssey

Odysseus's carelessness when making sure that his men are safe illustrate him as a carless leader who does not attempt to keep

Surya Govindaswaami Vidya Madavan English A HL 3 May 2016 The Influence of Divine Intervention on the Portrayal of Fate and Free Will in The Odyssey by Homer The Odyssey is not only considered one of the most prolific mythological epics of all time, but one of the greatest texts written by man. It recounts the arduous journey of the war hero Odysseus, in which he faced a multitude of adversities and obstacles that he had to overcome, as well as numerous challenges upon his arrival.

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.

Another example of a bad decision Odysseus made was when he made his crew stay in polyphemus’ cave, when they wanted to take the food and leave. Here is an example of someone on his crew discussing this, “Let 's make away with the cheeses, then come back-/ hurry, drive the lambs and kids from the pens/ to our swift ship, put out to sea at once!/ But I would not give way-” (9. 252-255). If Odysseus was a good leader he wouldn’t have risked anything happening to his crew, he would have just taken the food and left. As a result of this bad choice, many men in Odysseus’ crew were killed and eaten by Polyphemus.

Because of his actions, and this traits, Odysseus is not the archetype hero that people think his

This shows the lack of obedience the men have and Odysseus lack of leadership. Leadership requires a person to lead a group of people and have people obey you, how can that occur if Odysseus men do not obey simple instructions. Furthermore, how can we consider Odysseus a hero if his commands are not followed by his men. Heroes orders are followed and pursued, but Odysseus wasn't. Nevertheless, heroes rules and commands are respected by their followers and it shows excellent leadership, yet this does not the speak to Odysseus.

Odysseus: A Lousy Leader or a Terrific Leader? In the epic The Odyssey, written by Homer, Odysseus can be categorized as a bad leader because he is a bystander to preventable deaths of his crew members and exhibits poor authority amongst his group. Odysseus dismisses the possible danger of death he places his crew members in.

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.

“Greed is a bottomless pit which exhausts the person in an endless effort to satisfy the need without ever reaching satisfaction.” -Erich Fromm ‘The Odyssey’ by Homer, follows the story of Odysseus, a great Greek hero. It tells of his venture to Troy, to lead his army in the Trojan War, and his separation from loved ones and his kingdom for twenty years. However, the novel mainly focuses on the story of his homecoming and all he, and many others, had to endure while he was returning from abroad.

“‘I’d rather die at sea, with on deep gulp of death, than die by inches on this desolate island here’’ (Odyssey 12. 377-378). Not only was this irony but a foreshadow of what was to come. The description of Odysseus’ ship being destroyed by Zeus is an epic simile and an epithet.

In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.

The odyssey, an epic told by Homer in ancient greece, has many major themes following odysseus’s adventures. While Odysseus is sentenced to never return home after the Trojan War. He is overcoming challenges to return home to his wife penelope and his son Telemachus. Throughout the story major themes of loyalty, hospitality and vengeance are hidden within the plot. The story continues to show his heroic side with three major traits.

Odysseus decides to pray to the gods to end their hunger, but to no avail. A character named Eurylochus then suggests that the men eat the cattle, explaining that they should not listen to Odysseus because, in his opinion famine is the worst form of death. “‘Comrades,’ he said, ‘You’ve gone through everything: listen to what I have to say. All deaths are hateful to us, mortal wretches, but famine is the most pitiful, the worst end that man can come to’” (863-867).

Odysseus’s Leadership In Homer’s famous epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus, the protagonist who spends the book traveling home after the Trojan War while encountering different obstacles along the way, shows many different admirable qualities. He shows that he is prepared to sacrifice his life to be a good leader for his crew after his success in Troy, and not only wants to return home himself to his family, but also wants his crew to be able to do the same. Though some might argue that he is a flawed leader, his positive traits outnumber his understandable mistakes. Though some might argue that Odysseus shouting at Polyphemus, saying “Odysseus… took your eye:/ Laertes’s son, whose home’s on Ithaka” (9.551-9.552) was a sign of foolishness, he had a right to this anger, as Polyphemus had just devoured many of his friends.

The Odyssey is an age old classic read around the world. In the Odyssey, Homer tells the story of the wayward Odysseus. The story follows the protagonist as he makes his way back home, dealing with man-eating Cyclopes, a vengeful god, and a possessive nymph. During the story, the reader sees many sides of Odysseus as he dealt with his tribulations, such the cunning and witful side, but also the pompous and indulgent side. To begin with, Odysseus is trapped on an island with the nymph, Calypso.