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The Curse Of Knowledge In Homer's The Odyssey

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The Curse of Knowledge Knowledge is power. Important people, People in power, are viewed as being intelligent. The more intelligent someone is, the better a leader they will be. Unfortunately, knowledge can make decisions hard to make. There are too many options presented. A leader might want absolute control and force his agenda on his people. In a similar way Odysseus is a great leader, this is shown as he leads his men through the Trojan war. however, he faces many challenges and makes many decisions. In “The Odyssey,” Homer uses internal and external conflicts to reveal Odysseus as an intelligent and hopeful, but selfish character. Intelligence is a valued trait that many heroes posses. In “The Odyssey,” Odysseus is portrayed as a man who uses brains over brawn to out think his opponents. Odysseus, When facing the cyclops, “[draws] on all of [his] wits” (418) to trick …show more content…

Odysseus, a man of honor, bravery, in addition to quick thinking, is a leader who cares for his wife as well as for his homeland. He is so dead set on finishing his quest that he forgets about the immediate moment and subsequently the needs of his crew. He lets his fear control him. Odysseus keeps his hopes high and reaches his goal, but at what cost. He is an epic hero which means he had to face a low point. However, the low point does not define the hero, the action and recovery to the low point is what defines the hero. Knowledge of the future can cloud the judgement of even the most intelligent people. Odysseus makes his decision and he has to face the consequences and deal with the grief of losing his men in a tragic way. He learns that his actions can determine the life of others, or at least how they live their final days. Odysseus finishes his quest and makes it home. The same can not be said for his men, who are lying somewhere at the bottom of the

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