Ethnographic Interests of Xenophon Essay

Leadership appears multiple times throughout the story and is a common theme throughout. One of the most important times leadership was shown was when they had been captured by the cyclops near the beginning when they wanted help getting home and Odysseus had lead his men with courage even though they were terrified. “Now by the gods, I drove my big hand spike deep in the embers, charring it again, and cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up:no quitting now.” (p# 904) This particular quote is quite important because the men needed to do this to escape, but if they were to fail they would most definitely die. They were scared and Odysseus is the one who decided to keep their courage up. In modern times we rely on leaders but sometimes they can act foolish. It is nice to know that the king of a country was able to take such a high amount of

For instance, he acts irrationally by deciding to reveal his identity to Polyphemus resulting in Odysseus’ crew, “having our precious lives, but not our friends” (Homer 505). For example Odysseus yells out, “Cyclops/if ever mortal man inquire/how you were put to shame and blinded, tell him/Odysseus, raider of cities, took your eye”’ (Homer 503). The cyclops becomes enraged by Odysseus’ taunts, so Poseidon curses the boastful man, leaving him with a lonesome, treacherous journey. A leader must put his men first, but Odysseus is arrogant for he instead only cares about basking in the glory of defeating the cyclops. For instance, Odysseus will regret not listening to his crew’s cries to stop irritating Polyphemus, for he eventually is the one to indirectly cause death among them. Another example arguing foolishness is his failure to take the necessary precautions when warning his men about Helios’ cattle. After days on Helios’ island his men were driven by hunger and “ignore Odysseus’ warning not to feast on Helios’ cattle...To appease Helios, Zeus sends down a thunderbolt to sink Odysseus’ ship” (Homer 529). The leader of Ithaca is not a hero because he is threatening the lives of his crew who would die for him, because he is careless and unaware about the importance of informing his men about the dangers that they will face. Even though his past actions have had severe

Throughout The Odyssey, Odysseus has shown various qualities of a weak leader. For one, Odysseus taunts Polyphemus unnecessarily. This leads him and his men being “cursed” to never return home or to kill all of Odysseus’s men. This shows Odysseus is a bad leader because he is excessively prideful and egotistical. He often lets those traits make decisions for him, and this causes poor fortune for him and his men. Another example of Odysseus being a bad leader is when he accepts the fate of his men instead of trying to find a loophole that would save them. Along with his crew’s fate, his decision to listen to the sirens was also a foolish decision. There could have been a lot of time saved if his men were not preoccupied with keeping Odysseus

To a certain degree the characteristics of his youth, despite his own affirmation of ‘breaking and training’, beneficially prevail to adulthood. The roman biographer Cornelius Nepos ascertains that ‘The vices of his early youth were compensated by great virtues’. These same vices, his impulsive attitude in the public life, were responsible for the very virtuous achievements he is referring to. In fact these character traits foreshadow the decisions he would make years later in the Persian Wars. Comparatively, his impulsiveness matured into a cunning and uncontrollable determination in the face of authority. He was cleverly deceitful in the construction of a fleet of triremes, he was uncompromising against the Spartan commander Eurybiades at the first gathering at Corinth in 480 BC, and he was determined to get his own way in vital battles such as Salamis and Artemisium whether that required deceiving those authorities above him or not. Plutarch, Nepos, and Themistocles himself all refer to a degree of uncontrollable yet cunning determination that serves a great purpose in Greece’s victory over Persia.

Many people in history did great things. United State presidents for example, did everything for their country. Even though their are good leaders, some are cruel. In Egypt, a pharaoh could execute a person for no reason. A good leader needs the traits of leadership, intelligence, discipline, and integrity. One specific leader in ancient Greece was Alexander the Great. Alexander did not belong in the category of “the greats”

In the epic The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus should not be considered a good leader because he is giving false hope to his crew and treats his crew very poorly by letting them die for his mistakes. A good leader should do what is necessary in order to achieve their goal and must be considerate of their crew, by respecting them and notifying them about any changes in their plans. It is the leader’s duty to let the crew decide what to do in tough situations and consider their opinions on entering risky scenarios.

Peter Drucker said, “Effective leadership is not about making speeches or being liked; leadership is defined by results, not attributes.” Homer proves this point in The Odyssey, which is an epic poem, and the main character is Odysseus. Odysseus is on his way back from the Trojan War and everyone returns back to Ithaca beside him, he is being held against his will, by Calypso, on Ogygia. He soon will be faced with problems that come about all because of himself. Some people like Odysseus are not fit to be a leader because he is arrogant, foolish, and a liar.

When someone says the word leader, the first thought is someone who is considerate of others, smart, and has good communication. In Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is an epic hero who goes on a journey in order to get back home, but doing so proves he is not a great leader. Although Odysseus may have gotten himself home, he got none of his men home, which shows he is a horrible leader. Odysseus is a terrible leader because he gets all of his men killed on his trip back home, he exposes himself and his men to the Cyclops, which puts him and his men in danger, and he has horrible communication which causes his ship to get farther from home. Since Odysseus does all of this, it proves he is a horrific leader. Odysseus thinks of himself

Odysseus shows the characteristics of a good leader by being brave and sacrificing his life for his crew and the way to get home to his family. ''Under strange sail shall you come home, to find your own house filled with trouble: insolent men eating your livestock as they court your lady.'' This quote shows how Odysseus will stop at nothing to find his way home, He legitimately traveled through the underworld a very petrifying place to find his way home and he also had to deal with his dead crewmate and cried. This shows that he will stop at nothing to get home which is something that inspires your crew which is a very crucial part of being a leader.

Sophocles’ purpose for writing about leadership in Antigone was to demonstrate that as a leader they must know what their true values, as well as, when to prioritize them, because they need to do what they think is best for the city. This is shown when Greon is introducing himself as the one who possesses the throne and the power along with it. He explains how you cannot know a man completely until the experience and what his standards are such as not putting a friend

Everyone is capable of being affectionate, positive, kind, and caring. But with those qualities comes pride, envy, greed, and wrath. The Odyssey is a myth formed about the absurd journey of the human, Odysseus. As a hero from the Trojan War, his mission was to bring his men back home after ten years of hardship. Little did he know, only half of his expedition was over. Odysseus faced off against the burly Laestrygonians, the atrocious Scylla, and the desperate Calypso. He had many peaks and valleys throughout his journey, solely caused by his positive and negative qualities as a leader. In the story of the “Odyssey,” the hero Odysseus embodies an ineffective and effective leader. Odysseus is strategic in navigating the obstacles he faces, however, he is selfish in his desires, and his ego prompts failure, which demonstrates to the reader the Greek

The character that has taught me most about how to be an effective leader is Creon, king of Thebes, from the play Antigone. Unfortunately, it wasn’t because of his outstanding and effective leadership qualities that offered me insight, but rather it was the skills in which he lacked as a leader. Such as, compassion, understanding, communication, and humility, just to name a few. His character helped me identify and think more in-depth about the most important attributes an effective leader should own.

Achilles is selfish when, being dishonored, he leaves his men and goes crying to his tent.Agamemnon also acts like this when he takes the most honor (booty) just because he is the king, not because he earns it.Diomedes, while establishing glory by the great feats he accomplishes, is able to keep order in the troops.He cares for other troops and his people.He does not run away when Agamemnon calls him a coward.Instead he holds steadfast, realizing that Agamemnon is just doing his job and accepts dishonor.Most heroes in the Iliad are able to establish great

Odysseus illustrates the quality of leadership. To be a leader, one must be loyal, strong, sharp, and wise. Odysseus demonstrates loyalty while he is trapped on Kalypso’s Island. Alone, angry, and depressed, Kalypso tempts Odysseus to fall in love with her, yet, Odysseus remains loyal to his wife and gives up the fine and tempting opportunity: “My lady goddess, here is no cause for anger./

Through history, everyone is trying to rise to the top. However, the ones at the top are not always the most suitable. This becomes evident in Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex, where Oedipus becomes the ruler of Thebes after defeating the Sphinx. Throughout the story, Oedipus fails to meet the characteristics of a good leader, including: humbleness, selflessness and patience.