When it comes to a strong leader, Odysseus is not the best option. Not only did Odysseus fail to save any of his men, but his selfishness caused him and his crew to go on this journey in the first place. If Odysseus had not given his identity to the Polyphemus, then Polyphemus would not have told Poseidon to make Odysseus’ life miserable. This shows that he has poor leadership skills because an exceptional leader would have saved their crew rather than doom them. Another example of Odysseus’ lack of leadership skills is the fact that he did not have to be tied to the mass, he just wanted to hear the sirens song. Tiresias told Odysseus to make sure that he and his crew plugged their ears with wax when they were passing the sirens. Then out of
Odyssey Part One Final Paragraph Please indent and double-space Odysseus was an effective leader for many reasons. One example, is that Odysseus was very courageous when he and his crew were facing the cyclops by protecting his crew and getting out safely to the best of their ability. He was courageous by not giving up when something difficult came his way. When they encountered the cyclops it was not an easy task defeating him but they still did it and made it out safely.
Odysseus shows us the true meaning of leadership throughout the Odyssey.In the Odyssey, Odysseus decides to step up and take charge in many aspects of their journey. For example, ”The rest of you loyal friends stay here, while I and my crew take ship and try and find out who these men are,”( Odyssey Book IX 152-192). This shows his leadership because he is ordering the other people to stay by the boat so they can stay safe. Another piece of evidence is,”I ordered the men to cast lots as to which of them should dare to help me raise the stake and twist it into the Cyclops’ eye when sweet sleep took him,”(Odyssey Book IX 307-359). Through Odysseus words, we can tell he is taking charge so they all can return to safety because he cares about them.
Camila Ventura Ms. Quijano-Diaz English 1 Honor 11 March 2024 Is Odysseus a Good Leader? Over the course of Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey," Odysseus has shown himself to be a capable leader on numerous occasions and a less than ideal one on others. Many now question if Odysseus is indeed a capable leader in light of this. Odysseus is portrayed as a complex character who displays bravery and wisdom. His astute tactics, fearlessness in the face of difficulty, and inventiveness in conquering obstacles frequently portray him as a perceptive leader.
The traits of leadership are not evident in Odysseus during much of his journey home to Ithaca. However, during his journey, Odysseus becomes better at leading his crewmates and making choices that would hurry their journey home instead of delay it. Soon after Odysseus’s crewmates convince him to leave Circe and resume their journey home, they face an obstacle in Scylla and Charybdis. During this terrifying episode, Odysseus displays his leadership in a prominent way by taking control of the situation and saying “So now let us all agree to do exactly what I say. Oarsmen, stay at your oars, striking hard with your blades through the deep swell, in the hope that Zeus allows us to escape disaster and come out of this alive. Helmsman, your orders
The least effective protagonist of all the works read in class throughout the year is Odysseus from The Odyssey. Odysseus is the least effective protagonist because he does not accomplish anything significant in the story. Odysseus gets back home to his family from staying on an island with the goddess Calypso for many years. This shows he does not accomplish anything significant because the only thing he achieves in the end is something he already had before his journey. Odysseus is the least effective protagonist because he is an incompetent leader and stays that way throughout the story.
Although Odysseus is the captain of his men on the ship, he is a bad leader in the story. “ ‘I say, Cyclops! He didn’t turn out to be such a milksop after all, did he, when you murdered his friends and gobbled them up in your cave? Your sins were sure to find you out, you cruel brute!” (117) Odysseus is very boastful when he has victory over his opponents. He outsmarts Polyphemus, and then mocks him after escaping the cave. This shows that Odysseus is not setting a good example for his crew of men. “ But I was determined not to listen, and shouted again in my fury: ‘I say Cyclops! if ever any one asks
Although all his men died, Odysseus prove himself to be a successful leader because of how much he cares about his men. What are the qualities of a successful, effective leader? In the mythical book, The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus, the main character proves himself to have all the qualities of a successful leader. Throughout book 9, 10, 11, and 12, Odysseus shows a lot of care for his men. Each trial brings new problems, yet he continues to encourage them throughout it all. A successful leader shows care for, and encourages their followers. A great leader is skilled and has respect for everyone. A leader with no passion or care is a poor leader because they would give up easily. Although none of his men made it, Odysseus proves
Odysseus Can be a good leader because he gets his crew out of some bad situations, To start off Odysseus got his crew out of the cyclops’s cave. “So, we seized our stake with its fiery tip and bored it round and round in the giant's eye” (9.435). This quote shows how Odysseus use a stick (more like a pole) and stuck it in the fire and when the cyclops fell asleep Odysseus took the stick and jabbed it into the giant's eye and escaped with most of his crew. Another way that Odysseus can be a good leader is that he got his crew out of Circe’s palace, even after she turned all of the crew into pigs. “Flinging open the pens, drove forth my men, who looked like full-grown swine” (10.429). This quote is showing that Circe is letting Odysseus’s crew out of the pen and releasing them, but in exchange Odysseus would have to sleep with Circe and stay
After reading about Odysseus in the first part of The Odyssey he may seem like a good leader. Nobody had thought that deeper in the epic Odysseus’ actions made him turn out to be a bad leader. Homer’s epic The Odyssey is about how Odysseus and his men are journeying back home to Ithaca from the Trojan War. He encountered many obstacles along his journey that cost him the lives of his men. Odysseus faced atrocious monsters, foxy nymphs, and gods out for revenge. The journey that he completed tested his skills not only as leader, but as a human too. Odysseus proves himself to be a bad leader due to him being deceitful, oppressive, and dramatic.
Odysseus was a strong leader for many reasons, one of those reasons was because he was a good and quick thinker. When his crew and himself were stuck in the cyclops' cave, Odysseus was able to think up a plan to escape. He used what they had around them and crafted a spear in which he used to stab the cyclops' eye, this lead to his crew being able to escape. All in all, with the evidence of Odysseus thinking of a plan to escape from the cyclops, this shows that he is a good thinker, this supports that Odysseus is a strong leader.
The Odyssey is a collection of stories surrounding the journey of Odysseus, written to glorify him as a leader in many circumstances. However, this deification of Odysseus as a character is undeserved, as he continuously proved in the Great Wanderings that he was a narcissistic and ill-prepared leader. He never had the intent of getting those men home, and if he had, Odysseus wouldn’t have perpetually acted carelessly. Odysseus proved to be an ineffective leader because of his selfishness and inability to resist temptation. Before outlining Odysseus’ fatal mistakes made throughout his journey, it is important to define what an exemplary leader is.
Odysseus had to think for everyone on board and not just his wants for the dessert, so he decided to take the men onto the ship and sail away as fast as they could, no matter what his men said or did. Odysseus was a great leader because he thought things through for his men and himself. If he wouldn’t have, he and his men would have died at any one of their pit stops along the
According to The Odyssey, “Within sight of home, and while Odysseus is sleeping, the men open the bag, thinking it contains gold and silver. The bad winds thus escape and blow the ships back to Aeolus’ island. The king refuses to help them again, believing now that their voyage has been cursed by the gods” (Hom. Od. 10). Odysseus is not a good leader because he does not manifest the traits of a good
Opponents say that Odysseus uses his accomplishments to gain fame and glory. However, Odysseus would have never thought of that due to the dangerous situations he faces that may cost his life. For example, as Odysseus and his crew were continuing on their journey, they encountered the Sirens who had “lovely voices in ardor appealing over the water made me crave to listen, and I tried to say ‘Untie me!’ to the crew, jerking my brows; but they bent steady to the oars” (1134). Homer portrays the epic hero, Odysseus, as the element, victorious from a dangerous situation because the Sirens were powerful enough to bewitch any men with their voices. Nonetheless, Odysseus followed the advice given from Circe and secured himself by wrapping his arms around the pole of the boat and covering the ears of his crew members. Odysseus knew how dangerous this could’ve been, but still decided to risk his and crew member’s lives and sail through it. Another reason would be Odysseus’s raging pride that can make others in danger. While this is not entirely inaccurate, he does have an understanding of the responsibilities it takes to be a leader. For instance, in order to persuade Zeus to help Odysseus, Athena defends how “he fought only to save his life, to bring his shipmates home” (1104). Leadership is displayed in a way when the author references how Odysseus was a brave and unselfish epic hero by putting his shipmates before him. This could suggest that he cares deeply for his shipmates and feels responsible if something were to happen to them on his behalf. Critics may have wondered if Odysseus is truly an epic hero due to his true intentions and how his pride can put others danger, but his willingness to overcome these tough obstacles and face these kinds of situations is only something Odysseus can
“The art of leadership is saying no, and not saying yes”(Tony Blair). In the Odyssey, Odysseus is the captain of a large fleet trying to get back to their home, Ithaca. Odysseus, with his crew, had to go through many obstacles to return to Ithaca. Odysseus was a bad leader because he was selfish, arrogant, and couldn’t control his men.