Role Of Leadership In The Odyssey

The definition for leader is the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country. This definition defines odysseus from The Odyssey because he is a person who commands a small army through Danger and survives. He keeps his men alive because he has analytical skills he takes the tasks at hand to his full attention and takes steps until the task is complete this helps him when he escapes the clutches of a cyclops and saves his men.

This is due to the fact that the leaders know how to handle a situation better than followers because they have natural leadership skills. A greek man named Odysseus, in Homer’s Odyssey, demonstrates his leadership by showing the characteristics of cunning, bravery, and loyalty at certain times throughout his journey.

Built-in qualities such as intelligence, good looks, height and so on are not necessary to become a good leader. Anyone can cultivate the proper leadership qualities. In order to excel in their leadership a good leader must possess qualities such as self awareness, courage, confidence, innovation, fairness, openness, and dedication among others. Odysseus in The Odyssey, and Samuel, Saul and David in the Books of Samuel, display these characters. However, at some occasions they fail to do so. That is to say, leaders, being it great or small, chosen by God or people, are not completely perfect.

The Negligent Son of Laertes Throughout Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus’s leadership proves to be very underdeveloped and used inconsiderately, allowing his crew to constantly get him into tough predicaments; furthermore, proving that he is the reason for his crew invariably making mistakes. In book 10, Odysseus and his men arrive to the Aeolian Island where he is then bestowed with food and drinks for the crew. Subsequently, Odysseus receives a bag of winds from the king of the island.

Odysseus was the man that saved the Greeks in the Trojan War and helped them win this terrible war. He was always focused to get home with his family since he didn't get to see his son grow up. An example, of this is when nymph Kalypso. She offers him immortality to stay with her and leave his thoughts for home but he gave it all up for his family and home.

He wants to face the giant himself, and test if he shows his hospitality. All men have to listen to him because he is the leader and they have to follow his demands. By the time Odysseus and his crew successfully escapes the cave, Odysseus has his inner voice telling him to announce the truth to Polyphemus that actually it is him who has poked the giant’s eye. When they are just about to leave the island, Odysseus starts shouting “Cyclops, if anyone, any mortal man, /Ask you how you got your eye put out, /Tell him that Odysseus the marauder did it, /Son of Laertes, whose home is on Ithaca.” - (Homers IX.

Odysseus might’ve been a very strong mortal, but throughout the story he learns that cunning overpowers physical strength. In some parts of the story Odysseus knew that with his strength, he wouldn’t be able to defeat the obstacles by with his physical strength so he used his cunning powers and outsmarted his opponent. Just like in the passage The Cyclops, Odysseus states, “Cyclops, try some wine, there is some liquor to wash down your scraps of men,” (Line 296-297.) That explains that Odysseus knew that he couldn't out strengthen the cyclops with his physical strength, so what he did was that he gave the cyclops some wine to get Polyphemus drunk and stabbed his eye so then Polyphemus wouldn’t be able to see and they could escape with the sheep with no problem. Also in the story, The Challenge, the narrator says, “Penelope says she will marry the man who can string Odysseus’ bow… the suitors try and fail.

In The Odyssey, by Homer, Odysseus performs many leadership acts that help him and his men get back home to Ithaca(TS). One example of his leaderships skills, is perseverance (SI1). When him and his men were sailing home to Ithaca and came upon Scylla and Charybdis, Odysseus motivated the crew and overcame a difficult obstacle and decision, “‘Friends, have we never been in danger before this?”(E1). Odysseus had to decide whether he would risk going past Charybdis which he could have lost all of his men or he could have gone by Scylla, and no doubt lose six men; this kind of decision is called a ‘rock in a hard place’ meaning he had to make a decision and it was lose lose situation no matter what.(D1). Which leads to his quick problem solving,

How would you feel if you were away from your family for 20 years? In the Odyssey, Odysseus had to go to war at Troy. Whenever he was on his way home, he and his men all got lost at sea. During Odysseus’s way home to Ithaca, he exhibits leadership, intelligence, and arrogance. One of Odysseus’s character traits he exhibits on his way home to Ithaca is leadership.

Traits of Leadership A true leader is someone who would sacrifice their life for someone else, someone who would do whatever it takes to make the right decision. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus is an example of a great leader. He is brave and wise, he exemplifies these traits multiple times throughout this poem.

First of all, Odysseus used his wise words to talk to Polyphemus. When Odysseus was speaking to Polyphemus he tricked him into thinking that he has “magic” in his head and knows secrets. If Odysseus didn’t trick Polyphemus like he did he would’ve been eaten by him. Then, after Odysseus soothes Polyphemus with his words, he gave Polyphemus wine for his plan of escaping. Since Odysseus knew he couldn’t kill him (because then he and his ment could not escape if they did) he decided to attack his eye while he was sleeping.

Only three seconds left and the score is tied. With his nervous team in mind, the captain remains calm and thinks of a play to win the basketball game – the play is executed by the captain perfectly and they win. Although Homer’s Odyssey is not entirely related to a basketball game, the situations that Odysseus faces during his nostos are comparable to the last few seconds of a close game. The difference between victory and defeat is leadership. It is required to overcome adversity.

Leader’s characteristics and values during the ruling in Virgil, Plato, and Pericles all have their differences in affliction to humanity. Imagining how one leader is able mind is able to manage and instill such rules into their cultures is very important. In this essay I will depicting the great influences of the characteristics and values on Virgil, Plato, and Pericles cultures and the importance these factors had on powerful leaders during their reign. Also what these rulers endeared to have such the impact they have created to continue through over the centuries dating back to BCE is legendary until this day.

Leadership is a skill that requires an individual to guide another individual or a group. It increases innovation potential and plays a significant role in followers lives, an example of this would be how a recent survey shown out of 1,200 professionals, only 88 percent stated that receiving a praise from their manager was either “very” or “extremely” rewarding. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey talks about a well known hero that fights in the Trojan war for 10 years then struggles for another 10 years trying to get his men and himself back home. The epic poem is about the conflicts he faces and what he does to overcome them. Leadership is intelligence and the ability to demonstrate gallant acts while fighting inner desires for oneself.

In the Lotus Eaters, the strong minded leaders can help the weak minded crew when they got sick when they eat the Lotus and Odysseus saves them. Odysseus told his trustworthy men to go and see what the land has to offer, “Then i sent out two picked men and a runner to learn … what the land sustained”(201). When Odysseus told the men to go and see what the land holds, they do not know what is in store. They don't come back for a while and Odysseus gets worried. Then the crew comes back they are intoxicated from the plants and, “They longed to stay forever…, forgetful of their homeland”(209). If they ate those plants they wanted to stay there forever , eating the plants. And the only way Odysseus could get his men back on the boat was for him