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Examples Of Odysseus Authority

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Odysseus exercises sufficient authority by presenting leadership qualities with his men before arriving on Helios' island as well when he makes smart decisions once on the island. Odysseus exercises sufficient authority by using direct communication and guiding his men on what to do when they arrive on the island. By leading his men and telling them what to do or not do, Odysseus is exercising his authority because he is informing his men of useful information to help them. He is giving them orders and using his higher position as an advantage of power.. “‘You force me to yield, since I am one and you are many. But all of you, swear me a mighty oath…Stay clear, and eat the food provided by immortal Circe.’ They swore as I commanded” (311.298-305). …show more content…

The word "force" in the phrase 'you force me to yield' is critical because it shows how Odysseus is not able to physically restrain his men by himself (so he has to give in). As the captain of the crew though, he is exercising his direct communication by attempting to persuade his men instead of physically fighting with them. This helps to reveal the power difference between him and his men which also shows the leadership position Odysseus holds. In the “Stay clear” part of the sentence, he is telling his men to take certain precautions in order to survive when they step foot on the island. He is commanding them to make sure his men are aware of the dangers that surround them. By not leaving them blind and in the unknown of what could happen, he is protecting them which shows his sufficient authority as their leader. By giving this warning, his men are informed of the harms and dangers on the island. In the phrase "They swore as I commanded”, the word ‘commanded’ shows his leadership and authority that he …show more content…

Odysseus is showing great authority by By deciding on different courses of actions he and his men have to face. Once Odysseuss and his men have enjoyed and eaten a portion of Circe’s food, he takes time to remind them of the dangers that come with the cattle on the island, furthermore deciding on the best approach that he can think of. “My friends, we have supplies on board. Let us not touch the cattle, or we will regret it. Those cows and fat sheep are the property of Helius, the great Sun God, who sees all things, and hears all things…and prayed to all the Gods. They poured sweet sleep upon my eyes” (311. 320-338). Odysseus is showing authority by telling his ‘friends’ of the triggers on the island. If they are to interact incorrectly with it then they will be met with a consequence. Odysseus is showing strategic planning because he is predicting the future and taking the measures he thinks of to avoid harm. By doing this, he is taking into mind the well being of his men and himself so they can stay safe. In the part “we will regret it”, he is indicating that something bad will happen, making sure they’re aware and that they don’t get hurt. To add on, by including the word ‘we’ in the sentence, Odysseus is allying himself with his men - helping with his persuasion and leadership. By alluding to the fact that Helius is ‘the great

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This text shows that Odysseus can be humble and accept that he needs to listen to survive and he alone can not keep his whole crew alive. Odysseus tends to use his own wit and skills to survive not needing others help, but sometimes he does need to take others advice to

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As a leader Odysseus should be careful to do exactly what will benefit his crew the most. The lack of communication throughout the whole journey home will eventually lead to mistrust and betrayal of Odysseus by his crew. Following Scylla and Charybdis they reach the island of the god of the sun, and because of the crew’s spite for Odysseus they don’t follow his directions not to harm the cattle of the Sun. Just in the events of the journey back to Ithaca alone the reader can see how Odysseus’ inability to be a strong leader leads to the dismantling of a good relationship between him and his crew, which leads to a much more difficult trip. Odysseus’ inability to be a great leader for the group leads to a lot of conflict among the crew members.

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When he returned home he found out that they took his cattle, slept with his maids, and just in general used his house. He was not very happy with them and wanted to get revenge for what they had done. Once again Odysseus shows his vengefulness when his crew gets turned into pigs. Odysseus sends his crewmates into the castle of Circe and Circe turns them into pigs. Odysseus finds this out and tries to kill her: “Circe gives Odysseus a magic drink, but it does not affect him and he threatens / to kill her with his sword” (10).

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Odysseus is instructing his men to return to their ship after causing turmoil, but the crew refuses, leading to major consequences. Odysseus's direct language, such as telling the crew to get “back [to the ship] and quickly” (155) demonstrates his dominion over his followers.

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Webster Dictionary defines leadership as simply, “providing direction or guidance,” but to be a successful leader one must focus on completing a goal in a way that is beneficial for the majority, not only the one in charge. This can be achieved by utilitarianism, which is doing of what is best for the most number of people, and carrying out actions that lead to positive effects, instead of merely being done with good intentions. In The Odyssey, Odysseus is not an exemplary leader because he went against utilitarianism by not being honest with his men, letting his arrogance control his behavior, and by killing many people in his house without a fair trial. Firstly, a leader must be truthful with those he works with in order for no errors or confusion to occur as a result of information being hidden. In The Odyssey, not being truthful lead to negative consequences for everyone on Odysseus’ ship, and thus contradicted the principle of utilitarianism stating that actions must lead to positive effects.

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He knows emotions won't save their lives. He was the reason they won the Trojan war and he is also who tried to save everyone from going home as failures and would have if they didn't release the wind on the boat. Odysseus was the smartest of all his men and it showed. One of the many reasons he is a good leader is because of the dangers he got them

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508 Words | 3 Pages

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