Kelsey Castles Mrs. Conceicao English 9 12 April 2024 Odysseus’s Leadership Qualities A positive leader shows good character through courage, passion, intelligence and care. The Odyssey by Homer tells the story of a man named Odysseus and his army traveling back to Ithaca after spending 10 years battling in Troy. On this journey home, Odysseus and his men confront many hardships, which forces Odysseus to take lead for his men. Odysseus leads his men home to Ithaca, even with all of the setbacks they face. Odysseus shows positive leadership qualities throughout his entire journey home through problem solving, loyalty, and initiative. Odysseus displays his positive leadership qualities by having the ability to problem solve through his many hardships on his way home to Ithaca. …show more content…
However, Odysseus’s quick-thinking helped them not get awfully injured. Odysseus shows his problem solving in the cave of the Cyclops, “I chew on all my wits, and and ran through tactics, reasoning as a man for dear life” (Odyssey 9. 418-419. See the corresponding section. While Odysseus and his men were stuck in the cave after blinding the Cyclops, Odysseus had to think on his feet to be able to save the lives of these men. He rapidly conjures up a plan to tie together the rams, “three abreast I tied them silently together, twining cords of willow from the ogre’s bed; then slung a man under each middle one to ride there safely, shielded left and right” (Odyssey 9. 423-426. This unique plan was able to keep his men safe, while being efficient. In a moment of stress, he did what needed to be done to protect his men. Odysseus exemplifies his positive leadership qualities through problem solving. Another indicator of Odysseus’s positive leadership occurs in the story of the Lotus-Eaters. Odysseus shows loyalty to his men during this story by insisting on saving these men while it would have been easier for him to continue on the journey without