More handpicked essays just for you.
Was odysseus a good leader essay
Words that describe odysseus as a leader
Words that describe odysseus as a leader
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Leaders come in all shapes and sizes, however, what gives someone the title of a good or bad is decided by the decisions they make and how those decisions affect others. Odysseus led the squadron of soldiers in the trojan horse and is a hero of the Trojan War and the king of Ithaca. Consequently, this gives him experience when it comes acting in difficult situations. This experience should guide him to choose correctly when being put in a tight spot.
Odysseus was an effective leader for many reasons. One reason is that in Book ten his men had been captured by the sorceress Circe,and he took up the journey to find them. This shows his effectiveness as a leader because as a leader you have to be courageous and go into situations you would not normally have to. Another example is when he was in the house of death he said he would come back out and try to lead them home and that is exactly what he did. This shows effectiveness as a leader because leaders are supposed to be dependable,and he was there for them throughout the entire story.
There have been many great leaders in stories, but one of the greatest, would be Odysseus in The Odyssey. The Odyssey is an epic poem written by Homer. Through his actions during the Trojan War, and in the Cyclops’ island, Odysseus demonstrates the characteristics of a tremendous leader. The first way Odysseus shows that he is a good leader, is when he gets him and his crew out of the Cyclops cave. When him and his crew first enter the cave the Cyclops eats two of Odysseus’s men, so Odysseus has his crew ride the underside of some of the Cyclops herd’s.
Throughout the course of history, the world has seen many leaders. Some of which are good leaders, and others bad. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, he tells of a epic hero named Odysseus. Based on his actions and the definition of what makes a good leader, Odysseus is shown as a good leader. Odysseus is a good leader because of his influence on his men and his collaboration.
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.
Odysseus leads his men to victory. Being the good leader that he is, he puts aside his personal desires and unselfishly gives himself to warfare for his country. Odysseus also lead his men through many obstacles. He is fearless in the face of the cyclops, he never gave up in trying to keep his men alive and safe. Even though he loses some men, he was still determined to get the remainder men to safety.
The Odyssey There is a big difference between leader and great leader. To be a leader you just have to tell people what to do. To be a great leader, you have to tell them what to do, do something, help them, and do everything you can to save them. Which is exactly what Odysseus did in The Odyssey. He did everything he could to keep his men alive, but it was their own fault that they died.
(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 is a good leader in that he uses his wits to get his men out of trouble. As Odysseus and his men prepare to face Kharybdis and Skylla, his men are nervous, so Odysseus reminds them “‘Have we never been in danger before this? More fearsome, is it now, than when the kyklopes penned us in his cave? What power we had! Did I not keep my
Martin Luther King Jr. a famous civil rights leader who pushed for the equality of races, has said that “The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy”. The importance of leadership from this is that a good leader is not determined by when he is comfortable, but in the decisions he makes when everybody is relying on him. An effective leader doesn’t have to be a perfect person, he just has to make his people trust him and do whatever he can in his power to help his followers. A good leader cares about his followers , makes decisions that are to the benefit of his followers, and is trusted by his followers. Odysseus is a famous literary leader who is the main character of Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey.
However, examples within the literary narrative of the Odyssey leaves the discussion open with regards to his leadership. Thus, the question of leadership supersedes the topic of Arete. Was Odysseus the ideal leader or did he portray undesirable leadership tendencies? The examples that will presented will illustrate that Odysseus hubris, risk taking prowess, and at times unwillingness to follow instructions often placed his crew in danger as he journeyed Ithaca.
When Odysseus commands his men to go back to sea to voyage, he is a good leader because he is telling his men what to do. He is being a leader by protecting his men from the Ciccone 's army by leaving before reinforcements come. For example, when Odysseus and his men are heading to the sirens Odysseus states “you are to tie me up, tight as a splint” (Homer 1005). Odysseus is an admirable leader when he orders his men to tie him up and do not untie him because he is sacrificing himself for the good of his men. He is a leader when he does this because he lets his men not suffer the sirens while he has to.
In order to be defined as a leader, one must be loyal, decisive and able to take the initiative. According to this definition, Odysseus does not fit the profile of a leader. For example, he is loyal to neither his wife nor crew. When Odysseus visited Circe, he disregarded his marriage to Penelope. By engaging in intercourse, he violated the trust of his wife while she remained loyal, despite the urges from the suitors.
Dwight Eisenhower once said, "The supreme quality of leadership is integrity." Odysseus displayed a lack of integrity and poor leadership by not fully communicating all the facts of the situation
Odysseus used bravery, cleverness, and determination to be a good leader and get his men through all these dangerous obstacles. Odysseus is a good leader as seen through his bravery, cleverness, and determination. Odysseus demonstrates good leadership through his use of bravery.
