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Leadership In The Odyssey

720 Words3 Pages

American businessman, inventor, and industrial designer Steve Jobs once voiced, “Innovation distinguishes between a leader and a follower” (brainyquote.com). Jobs’ voice illustrates that the people who want to make a difference are the ones that will excel and advance. Throughout Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, leadership plays a necessary and vital role. Homer teaches that through mistakes others can rise up to become strong leaders. In spite of Odysseus as the main leader, the crew displays more control, trust, and compassion because they have relationships with each other and share common needs.
The men that look up to Odysseus have more control than him. Odysseus’ crew has more power and could be in demand; however, they obey their leader. …show more content…

(9.252-259)
Later on, Odysseus’ plan to come in contact with the cyclopes gets the men in trouble. On the assumption that the crew would have done what they planned and have not followed Odysseus’ orders they would have been more successful and not have lost six of their men. This shows that Odysseus takes control in a selfish way that benefits himself. Controlling can be successful if you have faith and trust in others.
Odysseus’ crew has plenty of trust among each other except with their leader. In book nine, Odysseus had a bag of winds that he got from Aeolus. While Odysseus stays up all day and night on their way home, the crew was curious about what was in the bag. When Odysseus was sleeping, his men take the bag of winds and open it, which sends them in the wrong direction. “‘Hurry, let’s see what loot is in that sack, how much gold and silver. Break it open—now!’ (10.49-50). The men have no trust in their leader, they do not have a bond. Assuming that Odysseus would have had communication with his men they would have gotten home sooner and would not be getting in all the trouble in the future. Wind is more important in getting home in this case than gold and silver, which the crew thought the bag contained. Telling the crew that the bag was full of winds would have made the journey more successful in getting home sooner . Trusting in one another will build a stronger

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