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Odysseus: An Adequate Leader In The Odyssey

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Ever since childhood, people develop an image on what a true hero should be like. A considerable hero is someone who looks after their allies and makes rational decisions in tough situations. On the contrary, in the book, The Odyssey, Odysseus shows that not all heroes make the most reasonable choices. For instance, he is willing to sacrifice his own shipments in order to get back to Ithaca. Yes, it may be one of the best options considering the position they are in, but he was the reason why the crew is in that position in the first place. Additionally, he does not keep control over his shipments, which causes the crew to intensify the unfavorable outcome. Odysseus is a stubborn man who only does what he thinks is best instead of thinking of what is best for everyone. He was, however, a great leader when …show more content…

After his success in killing off the Trojans by hiding inside an immense wooden horse and attacking when the Trojans least expected it. After that event, Odysseus started to lose his substantial leader skills. Overall, Odysseus demonstrates characteristics of an inadequate leader in the duration of his journey.

First, the sequence of inauspicious incidents happened all because of Odysseus’s poor judgement. Upon arriving at the island of the Cyclopians, Odysseus decides to enter the cave where Polyphemus resides. Polyphemus is the son of Poseidon which means that creating a conflict with him would not be a wise decision. Furthermore, it is especially unclever since Poseidon has the power to control the route a ship takes. Ignoring that fact, Odysseus decides to ignore his shipmates advice of not lingering in the island for too long. They begged Odysseus if they could, “. . . help themselves to the cheeses and be off,” and to, “make haste and drive the kids and lambs out of the pens and get under sail” (Homer 104). Odysseus not listening to

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