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Odysseus: An Ineffective Leader In Homer's Odyssey

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Only thinking for oneself is often favorable initially. However, this mindset can have a large effect on others as well. These consequences are often negative and harm all of those involved. The Odyssey, an epic poem by Homer, is based around the adventures of a hero named Odysseus and his crew. Odysseus spends 10 years away from home at war and spends just as long trying to get back. He arrives at multiple places along the journey, some more dangerous than others. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus is an ineffective leader and shows how risky qualities and carelessness of an individual can lead to disastrous consequences for a group.
Odysseus is a poor leader because he shows risky qualities while with his crew at the cyclops. At …show more content…

When they get to the island, one of Odysseus’ crewmen suggests, “‘Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, / throw open all the pens, and make a run for it?/ We’ll drive the kids and lambs aboard. We say/ put out again on good salt water!’ Ah, how sound that was! Yet I [refuse]. I wish/ to see the cave man, what he [has] to offer—” (Homer 167-170). The crewman’s idea is very solid and poses little risk with a substantial reward. However, Odysseus decides to take a risk and go into the cave to see the cyclops. The cyclopses have no value for hospitality at all. Odysseus looses many men while staying at the cyclops’ island. His crew could have left the island with enough resources and no losses at all if not for Odysseus’ ineffective leadership. Odysseus’ trait of being risky as a leader overrides the crewman’s idea of quickly leaving. Even though Odysseus survives, many of his crewmates die to the cyclops. This not only makes his crew weaker because they have less men, but it also decreases the crewmates’ trust in Odysseus, harming them as a whole. His idea satisfied his personal desires, but it ended up being harmful to his crew. Odysseus and his men later end up blinding the cyclops and escape his cave. They get back to the rest of his

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