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Odysseus Is A Good Leader Essay

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In the epic poem The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus was a very strong leader based on the decisions he made with his crew when he was with the cyclops, with Circe, with the sun gods cattle, and with the sirens. First when the crew was in the cyclops’ cave, Odysseus decided not to kill the cyclops right away, but instead make a plan in order to be able to escape. Odysseus made a very good decision that would let all his men, not just him escape, when he decided to blind the cyclops and force him to move the boulder, letting them escape. With Circe Odysseus did make some bad decisions, but overall in the end he made the right choice. First he was lured into the witch’s house, intending to get his men back, but stayed there 5 years when he decided to party. …show more content…

This shows that Odysseus is a good leader because he followed what he believed was most important in life, family. He was not selfish and tried to make sure everyone was going to be home, not on a distant island. …show more content…

The men of course ignored this and ate the cattle, but when they were Odysseus still decided not to eat, rather try to encourage his crew not to and do what he originally said. This is a sign that Odysseus is a good leader because he did what was right and tried to get other people to even though he was the minority in the situation and it was very hard to resist eating. Finally, with the sirens Odysseus made a very herd choice not to risk losing his entire crew, but instead for sure lose 6 men to the sirens. This is a very tough decision to make and Odysseus made the right choice, instead of risking everyone, he decided that it would be better to lose only 6

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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.

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This text shows that Odysseus can be humble and accept that he needs to listen to survive and he alone can not keep his whole crew alive. Odysseus tends to use his own wit and skills to survive not needing others help, but sometimes he does need to take others advice to

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As a leader Odysseus should be careful to do exactly what will benefit his crew the most. The lack of communication throughout the whole journey home will eventually lead to mistrust and betrayal of Odysseus by his crew. Following Scylla and Charybdis they reach the island of the god of the sun, and because of the crew’s spite for Odysseus they don’t follow his directions not to harm the cattle of the Sun. Just in the events of the journey back to Ithaca alone the reader can see how Odysseus’ inability to be a strong leader leads to the dismantling of a good relationship between him and his crew, which leads to a much more difficult trip. Odysseus’ inability to be a great leader for the group leads to a lot of conflict among the crew members.

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Secondly, Odysseus in all his journeys, in my opinion has been larger than life. Surviving way too many times, has faced way to many difficulties, and he is still intact. An idiosyncratic part of Odysseus’ image is bravery, but he shouldn’t use it as a panacea all the time. He shows strong leadership and more nobility throughout the story than most men. An example of that is when he lead them through book 9 when he got his men out of the cave and got out of the island I would like to add that he which meant he still made sure his men are secure resulting in him looking very responsible and is really a true leader.

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Odysseus’s Leadership In Homer’s famous epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus, the protagonist who spends the book traveling home after the Trojan War while encountering different obstacles along the way, shows many different admirable qualities. He shows that he is prepared to sacrifice his life to be a good leader for his crew after his success in Troy, and not only wants to return home himself to his family, but also wants his crew to be able to do the same. Though some might argue that he is a flawed leader, his positive traits outnumber his understandable mistakes. Though some might argue that Odysseus shouting at Polyphemus, saying “Odysseus… took your eye:/ Laertes’s son, whose home’s on Ithaka” (9.551-9.552) was a sign of foolishness, he had a right to this anger, as Polyphemus had just devoured many of his friends.

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In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus repeatedly shows that he is polytropos, for as Zeus says “There is no mortal half so wise”(3). Using his wits, Odysseus gets him and his men out of several sticky situations in the Odyssey, proving his leadership through his actions that save the lives of his crew member. On the other hand Odysseus’ streak of constantly outsmarting challenges, goes to his head, and unfortunately causes Odysseus to develop a hubris. His pride at times makes him arrogant, believing that he always knows best, which leads to the untimely demise of his crew. While Odysseus proves to be good leader by saving his crew from trouble with his wits, he is ultimately a bad leader because he refuses to listen to advice.

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At various times throughout the story, mainly through the trials, Odysseus made many decisions and forced his crew to go through many potentially lethal situations without preparing his own crew, or situations that were just a waste of time. This then leads to not only all of his crew being killed but the creation of many bad relationships. The first example of Odysseus mistreating his crew is when he and his crew went through the trails, “No more. Come, / let me tell you about the voyage fraught with hardship / Zeus inflicted on me, homeward bound from Troy...” 9.42-44.

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While Odysseus did have good intentions of bringing his men home, he continuously made poor and selfish decisions, and he was constantly putting his men in danger more often than

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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.

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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.

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During these situations, Odysseus gains leadership and tactical skills from fighting in the war in Troy, which costs him 10 years of his life and another 10 years of sailing out on the sea from Poseidon 's curse. Odysseus is therefore a heroic and efficient leader because he plans his moves ahead of time and is vigilant at all times to ensure his safety. Yet, though Odysseus possesses these heroic leadership qualities, his arrogance sometimes leads to his downfall and inability to lead. While Odysseus is a little arrogant, he can also be a great leader because he is able to trust his second in command, Eurylochus, and give him more power while he is away. When Odysseus is away from Circe’s island, Odysseus has a change of heart and suddenly wants to go back to Circe’s island to retrieve his crew.

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The brilliant U.S. Army General Douglas MacArthur once said, “A true leader has the confidence to stand alone, the courage to make tough decisions, and the compassion to listen to the needs of others.” This description of a leader can be used when telling of the great adventures of Odysseus on his way home to Ithaca after fighting in the Trojan War. In Homer's epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus exhibits many qualities that confirm his ability to fit the role of a good leader. He encountered and overcame many obstacles that include fighting cyclops, monsters, giants and more. He did all of this with only the goal of returning to his beloved family in mind.

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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

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Ultimately Odysseus can be a good leader but behind the scenes, he's not. He may of saved his men multiple times, but also got them killed them due to his neglect. He might be intelligent but really he tolerably manipulated his crew by saying things such as “don’t you want to go back to your home again?”. In closing, throughout the whole story, Odysseus progresses himself and designates many Greek

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Lastly, Odysseus illustrates good leadership through his use of determination. In the Circe episode, Circe persuades Odysseus and his men to stay with her. Homer explains how the

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