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Heroism in homers odyssey
Heroism in homers odyssey
Heroism in homers odyssey
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The 1818 attack on Pensacola was the last military action in the First Seminole War. The U.S. had received information that the Spanish were supplying weapons, ammunition, and supplies in their fight with the United States. General Jackson and his men set off to Pensacola and upon arrival found the Spanish Troops had taken shelter in the newly built Fort Barrancas. After both sides exchanged artillery fire’ for a few days, the fort was rendered inhabitable from artillery shells which hit a magazine causing the wooden structures to burn. Three times Jackson demanded the surrender of the fort, and three times Masot refused it.
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.
The way that Book 12 demonstrates examples of both skilled and faultless leadership on the part of Odysseus by not telling his men that six of them were going to die and by doing everything Circe told him in his fate. Not telling his men that six of them were going to die shows skilled leadership because he thought ahead and knew what their reactions were going to be which would’ve gotten them all killed, “They would’ve dropped their oars again, in panic,” (Homer 766). If the men were to panic, hide, and try to save themselves then they would’ve put the entire crew in danger including the ship. Book 12 shows how he is a faultless leader too, by sticking to what Circe told him was his fate. By sticking to what Circe said Odysseus ensured that he would make it home to his wife and son.
Odysseus was not a strong leader and ultimately contributed to the destruction of his own men because he has a weakness of pride and lack of honest communication with his men. Pride is definitely a weakness that affects Odysseus' leadership. An example of Odysseus being overly prideful was when his men and himself were at the Cyclops' land. After Odysseus' plan successfully got him and his men back to the ship, he began to taunt the blinded Cyclops. This consequently leads him to reveal his identity.
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 a fearless hero who came up with an amazing plan, to save him and his soldiers from a very hungry Cyclops name '' Polyphemus". His amazing plan was to trick the cyclops into drinking wine and disguising himself and his soldiers into escaping from the cyclops. I really think that Odysseus should be nominated for a leadership award because he showed bravery throughout the whole story. He also had to sacrifice things that he didn't want to, in order to be a great leader.
Their jealousy got in the way of what was truly right. When finally landing in Ithaca, he learns that loyalty is something that shouldn't be broken, especially when some of the suitors are from Ithaca, Odysseus' own homeland. This means that the suitors are disloyal to their King because they are courting his wife, stealing all his food, and slaughtering his animals for their feasts. Most importantly, they are plotting to kill Telemachus and Odysseus if he is ever to return to the island. He learns that the only way he can show that he is a firm leader is to reveal to all of Ithaca who he truly is.
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.
In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.
Ah well, if nobody has played foul there in your lonely bed, we are no use in pain given by great Zeus” (403-407). This is why Odysseus is shown to be crafty as the Cyclopes think there is no one there that has harmed the Polyphemus. Since the Cyclopes think there is no one there, they go back where they came from, leaving the Cyclops with no other help because of Odysseus’s devious plan. Odysseus is also proven to be wise as he knew beforehand that if they killed the Cyclops, they can’t escape so instead, they gave him liquor. ‘“If I killed him we perished there as well, for we would never move his ponderous doorway slab aside...”
The men of Odysseus struggled with facing the obligations they had for their lives. The Cyclopes did not take control of their island and did not make responsible choices with his property. Odysseus, on the other hand, took the power he had and helped others along the way. Many have contended with accountability and not many have succeed in vanquishing it. Consequently, it is hard to prosper under the weight of responsibility, but Odysseus
A great leader views the world like he is looking through 3D glasses, always seeing the depth and vibrancy of the possibilities around him. A bad leader is like a cyclops wearing an eyepatch, never able to see his mighty hand in front of his own face. In The Odyssey, Homer illustrates the journey home to Ithaca taken by Odysseus and his men. Unfortunately, Odysseus makes poor choices throughout his travels and his actions often do more harm than good. Two character traits define Odysseus and shape his poor leadership style.
Throughout the story, Odysseus demonstrates his courage that ultimately allows him to survive. One of these moments was during his journey back to Ithaca, where he faces a race of man eating giants called the Cyclops. Odysseus originally stops his ship there to relish a feast while on his journey back to Ithaca, but while doing so, out of curiosity explores the island. Soon, he finds a deserted house and decides to wait of the owner. The owner was unknowingly one the Cyclops, named Polyphemus.
Summary: Cyclops In the story, Odysseus is still speaking to the Phaeacians, but is now telling them of his encounter with Polyphemus, the cyclops. Strong winds blew Odysseus and his men to Polyphemus’ island, where they unloaded and entered a cave that Polyphemus happened to live in. When he entered the cave, he closed the entrance with a large boulder that only he could move, trapping himself, his sheep, and Odysseus inside. After he ate some of Odysseus’ men, Odysseus devised a plan to get the cyclops to move the boulder so that the men could escape.
Throughout the story “The Odyssey” by Homer Odysseus, the main character counters countless amounts of trouble. As king and leader it is his job to keep his men save and get the job done. Odysseus does whatever it takes to keep his men unharmed, and more importantly, alive. All his crew and him dream about is getting back to their homeland, but first they have to pass the obstacles. Odysseus demonstrates good leadership qualities by doing whatever it takes to get the job done, using his advanced cunning abilities to trick his enemy, and constantly saving his crew from dangers.