Ramses Abboud Ms. Phillips ERWC, Period 5 1 March, 2016 Odysseus Cunning In the epic The Odyssey by Homer there are many themes one of them being cunningness. The protagonist Odysseus is a perfect example of this theme. Odysseus is cunning many times throughout his journey; one would need cleverness to survive in a world of gods and monsters.
In part one of Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus uses his epic hero qualities to help him out on his quest to get back home to Ithaca. He’s shows superb intelligence when fighting the cyclopes in “Book 9.” That’s a quality of superhuman intelligence that Odysseus possessed all throughout his entire journey. Another epic hero quality that helped Odysseus was help from Greek gods and goddesses. In part two of Homer’s Odyssey, Athena helped out Odysseus when he got back to his home land.
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.
“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,” said Douglas MacArthur. In Homer’s epic poem The Odyssey, Odysseus the epic hero, portrays these same traits in his leadership of his shipmates. He leads them though victories and consoles them through losses. He is sought out for his wisdom and intelligence, and he is well respected for his consistent bravery. Although from an outside perspective Odysseus may seem calm, fearless, and stable, during the many obstacles he faces on his trip home, different sides to is character are revealed.
The gods controlled Sisyphus future as implied by the article “The Myth of Sisyphus”. This is similar to how the foster care system effects the work ethic of former foster kids. Sisyphus was meant to have an eternity of misery, just how generations of former foster kids have suffered in the work force. Foster care is a system by which adults care for children who are not able to live with their biological parents. (www.fosterclub.com)
(Homer 1567). Knowing that the bed could not be placed outside the chamber, Odysseus got angry and explained to her that it could not be moved and even showed her the sign he carved into it. After Odysseus showed her the sign, she really knew that it was him and claimed Odysseus as her
The Lost Hero(Leader) To live for a reason, is to life for a purpose. A purpose that can alter the chance of life. A purpose can drive a person to be the best they can be, to never give up, and to strive for the best. Shouldn’t leaders represent strength, great power, invincibility?
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 epic tale The Odyssey by Homer, we are introduced to Odysseus, King of Ithaca. Odysseus is on a journey to get back to his wife and son. Throughout his journey, he runs into many challenges that attempt to stop him from getting reaching his destination. We learn about many of his traits as we travel with him on his journey. When he finally reaches home all of his traits become clear: his strength, arrogance, wit, charm, and courage.
Being a skilled leader tends to be a difficult task. A leader can acquire an abundance of favorable qualities, but it only takes one harmful trait to diminish them. These poor attributes separate the best leaders from the ones that cause wreckage towards their followers. The Odyssey by Homer showcases these difficulties in an epic about a leader, Odysseus, trying to find his way back to his home. After Odysseus fights in the Trojan War, he needs to travel back to Ithaca where his wife and son are waiting for him.
Odysseus an Epic hero Odysseus is the son of the King of Ithaca Laertes. As he grew up he was taught combat skills. When Odysseus was old enough to take over his father Laertes let him rule Ithaca. Laertes passed away later after Odysseus became king of Ithaca. As he ruled Ithaca Odysseus began to think about marriage.
The concept of hero has been interpreted in many ways throughout the ages. Hero have gone from knights slaying dragons and rescuing the princess, to heroes who save the world with their supernatural-like powers, to a modern day hero who is someone who has noble qualities and is regarded as a role model. In the epic, The Odyssey, by Robert Fagles, the heroic Odysseus is a well known in Greek mythology. However, although Odysseus is the most respected, honorable hero of Greek mythology he is not a modern hero. A modern day hero is someone who puts their life on the line to save the lives of other innocent people.
In any country, kingdom, or household there is usually the one that seems to overrule all in that specified area. Leaders are strong, courageous, and skilled in combat and wits. Leaders are either looked at as an ally or an enemy. They are confident, bold, and respected. In the poem, The Odyssey, Homer gives us insight of how a tough, cunning, and wise man is brought through twenty years of suffering to reach is home that he weeps for so much.
The Odyssey In Homer’s epic, The Odyssey, Odysseus is bestowed with great abilities. But along with this potential, he is cursed with great arrogance. Conveying that even the labeled ‘perfect’ among us have fatal flaws that causes pain and suffering among the ones closest to them. The author, Homer, uses Odysseus’ arrogance to create a melancholic atmosphere to convey the idea that arrogance is a fatal flaw that will lead those around them to pain and suffering.
