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The Importance Of Being A Leader In The Odyssey

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Mila Boudreau F Block 12/7/17 The Importance of Being a Leader What does it mean to be a leader? According to the dictionary, the definition of a leader is “the person who leads or commands a group, organization, or country.” Reading Homer’s, The Odyssey, I’ve realized what it takes to be a leader. Chapter after chapter, Odysseus has shown me the importance of being a leader and what traits are needed to have a safe and successful in which he did not contain. Yes, he made commands and constructed his men at certain times, but I believe there is more to being a leader than just being in charge. Throughout The Odyssey, by the famous author, Homer, Odysseus’s foolish actions affect him and his men for the worst. Over time, Odysseus has trouble making …show more content…

He repeats many mistakes yet it is never him who faces consequences. In the epic poem, it is shown that Odysseus is quite selfish. His actions show how he cares about himself more than he cares for his crew. For example, in book 12, Odysseus faced a variety of difficult obstacles over sea including the sirens. Sirens are individual sea creatures that stay together like a pack. Their voices are known to be so beautifully mesmerizing, that the minute their voices are heard, they real one in and once one is close enough, they devour you. When the crew and Odysseus had to get passed these creatures, with the help of Circe, Odysseus made each crew mate plug their ears with wax and keep sailing. He demanded they hold him back just so he could experience the pleasure of the sirens’ voices. It is clear that Odysseus is only a strong leader when he

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Odysseus and I have both shown leadership. In the Odyssey he was explaining to his men to tie him to the mast so he would not succumb to the sound of the sirens. Odysseus showed leadership by knowing he had to be available to lead his men, not under the spell of the Siren. Odysseus states “The lovely voices in ardor appealing over the water made me crave to listen, and I tried to say untie me!’ to the crew, jerking my brows; but the bent steady to the oars” (933).

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In Homer’s The Odyssey, Odysseus is an effective leader in chapter twelve. A leader who has too much pride is now showing too much humbleness for what’s important by following all the things he has told to do to save his crew and himself. He does what he is told to do to save his crew and keep them safe. “ But now, fearing death , all eyes fixed on Charybdis now Scylla snatched six men from our hollow ship, the toughest, strongest hands I had, and glancing backwards over the decks, searching or my crew I could see their hands and feet already hoisted, failing, high, higher, over my head, look wailing down at me, comrades riven in agony.

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Also, when being a leader, Odysseus must display appropriate conduct for and during the situation that is presented before him, for the people he is leading to follow. While Odysseus is leading his crew, he also displays that he and his men are

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555 Words | 3 Pages

Odysseus receives help from Circe who tells him of what is to come on his journey home,which gives him little help but great warning. The sirens do need help but whenever they sing for the help to come, the men die on the island and those who don't forget the song that is so "beautiful". In some ways Odysseus and the sirens are different. Odysseus is selfish he gets his men in danger, yet they treat him so kindly

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748 Words | 3 Pages

Leadership can be established in how a hero guides his men and directs them. Numerous warriors from Greek Mythology are lauded for their control and management over their companions in times of difficulty and danger; furthermore, they are a model and an inspiration towards their comrades. Among several brave men, many people considered Odysseus to be incapable of being in charge, but some indications have also shown that his actions for the crew are sufficient. Even though both the controversies of the debate about the topic has information from The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is evidently an effective leader. Odysseus demonstrates as an efficient leader when they come across various threatening situations.

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848 Words | 4 Pages

Summary: Sirens; Scylla and Charybdis: In the story, Odysseus quotes Circe, remembering her warning to him of the sirens, the six-headed, twelve-legged dog Scylla, and the massive whirlpool of Charybdis. She tells Odysseus to put wax over his men’s ears so that they do not hear the sirens, and gives Odysseus the option of doing the same or having his men tie him to the mast of the ship. She also advised him to steer clear of Charybdis and row past Scylla, where he would ultimately lose a few men. On their journey, they rode past the sirens with minimal troubles and no losses, and Odysseus elected to be tied to the mast.

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Odysseus was a strong leader because when he and his men stopped at the island of the Lotus Eaters people there were feeding them an addicting plant that made all of them go back to the plant to find more and not want to go back home. So, Odysseus dragged his men back to the boat and tied his men to the ship so they could go back to the land of Ithaca. for example, this quote proves that he " drove them, all three wailing to the ships tied them down under their rowing benches, and called the rest: all hands aboard; come clear the bench and no one taste the lotus, or lose your hope of home ' '. Here Odysseus that show 's that he was a good leader because he did not give up trying to save his men and not let anybody eat any of the lotus so no one else would lose their hope of going home.

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Odysseus in the book The Odyssey by Homer is a bad leader due to the lack of attentiveness he shows towards his teammates in many different ways. For example, Odysseus’s goal was to get him and all of his teammates home but by the time he got home all of his teammates had died. Odysseus also failed to communicate with his teammates many times. As well as the fact that Odysseus was also very easy to convince and that led to a lot of lost time in their journey.

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606 Words | 3 Pages

Throughout the course of history, the world has seen many leaders. Some of which are good leaders, and others bad. In Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, he tells of a epic hero named Odysseus. Based on his actions and the definition of what makes a good leader, Odysseus is shown as a good leader. Odysseus is a good leader because of his influence on his men and his collaboration.

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To make a great protagonist that flows well with other characters, authors tend to use themes of great leadership in their stories. Homer’s, The Odyssey, is an epic poem about the journey home of Odysseus, the king of Ithaca, after the Trojan War. Along the way, he faces many challenges, including the wrath of the sea-god Poseidon. In the story, Odysseus shows examples of leadership through instances of human flaw and great warriorship throughout the epic poem.

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720 Words | 3 Pages

This draws no reaction from the ‘great leader’ as he tells his men to continue paddling through the water. Another sign of Odysseus’ arrogance comes with his passing of the siren. Odysseus arrogantly believes he, and he alone, can withstand the persuasion of the siren's song. Odysseus feels his men are too weak to weather the calls, thus, he instructs them to plug their ears. For the first time in the story, the king begins to fall to his desires.

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1041 Words | 5 Pages

Odysseus may not have been the most admirable hero, but does that necessarily mean he was not a good leader to his men? Good leadership can often come at the cost of one’s humility due to the harsh situations a team may have to go through. Being a less than subpar hero does not always equate to being a bad leader, and that is exactly the situation Odysseus was in. Odysseus was a great strategist, but his ability to not let his men hold him back from his goals was quite impressive. With all of this in mind, Odysseus earned his status as a good leader that is recognized by some, albeit bitterly.

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1177 Words | 5 Pages

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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500 Words | 2 Pages

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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612 Words | 3 Pages

Some things that characterize successful male leadership in The Odyssey are determination and good relationships. Odysseus demonstrates his determination when his men release the winds when Ithaca was in sight on his journey home. “They screamed and I woke up, / and wondered if I should jump off the ship / and drown , or bite my lip, be stoical, / and stay among the living. I endured it, / covered my face, and lay on the deck.”

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