Although Odysseus is advertised as heroic, smart, and a decisive leader, do his decisions accurately show what a good leader is? In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan War with a large crew of Greek fighters. Along the way home to Ithaca, Odysseus and his men encounter many monsters and difficulties. Their journey ends up taking 20 years. During his trip, Odysseus's bad leadership places him and his men in imminent danger. His stubbornness, big ego, and a lack of ability to control his men sent all his men to the Underworld.
Odysseus's stubbornness caused his crew to suffer. In the "Cyclops", Odysseus's 12 men beg for them to leave the island immediately after looking around in the Cyclops cave. However, Odysseus was …show more content…
However, Odysseus fails to do so many times. At the island of Cicones, Odysseus's men are mutinous. Although Odysseus orders: "Back, and quickly! Out to sea again!” the men decide to instead feast on wine and bread. His ineffective leadership causes many to die on the island of Cicones. A similar event happened in the story The Cattle of the Sun God. In the story, Odysseus falls asleep while his men plot the hunt of one of Helios’s cattle. Odysseus says on lines 733-735: “No sooner had I caught the sight of our black hull, then savory odors of burnt fat eddied around me, grief took hold of me.” A leader is responsible for the lives of all his men. The men may not understand why they are being told to do certain things, but a leader must be able to make sure that they are doing the right thing. Odysseus did not make sure that his men were obeying his …show more content…
During the Sirens, Odysseus stuffs his men’s ears with wax to prevent them from jumping overboard from the Sirens’ enchanting voices. During the Cyclops he calls himself Nohbdy to prevent the Cyclops from knowing their identities. However, what if the men had not followed Odysseus’ warning? Based on past evidence from the Cattle of the Sun God, Odysseus wouldn’t have been able to stop his men from listening to the Sirens. In addition, Odysseus’ smart decision to try to hide his identity from the Cyclops was canceled out by his final action in the story the Cyclops. At the end of the Cyclops, Odysseus reveals his name and home to the Cyclops who then curses the rest of Odysseus’
Odysseus's stubbornness caused his crew to suffer. In the "Cyclops", Odysseus's 12 men beg for them to leave the island immediately after looking around in the Cyclops cave. However, Odysseus was …show more content…
However, Odysseus fails to do so many times. At the island of Cicones, Odysseus's men are mutinous. Although Odysseus orders: "Back, and quickly! Out to sea again!” the men decide to instead feast on wine and bread. His ineffective leadership causes many to die on the island of Cicones. A similar event happened in the story The Cattle of the Sun God. In the story, Odysseus falls asleep while his men plot the hunt of one of Helios’s cattle. Odysseus says on lines 733-735: “No sooner had I caught the sight of our black hull, then savory odors of burnt fat eddied around me, grief took hold of me.” A leader is responsible for the lives of all his men. The men may not understand why they are being told to do certain things, but a leader must be able to make sure that they are doing the right thing. Odysseus did not make sure that his men were obeying his …show more content…
During the Sirens, Odysseus stuffs his men’s ears with wax to prevent them from jumping overboard from the Sirens’ enchanting voices. During the Cyclops he calls himself Nohbdy to prevent the Cyclops from knowing their identities. However, what if the men had not followed Odysseus’ warning? Based on past evidence from the Cattle of the Sun God, Odysseus wouldn’t have been able to stop his men from listening to the Sirens. In addition, Odysseus’ smart decision to try to hide his identity from the Cyclops was canceled out by his final action in the story the Cyclops. At the end of the Cyclops, Odysseus reveals his name and home to the Cyclops who then curses the rest of Odysseus’