Sometimes, a major event can change how one analyzes and makes his or her decisions. This is true not just now, but even thousands of years ago. In Homer’s The Odyssey, one of the first written epics, an aggressive and narcissistic Odysseus gains self-control and humility when he and his crew sail for ten years away from Ithaca, their home.
At the beginning of the adventure, Odysseus is still energized from fighting in the Trojan War. This excitement overrides his thoughts, and Odysseus makes foolish decisions on his way home. Odysseus shows aggression and pride when he lands at Ismarus and Aeolus. At Ismarus, Odysseus decides to raid the entire island by killing all of the men there. This is not very thought out, as Odysseus and his men get …show more content…
After spending a night outside the Cyclops’ mainland, Odysseus gathers some of his men to help take riches from a cave and then leave. Unfortunately, Odysseus has “hopes of some friendly gifts (116),” and does not listen to his men when they urge him to come back to their ship. Odysseus is so used to being praised wherever he goes; it affects his natural instincts to run when he can. After Odysseus escapes from the Cyclops, another mistake he makes is to shout his name to Polyphemus. This furiates the god Poseidon and causes the many troubles Odysseus faces later on. Odysseus is a bad leader because he does not understand the consequences of his …show more content…
When returning to her island, Circe tells Odysseus that he will have to sail past two demons that will kill six of his men without fail. Instead of telling his men and risking the chance of all of them dying, Odysseus does not mention the “inescapable horror of Scylla(162).” Odysseus is being a good leader because he is carefully weighing two options rather than going into a fight without thinking. Odysseus’s self-control is also shown when he refuses to fight in the Phaeacian games. When Laodamas insults Odysseus by saying he is a “skipper on a merchant crew (98),” Odysseus reacts, not with violence but with words. Even after throwing the discus farther than any of the competing men, Odysseus does not mention his name and
At the beginning of the adventure, Odysseus is still energized from fighting in the Trojan War. This excitement overrides his thoughts, and Odysseus makes foolish decisions on his way home. Odysseus shows aggression and pride when he lands at Ismarus and Aeolus. At Ismarus, Odysseus decides to raid the entire island by killing all of the men there. This is not very thought out, as Odysseus and his men get …show more content…
After spending a night outside the Cyclops’ mainland, Odysseus gathers some of his men to help take riches from a cave and then leave. Unfortunately, Odysseus has “hopes of some friendly gifts (116),” and does not listen to his men when they urge him to come back to their ship. Odysseus is so used to being praised wherever he goes; it affects his natural instincts to run when he can. After Odysseus escapes from the Cyclops, another mistake he makes is to shout his name to Polyphemus. This furiates the god Poseidon and causes the many troubles Odysseus faces later on. Odysseus is a bad leader because he does not understand the consequences of his …show more content…
When returning to her island, Circe tells Odysseus that he will have to sail past two demons that will kill six of his men without fail. Instead of telling his men and risking the chance of all of them dying, Odysseus does not mention the “inescapable horror of Scylla(162).” Odysseus is being a good leader because he is carefully weighing two options rather than going into a fight without thinking. Odysseus’s self-control is also shown when he refuses to fight in the Phaeacian games. When Laodamas insults Odysseus by saying he is a “skipper on a merchant crew (98),” Odysseus reacts, not with violence but with words. Even after throwing the discus farther than any of the competing men, Odysseus does not mention his name and