In a world overrun with leaders, every decision made by them affects us. Both Odysseus, a fictional Greek king of Ithaca who led his crew of men through a dangerous journey to return home ,and Nelson Mandela, who lead an entire revolution in South Africa to get rid of apartheid are both examples of great leaders. In The Odyssey, Odysseus proves being gallant and intelligent which are compulsory qualities to be good commanders. Nelson Mandela, a South African anti-apartheid revolutionary, also proves himself by revealing alike characteristics. Some individuals might argue that Odysseus and Nelson Mandela both had many imperfections and made many mistakes, but they still paved their own road to success. And let’s remember that no one is perfect. Odysseus and Nelson Mandela both exhibit intelligence and bravery which are two qualities a leader should have if humanity is to …show more content…
Nelson Mandela’s cleverness is brought into light when he returns from college to find an unexpected surprise from his adopted father. To begin with, Biography.com’s article Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela describes that “The regent wanted to make sure that Mandela's life was properly planned, and the arrangement was within his right, as tribal custom dictated. Shocked by the news, feeling trapped and believing that he had no other option than to follow this recent order, Mandela ran away from home” (4). As Mandela gradually conformed to Fort Hare, he was elected to the Student Representative Council. Mandela resigned from his position inciting Dr. Kerr who expelled him for a year. After all this, naturally Mandela is feeling a bit down. After another few weeks, Regent Jongintaba announces that Mandela will have an arranged marriage. Mandela had no say in this. If I was in Mandela’s place, I would do the same thing he did next. He ran away from home. If Mandela stayed and opposed the Regent, he would create an abundance of conflict. He would tarnish the Regent’s and the daughter’s family’s, who he was supposed to marry, reputation. Seeing no alternative, he chose wisely and ran away from home. This shows that Nelson knew what all the options were, but he wisely chose the most fitting one. After Odysseus