...In Homer’s the Odyssey, a man named Odysseus spends years and years trying to get home to his family. On his long journey, he encounters a number of different situations that test his true character. The reader finds out who Odysseus really is based on the situations he is put in and how he chooses to handle these situations. From being stuck on an Island with Calypso, a nymph goddess, to almost being eaten by a vicious cyclops, to seeing his wife for the first time in 20 years, Odysseus stays true to his character. Throughout the epic, Odysseus shows constant signs of bravery, leadership, intelligence, cleverness, and wholehearted faithfulness, and these things are what makes him such an admirable character. Bravery and leadership go hand in hand because bravery is a trait that all good leaders have. Odysseus showed amazing bravery and leadership skills throughout the Odyssey. One place where Odysseus’s bravery and leadership are revealed the most is when Odysseus and his men encounter Poseidon’s Cyclops son, Polyphemus. Odysseus used his leadership skills and bravery to help his men escape the wrath of Polyphemus while...
Words: 807 - Pages: 4
...was hurting him. By using this clever trick, Odysseus keeps the other Cyclops from believing Polyphemus and coming to his aid. In the sheep escape plan, Odysseus and his men get safely out of harm's way by riding on the underside of sheep to get out of the monster's cave. Odysseus proves that he is worthy of leadership by using his clever tactics to get himself and the people he cares about to safety. Odysseus shows the importance of leadership because he stays loyal to his family through his difficult and compelling wandering. Odysseus met many beautiful women along his journey. Two of which being Calypso and the Phaeacians. Calypso, who holds him captive for eight years and the Phaeacians who are some of the most beautiful women...
Words: 318 - Pages: 2
...In The Odyssey, Homer tells a tale about the main character Odysseus as goes through many trials and tribulations on his journey home. Homer’s tales shows many important things about the Greeks and their views about life. One of things he shows through his story are the qualities of leadership. The Odyssey shows many important qualities of leadership, three of the most important qualities of leadership are determination, courage and intelligence. The Odyssey shows that one of the most important qualities of leadership is the ability to be determine and not let the bumps in the road stop you from reaching your goal. In book 5, although Odysseus has been stuck on a beautiful island with a beautiful women he still longs to go home. “Yet it is true, each day I long for home, long for the sight of home,” replied Odysseus to Calypso. Calypso tried her best to try and convince Odysseus to neglect his goal, but Odysseus stayed strong and kept his goal in sight. This is an important quality for a leader to have, because a leader must be able to keep his men strong and help them remember why they are still working. A leader has to be able to stand firm even if his men begin to give up hope. The Odyssey show what a determined leader looks like through the character of Odysseus....
Words: 589 - Pages: 3
...charts on “The Hero’s Adventure” and “The Hero’s Journey,” as well as your annotations from “The Odyssey” to complete this outline for your research simulation essay. 10 point classwork grade Introduction Hook Statement - Engage the reader with a compelling quote or question related to the topic How does the Hero’s journey structure contribute to the development of Odysseus’ character as an epic hero and aligns with his journey? Background Information - Provide necessary context about the topic and its significance In the Odyssey, Odysseus goes through many phases/challenges of which align with the “stages” in the Hero’s Journey. These...
Words: 1060 - Pages: 5
...In the epic poem The Odyssey, Homer changes Odysseus’ decisions to reveal that leaders must make rational decisions for the most successful outcome possible. The theme of leadership is represented through the protagonist, Odysseus, recovering some of his crew from their mistakes, constructing an optimal plan to overcome brute force, and making decisions that will later affect their destiny. Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus makes rational decisions for himself and his crew to accomplish the goal of returning back home from his journey. After some of Odysseus’ crew members make the mistake of consuming the lotus flower on the Island of the Lotus Eaters, Homer shows that Odysseus’ changed decisions to protect his crew change and reveal the...
Words: 866 - Pages: 4
...his wife. In the story, The Odyssey, Odysseus goes on a 10 year quest to get back to his wife, Penelope, and his son Telemachus. On this quest he has to battle sirens who sing men to their death, cyclops who eat people, circe, who turns men into animals and most importantly has to sail on the ocean, which the only god that hates Odysseus, Poseidon. Odysseus had to conquer monsters in order to get back to his wife and his son. Therefore this is why I think that in the book The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus was a good hero. One reason why I think that Odysseus was a great hero was because he tried to save everyone he could. “ Odysseus urges his exhausted crew by Thrinacia, the island of the sun god, Helios. But the men insist on landing. Odysseus makes them swear not to touch the god’s cattle”(Homer 922). This shows that he is a good leader because he warns them so that they won’t die so they want to go back to...
Words: 541 - Pages: 3
...In Homer's the odyssey there is a character named Odysseus. Odysseus goes on an amazing journey and along his way he goes through many things that mold him into an epic hero. Odysseus also proves his heroism through his behavior. During the story Odysseus often presents us with his great intelligence, his superhuman strength, and also his great leadership and bravery. However though Odysseus does not always act like a hero and does immoral things but when the time is right, the true heroic side of him will come out and we will see how heroic Odysseus really is. Odysseus is a true epic hero and has the the personal characteristics to prove it. Throughout the Odyssey Odysseus presents us with examples of his superhuman strength. That is characteristic...
Words: 843 - Pages: 4
...In the epic poem,“The Odyssey,”written by Homer and translated by Robert Fitzgerald the main character Odysseus is on his way home and is faced by a numerous amount of challenges, Odysseus uses his leadership skills, cunning and fearless personality to return home safely. Leadership is one of the character traits that helped Odysseus get home. Odysseus employs his leadership skills when he motivates his crew to row past Scylla, a monster with 6 heads, and Charybdis, a whirlpool, he does this in the excerpt“Well I walked up and down bow to stern trying to put heart into them,”(Fitzgerald, 510). To get home Odysseus must cross Scylla and Charybdis. Odysseus again shows his leadership ability when he avoids Charybdis knowing the whirlpool will...
Words: 475 - Pages: 2
...Throughout the Odyssey, Odysseus exhibits his most prominent heroic trait of courage, but unfortunately, also demonstrates the human characteristic of arrogance. Even though Odysseus is seen as a hero, he has bad qualities too. Odysseus has the two main qualities of courage and arrogance which he demonstrates while fighting the cyclops and traveling throughout the seas with his crew. Homer exhibits these traits all throughout the story by presenting Odysseus as a war like hero with no flaws, when further throughout the story you are able to see all of Odysseus most human like qualities. . Odysseus has many characteristics that he portrays all throughout the book of the Odyssey. A couple of his most prominent heroic qualities are courage...
Words: 1027 - Pages: 5
...Kendra Perkins Matt Fox Eng 112 14 December 2011 The Odyssey: Comparison of Genders in Greek Mythology The Odyssey by Homer may be seen by many as a heroic story of a man on his journey home; however, there is an underlying story of the trials in the roles of men and women and the relationships between them. Men and women are portrayed differently in Greece, as in other societies. Men are considered to be the more powerful of the two and are responsible for the protection of their home. Women, on the other hand, are thought to care for the children and are also responsible for the supervision of both the interior and exterior of the home while the men are away. As a man, Odysseus showed great leadership in the war at Troy and was considered the hero at the Trojan War. His wife Penelope, on the other hand, exemplified the role of a woman and leadership in her daily duties of caring for the home and all of their possessions within. In her attempts to do so, she was overcome by suitors and was unable to stop them from partaking of all of their meat and drinks. This essay will explain the underlying roles of men and women in ancient Greece as well as modern day. The beginning of the novel takes place in Ithaka at the home of Odysseus. Suitors have overrun his home in the pursuit of marrying his “widow” Penelope. Telemakhos, son of Odysseus, felt it was a shame that these men would come into their home and eat and drink their house empty. Athena, daughter of Zeus, came to Telemakhos...
Words: 1775 - Pages: 8
...I believe that the lessons in The Odyssey are still relevant to modern youth today. However, some may think that just because The Odyssey was written thousands of years ago, the lessons cannot pertain to us now. One lesson that we can still use today is the lesson of leadership. Odysseus leads his men into the Cyclops cave because he was curious to see who lived there. And because of his curiosity, “I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer—” (line 75-76) he lost men. This teaches us that if you are a leader, think about the consequences that might happen before acting upon them and endangering your adherents. We can use this and apply it to our everyday lives, because many times we do things before we take time to consider the repercussions...
Words: 364 - Pages: 2
...In Homer’s The Odyssey, the author tells us of a magnificent story of lust, deceit, greed, and heroism. The Odyssey is a display of a journey of determination, willpower, patience, and virtue. The author tells the tale of Odysseus, on his voyage home to Ithaka. This is happening after the end of the Trojan War. Odysseus, the main character, goes through a series of many unforeseen trials and tribulations in this exemplary journey. This exemplifies his character and displays him as a hero in the eyes of the audience. During these different happenings, Odysseus makes decisions that do not correspond to his character. Odysseus is displayed as not only a hero but also as a good leader to his men. Throughout all their trials such as the Sirens, Polyphemus (the cyclops), and the enchantress Circe, Odysseus is displayed as clever, patient, cunning, and fearless. Odysseus made decisions not only for himself but also for his men as well. For example, he did not leave his men on the island of the Lotus Eaters when they clearly had no desire to go back to Ithaca; he knotted them onto the boat and left the island. He was determined to get home with as many of his men as he possibly could, though they repeatedly disobeyed him. Odysseus is one of history's greatest leaders and this is a vital part of what makes him such an epic hero Another characteristic that stand out and makes Odysseus a hero is his ability to overcome his obstacles in order to reach his goal. Odysseus is faced by many...
Words: 955 - Pages: 4
...Does Odysseus Deserve the Award of Leadership? Kayleha L. Endress Peterson Frank H. Odysseus is supposing to be getting an award for being the best leader but, he doesn’t deserve one. Why? Well because one Odysseus is greedy, two he put his teammates/crew in danger instead of keeping them safe, and lastly, he lacks communication. Odysseus does not need this award whatsoever and I'll prove to you why. First of all, Odysseus does not deserve the award of leadership because he is greedy. The reason why I say this is because when Odysseus went to the land of the cyclops his men told him to take the cheese, and whatever was in the pens and make a run for it. But instead Odysseus refused to listen because he just wanted to see what the cyclops had to offer. In the book, "The Odyssey", it states "Ah, how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the caveman, what he had to offer..." I used this evidence because you see that Odysseus did not care for the dangers that he was about to put his crew through. Instead he only cared for the gifts and hospitality that he wanted from the savagely caveman....
Words: 551 - Pages: 3
...THE ODYSSEY Is a good leader classified as one who personally gains a lot or one who benefits his or her community at large? After fighting in the brutal Trojan War, Odysseus travels the sea in hopes of returning to Ithaca, his homeland, and his wife and son, Penelope and Telemachus. Homer’s The Odyssey reveals the struggles and obstacles Odysseus and his men face traveling home. As prophesized, twenty years later, Odysseus returns to a devastated Ithaca, alone, penniless and unrecognizable. Odysseus has hubris, a flaw that costs him, as well his men, excessive troubles. Odysseus does not learn from his and others’ past mistakes, again leading him into traps that could have easily been avoided. Odysseus constantly puts his men in harm’s way for selfish purposes. For these reasons, Odysseus is an incompetent leader, and therefore should be criticized. Odysseus has hubris. This excessive pride and arrogance leads Odysseus and his men into difficult situations that would not have otherwise arisen. Towards the beginning of Homer’s epic, Odysseus narrowly escapes from a Cyclops’ cave. In triumphant victory, Odysseus taunts the Cyclops, Polyphemus. His men advise him against further agitating Polyphemus after the Cyclops starts throwing massive boulders at their ship; however, Odysseus displays hubris and does not listen. ‘Godsake, Captain! Why bait the beast again? Let him alone!’ ‘Aye He’ll smash our timbers and our heads together!’ / I would not heed them...
Words: 1348 - Pages: 6
...Greek King Odysseus was the main character in the book the Odyssey. Odysseus was the commander of Greek troops in the Trojan war and the king of the kingdom of Ithaca. Dwight D Eisenhower was a major figure in mid 20th century America. Eisenhower had served in his long career as commander of troops in WW2 and as President of the United States for 8 years. Both Eisenhower and Odysseus are effective commanders during war and strong leaders of their countries during peace. Both Odysseus and Eisenhower where different though because of their responses to different domestic problems in their countries. When Odysseus was confronted with the suitors who had taken control of his palace he had resorted to outright violence and killed more than 100 men...
Words: 499 - Pages: 2
