Examples Of Power In The Odyssey

Odysseus was an effective leader for many reasons. one example was when Odyssey use his mind to get his men’s out of hades. one example was when he help his mans get to safety. he was an Effective leaders and in this part of the story,Odysseus men were scared of of the Hades, and they did not think Odysseus would make it back,so he told them not to worry, i will make it back and he tells them to leave if he doesn’t make it back to the ship. another example was when Odysseus and his men were stock in cave with the one eye monster.

Being a good leader can take time and effort and although mistakes are involved one must keep going. Odysseus went through the struggle of becoming a good leader throughout his journey but he showed his good leadership through his thought out plans, quick decision making, and compassion towards his crew. The first way Odysseus showed his good leadership was with his well thought out plans. In book IX, line 377-393 Odysseus decided to get the cyclops drunk. He decides that if the cyclops is drunk and not in the right state of mind it will help with the rest of his plan. He wants the cyclops to be weak so when he stabs him, he will have a lessening reaction. Also in book IX, lines 397-398 Odysseus lies about his name. This may seem silly but when Odysseus and his men stab him in the eye he screams out to the other cyclops.

Odysseus shows us the true meaning of leadership throughout the Odyssey.In the Odyssey, Odysseus decides to step up and take charge in many aspects of their journey. For example, ”The rest of you loyal friends stay here, while I and my crew take ship and try and find out who these men are,”( Odyssey Book IX 152-192). This shows his leadership because he is ordering the other people to stay by the boat so they can stay safe. Another piece of evidence is,”I ordered the men to cast lots as to which of them should dare to help me raise the stake and twist it into the Cyclops’ eye when sweet sleep took him,”(Odyssey Book IX 307-359). Through Odysseus words, we can tell he is taking charge so they all can return to safety because he cares about them.

In the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is a bad example of a leader. First, Odysseus is not disciplined enough to discipline his crew even if not punishing them will cause them to ignore his orders again. For example, in the Epic of Aeolus, Odysseus asks Aeolus to put all the storms into a bag, “...curious and suspicious the sailors open the bag, thinking it contains treasure… hurricanes blow the ships back to Aeolus.”[Page 673; Line 535] This quote shows his crew not adhering to Odysseus’s orders to not open the bag. After, this happens he does not punish them instead he moves on. This shows him not wanting to control his crew instead let them do what they want. Doing so causes them to be more mutinous and ignorant towards Odysseus in the future. Odysseus does not show good leadership qualities because he himself if not strong enough to get on to his crewmates and tell them what's what.

This may seem unnecessary and not worthy to talk about while talking about Odysseus and his leadership but really they correlate very well. Showing how much work Odysseus really does is just showing that Odysseus is a real leader, He isn’t a kings sitting around being lazy and ordering people to do the labor for him but he is strong physically and mentally to do his own dirty work. He can take care of himself and the rest of his crew members. Odysseus is a true leader that could take care of his

Throughout the entire book Odysseus shows that he as an amazing leader. “ Nine whole days we sailed, nine nights, nonstop”- Odysseus, (P. 231, L. 32.) Odysseus leads his crew to new lands always getting

In The Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus' actions and decisions in books IX-XII has shown that even though he is extremely clever and courageous, the great tactician's selfishness and sense if hubris often stand in the way of his success. First of all, Odysseus is exceptionally brave, he has experienced more than any mortal man should and will never cower away from a challenge. For example, Odysseus led his men on a dangerous endeavor in blinding the Cyclops Polyphemus. Odysseus vividly recalls how the monster viciously killed two of his crew, "Then he [Polyphemus] dismembered them and made his meal / gaping and crunching like a mountain lion" (9.316-17). Realizing he would likely be killed, Odysseus rallied his crew and blinded the horrendous beast without fear.

“The art of leadership is saying no, and not saying yes”(Tony Blair). In the Odyssey, Odysseus is the captain of a large fleet trying to get back to their home, Ithaca. Odysseus, with his crew, had to go through many obstacles to return to Ithaca. Odysseus was a bad leader because he was selfish, arrogant, and couldn’t control his men.

One example of Odysseus being a bad leader is through him being oppressive. When Penelope tried Odysseus to his breaking point he said “Woman, by heaven you’ve stung me now! Who dared to move my bed?”(945). Odysseus got so angry about someone moving his bed that he yelled at his wife not really knowing who actually moved his bed. This quote shows that after what he has been through and yells at his wife about someone moving his bed makes him seem harsh. Another time he was being oppressive was when Odysseus was talking to two men about killing the

Competition for beauty and other feminine qualities is not the only struggle that is presented throughout the story. One big issue the Penelope struggles for is for power and control; however, most of her life deals with a true lack of power and respect. One example of a lack of power is with the entire wedding procedure. Instead of picking someone who she would like to marry, there is a competition for her hand it marriage and she does not have any control over it at all. Ultimately, she is wedded to Odysseus and her struggle to gain power yet again continues. The next time Penelope battles for power is when she gets to the island of Ithaca where she meets Odysseus father, mother, and the woman who has taken care of Odysseys his entire life, Euryclea. Penelope and Euryclea

Leadership appears multiple times throughout the story and is a common theme throughout. One of the most important times leadership was shown was when they had been captured by the cyclops near the beginning when they wanted help getting home and Odysseus had lead his men with courage even though they were terrified. “Now by the gods, I drove my big hand spike deep in the embers, charring it again, and cheered my men along with battle talk to keep their courage up:no quitting now.” (p# 904) This particular quote is quite important because the men needed to do this to escape, but if they were to fail they would most definitely die. They were scared and Odysseus is the one who decided to keep their courage up. In modern times we rely on leaders but sometimes they can act foolish. It is nice to know that the king of a country was able to take such a high amount of

Odysseus should not be considered a good leader because he doesn’t care about his crew and lets them die for his mistakes. When Odysseus and his crew rob the Cyclops of many items, a crew member suggests,“Why not take these cheeses, get them stowed, come back, throw open all the pens, and make a run for it” (149-151). They get a lot of treasure from the Cyclops and have the opportunity to leave with the treasure without getting caught. Though, Odysseus’ pride and curiosity tells him,“Ah, how sound that was! Yet I refused. I wished to see the cave man, what he had to offer- no pretty sight, it turned out, for my friends” (153-156). A good leader would have thought about what the repercussions of his actions may lead to, but Odysseus didn’t seem to have this thought process as a leader. Deciding the do only what he wanted, without consulting his crew, tells them to see the Cyclops. It is a very dangerous move because it could get the crew killed and only a bad leader would guide their crew straight to their death. Since it says “no pretty sight…for my friends”, we can assume something bad happened to Odysseus’s crew. Anything that happened was the effect of Odysseus’s inability to care for his crew and to stop playing with their lives like pawns. Thus, since the reason behind the loss of Odysseus’s crew members was Odysseus’s fault and his carelessness, we can conclude that he is a bad leader who doesn’t look

Odysseus, being the king of his homeland, possesses remarkable leadership abilities. In Greek system, king is known as βασιλεύς and has the power to lead the people of his country. For instance, Odysseus appears as a leader when he goes alone to free his shipmates from Circe’s palace by keeping the companions in the ship even though Eurylochus warns him that Circe is dangerous and there is no chance for him to return from her. He does not depend on his shipmates to take any decision from which he is an independent man. Thus, Odysseus considers himself a heroic king who takes care of his people and always leads and protects them.

The Odyssey is an Epic about not only Greek gods, Beasts, and the return of the great king Odysseus, but the love of a family and the power of word of mouth. In lines 324-326 of book one, one line in particular stands out. As Athena disguises herself as an old man attempting to rouse Telemachus to search for his father Odysseus, she states, “Someone may tell you something, or you may catch a rumor straight from Zeus, rumor that carries news to men like nothing else.” Despite Athena directly stating how powerful rumors can be, the full extent of the truth of this statement is found throughout the text, not just in the form of rumors, but prayers, blessings, and even normal dialogue. As one reads the Odyssey, it becomes clear that the power of words is a strong one indeed.

Although they were made decades apart, Samuel Butler’s translation of The Odyssey, originally by Homer, and George Orwell’s dystopian novel 1884 share similar ideas on power. Specifically, each author demonstrates the outcome of power when it is abused. Homer reveals the capabilities of higher power by recording the role of the gods as they aid and hinder Odysseus in his journey back to Ithaca where his kingdom and family await. Comparably, George Orwell documents the life of Winston Smith whose life is governed by the Party of Oceania. However, Winston’s and Odysseus’s attitude toward the holders of power in each respective society contrast dramatically, revealing their differences in character. Additionally, the pace of each particular story differs as well, conveying the type of story and eliciting emotions of either suspense or tranquility.