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To What Extent Is Odysseus A Good Leader

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Camila Ventura Ms. Quijano-Diaz English 1 Honor 11 March 2024 Is Odysseus a Good Leader? Over the course of Homer's epic poem "The Odyssey," Odysseus has shown himself to be a capable leader on numerous occasions and a less than ideal one on others. Many now question if Odysseus is indeed a capable leader in light of this. Odysseus is portrayed as a complex character who displays bravery and wisdom. His astute tactics, fearlessness in the face of difficulty, and inventiveness in conquering obstacles frequently portray him as a perceptive leader. However, scattered within these displays of leadership prowess are moments of questionable judgment, instances where his decisions seem to contradict his reputation as a leader. Additionally, Odysseus’ …show more content…

Had Odysseus taken a moment to carefully consider their actions and anticipate potential consequences, many of the challenges they faced could have been avoided or overcame more effectively. Going back to the moment with the cyclops, Odysseus’ failure to contemplate the repercussions of blinding the creature leads to more problems that prolong their journey. To add onto that when the cyclops asked Odysseus what his name was he should’ve let the cyclops continue to think his name was “Nobody”. With Odysseus telling the cyclops later on his actual name it led to curses being put on instead of them being put on to “nobody”. One of the many curses that Polyphemus asked the Gods to grant was for Odysseus to never return home, but if he did let it be a long, hard journey where he loses all of his crew, “Let him lose all companions, and return under strange sail to bitter days at …show more content…

There were many moments where if Odysseus would have told his crew of men what to or not to do, they would have been on a shorter journey. An example of this would be when Odysseus was told not to touch King Helios cattle. When he went back to where all of his men were, he told them of the island's dangers and told them to not touch the cattle. After he told them, he went to sleep without telling anyone the consequences that they would have if they touched Helios’ cattle. “Zeus sends down a thunderbolt to sink Odysseus’ ship” (12, 220-211). This could have been avoided if Odysseus would have communicated with his crew about the consequences, as losing their ship only makes their journey hard but also longer. If he would have told them the consequences, they could have avoided many challenges they were faced with, like the storm that was sent to

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