Comparing the Leadership Abilities of Odysseus in Odyssey and Aeneas in Aeneid
These two heroes have embarked from the same destination but on very different journeys. Whilst they are both Iliadic heroes at the start of their stories, they develop and adapt their manner towards the characteristics required of them to succeed. Before we judge them, it is necessary to determine our definition of a successful leader. A hero from the Iliad must be "a speaker of words and one who is accomplished in action", according to the horseman Phoinix (Iliad.9.413). A leader must have these primary qualities then, as he must lead by example, but to create the ideal we must add to this. The leader should rely on no others but in turn listen to sound counsel. He should be fair in his justice, in control of his situation and surroundings, keep his men abreast of the plan of action and reasoning behind it, remain calm under pressure and have compassion and understanding for his people. Thus his primary concerns should be the welfare of his people, their security and maintaining peace at all costs. His men, a good indicator of his leadership to us, should therefore give him loyalty, trust, and obedience, if the leader has led them suitably. The performance of the men is also important, and what they achieve under his direction is representative of his strength of leadership, though this must be compared with how they act without his presence. These measures can be seen as the important assets of a competent leader, though extenuating and uncontrollable circumstances must be taken into account, as we make a sound judgement of our two heroes.
Aeneas and Odysseus themselves are different, both in character and in their q...
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...rvival. However, Aeneas becomes the Virgilian leader, his concern is always for the people and they are the most important thing to him. The reason that the endings of the books are so dissimilar and the Aenied is far less satisfying than the Odyssey is a result of this point. Odysseus' accomplished aim can be viewed within his lifetime, and listened to within a short time. His short-term goal of going to bed with Penelope, and sorting out the situation in his country is all seen within the borders of the story. Aeneas' ending merely means that his journey is at an end but the rest of the story lies with his people. The emphasis is on the people he is leading and not what he individually has accomplished.
Works Cited:
Homer. Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fagles. NY: Penguin Books, 1990.
Virgil, Aeneid. Trans. Allen Mandelbaum. New York: Bantam, 1991.
Throughout Homer’s epic poem, The Odyssey, the reader or viewer has the opportunity to see the story’s main protagonist make leadership decisions, and take actions, that range from critical to minor in terms of importance. But the fact is that Odysseus is a leader. And that is the key thing to keep in mind no matter how you experience the poem. Inevitably, when you are talking about leaders, the questions arise: is he or she good or bad? What is the metric and what is your method of evaluation? In this case, we’ll look at Odysseus’ performance through a modern leadership lens, while keeping in mind that Homeric Greek culture might have motivated him to act differently than he would have today.
"'Leadership is solving problems. The day soldiers stop bringing you their problems is the day you have stopped leading them. They have either lost confidence that you can help or concluded you do not care. Either case is a failure of leadership,'" (Colin Powell). In the article "23 Traits of a Good Leader" the author, Rachel Farrell speaks about different types of leaders, how every leader is different, and reveals the twenty-three traits of a good leader. In the article "Seven Personal Characteristics of a Good Leader", the author, Barbara White informs the reader on the seven qualities of a good leader and explains each characteristic in detail. In Homer's, The Odyssey, the main character Odysseus displays many leadership traits, one of these traits being courage when he encounters the alluring Sirens in the book of "The Sirens". The second characteristic of a leader that Odysseus exhibits in The Odyssey is fearlessness, when he confronts the Cyclops who is a lot more preponderant than himself. The third and final leadership quality that Odysseus presents in The Odyssey is staying calm in times of crisis, because he remains calm when the crew confront Scylla and Charybdis when the rest of his crew is frightened and panicking. In the epic The Odyssey, Odysseus displays the qualities of a good leader.
Odysseus and Aeneas both have an extremely different view of what the meaning of “home” is. They also have a contrasting value of importance on home. This is a parallel that follows them throughout their lives.
Adolf Hitler was born on April 20th of 1889 in Austria. As a child he played “Cowboys and Indians” which had a huge influence in war since it is a game that imitates the supposed behavior of cowboys and Indians in a conflict, as in shooting, chasing, and capturing. He had found a book of the Franco-Prussian War and he had become very interested in war-related material.
When it is argued that Aeneas was just “handed” everything by the gods, the fact that not all of the gods were in support of him is often overlooked. Although many gods steer Aeneas toward his destiny, Virgil adds complexity to his character by introducing gods who wish not to see Aeneas succeed along with a slew of obstacles. He does this in order to spark the reader’s interest in his hero's successes, which may not necessarily be set in stone. The dangers that Aeneas and his crew face are real, even if it is know that he will survive them. There is in fact a humanistic aspect of Aeneas that is revealed by creating physical and emotional strife, which he must endure by himself. It is these human aspects of Aeneas: his leadership, his emotional strengths, and his heroism that make him a crucial and interesting character in the Aeneid.
There has been much debate on who is the greatest hero of the ancient world. There has also been much dispute on which is the greatest epic poem of the ancient world. However, comparing The Aeneid to The Odyssey is entirely a difficult task itself. Odysseus' journeys, both physical and emotional, are essential in the overall work because it defines The Odyssey as an epic poem. Aeneas also shares a similar experience as Odysseus as well. Both stories are similar in countless ways because they both undergo comparable experiences on their travels and their life journeys. With that being said, they both demonstrated leadership in their own way. However, it is difficult to determine who the best leader actually is. Both men exhibit great leadership skills; therefore, causing a challenge for some in determining which the greater epic is. After analyzing both texts, it is possible to conclude that Aeneas is the better leader, but The Odyssey is the greater epic.
Polzl gave birth to two boys and a girl all of whom died. On April 20th
During the summer of 1941, Chancellor Adolf Hitler initialized “The Final Solution'; to the “Jewish Question';. Hitler started this program because he wanted to create a highly centralized state and one for the master race, Germans. Exterminating Jews was, for Hitler, the only way to create a perfect Germany because it would eliminate the ‘malignant tumors’, the race that caused Germany to lose World War One. Hitler’s decision to start exterminating Jews changed the course of history. In the end, over 6,000,000 Jews were killed and a Jewish state known as Israel, evolved.
“The gods told you to do it, a likely story”: The Curse of Odysseus and Aeneas
Another similitude is the gathering of the gods on Mount-Olympus. As found in the Odyssey, Odysseus ' character is astute and savvy one. He is a learner and eventually develops more self control. His 'never surrender ' demeanor demonstrates that he can experience any circumstance to get what he needs. Likewise, his character is loaded with wanders aimlessly. While in the Aeneid, Aeneas is depicted as a confounded individual who depends upon the choice of others. Case in point, in the wake of getting away troy, he takes proposals from his dad about where to go next. Be that as it may, later in the Aeneid, we see Aeneas changing into even more a pioneer as he is bound to establish the city in Italy. Both Odysseus and Aeneas are survivors furthermore brave in the meantime. We see that Aeneas loses his wife Creussa while getting away from the obliteration of troy though Odysseus loses his friends different times while getting away beasts of the ocean. In a few genuine and vital circumstances, Odysseus is more shrewd and insightfulness than
Developing your ability to work with adults as part of a team is a key
Odysseus and Aeneas are very alike in some ways and very different. They are both epic heroes except that one is Greek and the other is a Trojan. Odysseus is from the Greek tale The Oddessy, which was written by the famous Greek poet Homer. His quest is to find his way back home after a long journey. Aeneas is from the roman tale The Aenied, written by Virgil a famous Roman poet. Aeneas’s mission is to find a new home for him and his family. Both these characters had many similarities and differences in their ways of fighting.
The Fire “C’mon, it’ll only take you a second,” he said. I can still remember the look on his face; he looked like a puppy begging for a treat. My red-haired neighbor was three years older than me; he had a sprinkle of freckles across his cheeks and a certain charm in his voice. “Ben, I don’t know about this. I don’t want to get into trouble,” I, being ever cautious, was always reluctant to participate in Ben’s adventures.
The door creaked open as the young boy stepped out but was quickly slammed shut by the viscous wind the noise echoed through the hills disturbing some pigeons roosting in the near by trees. The moon was illuminating the night sky with a milky glow which illuminated all land creating large disturbing shadows. The trees bent in submission to the howling wind which forced their branches to brush along the ground sweeping the dust away from the track. The solitary building which could barely be described as a house stood alone and solitary on the hillside. The walls were crumbling from the water logged plaster and only one window still contained a pain of glass.