This simile highlights a stratagem adopted by Odysseus to help him and his men escape the cave. Odysseus selects four men to help him drive a sharp object into Polyphemus' eye; however, this tactic is ineffective because there remain guards at the cave's entrance who are tasked with catching any Greek that attempts to escape. This simile exemplifies Odysseus' wisdom as a war strategist, and his application of intellectual tactics to out-maneuver the enemy. After this plan proved to be a failure, Odysseus hid with the rams and successfully escaped. The consistent strategies Odysseus came up with to defeat the enemy even when they proved to be failures just indicated that he is wise and capable to learn from his mistakes. Arguably, war is a battle …show more content…
The hero, however, has managed to win the war for his country using this cunningness, and his ideas outwit the opponents. Wisdom can be broadly defined as the application of knowledge. Odysseus effectiveness in war is based on his ability to analyze various scenarios; he also exploits any assumptions or weaknesses by the enemy in his favor. This attribute depicts wisdom because the main character applies the knowledge has of his enemies to ensure victory for his country. Furtherance, Odysseus understands the vulnerabilities of Greek leaders, and thus manipulates them to ensure he retains favor with the army; for example, when he convinces the leaders to vote whether he should be given the god-made armor. The application of knowledge by the hero is of a sly nature, but this does not make it any less wise. Odysseus managed to survive numerous life-threatening events by using his wisdom and this shows he is a cunning individual. Several suitors approach Penelope, Odysseus’ wife, as her husband is presumed dead. The hero returns to Ithaca after 20 years to find his wife being pursued by several men for marriage. Odysseus realized that if he approached his wife as himself that she would fall out of love with him. The hero, therefore, disguises as an elderly man, which makes the visiting suitors not realize that he was home. This strategy helps him win his wife back, as he can convince Penelope that he …show more content…
During this incident, the hero asks his men to tie him to the ship's mast to protect him from the fatal Siren's song. Odysseus had been away from Ithaca from 20 years, and the presumption that he was dead was because his fellow citizenry could not perceive how a man could survive tribulations in the wild for this long; however, the hero applies several cunning strategies to defy this supposition. The Greek belief system emphasized on different gods for each attribute of life; Athene, the god of wisdom, supports Odysseus, for instance, in disguising as an old man in Ithaca. This collaboration between the main character and the god explicates Odysseus' possession of wisdom. Moreover, Greek mythology believed that a god can confer an attribute or skill on an individual, and hence the interaction between Athene and Odysseus is an example of such transference of wisdom.
Odysseus lives up to the epithet of being wise, which is evident in various actions and decisions made by this character. The author uses this hero to explicate that wisdom is integral in any battle strategy, and that it was a significant attribute of Greek leadership. The inclusion of the god of wisdom, Athene, helps the author further the emphasis on this attribute. Odysseus survives for 20 years outside Ithaca,
So now you know why think that Odysseus epic hero trait was clever. He made important choices (ex. “I carried was along the line, and laid it thick on their ears, also when he told them nothing, as they could nothing, and when he picked to go through the Scylla way and only take 6 men lives than going through Charybdis and them all dying). The epic hero trait of Odysseus is that he is clever and has exceptional knowledge because of what he has done before he went to Ithaca and while there too he is being
There were many approaches taken by Odysseus in order to show his perception on intelligence and how he used it. For instance, when Odysseus and his men were trapped in the Cyclops’ cave he thinks to himself, “I drew on all my wits, and ran through tactics, reasoning as a man will for dear life, until a trick came--and it pleases me well” (767). What makes Odysseus so intelligent is how diligent of a thinker he was; he thought of solutions almost instantaneously, and they always worked out to some degree. To be fair being a leader comes with making difficult decisions; consequently, his plans don't always fully succeed. Furthermore, while the crew is sailing into scylla he strategizes for what’s ahead, “But as I sent them on toward Scylla, I told them nothing, as they could do
In the epic story the Odyssey by Homer, Odysseus is returning from the Trojan war, and on his way home he finds many obstacles ahead of him. Odysseus is the ruler of Ithaca and he is trying to return home to his land. Many creatures try and stop him from achieving his goal of returning home, but he and his crew have to push through and get home. Odysseus portrays bravery and courage leading his crew through these tough challenges. Odysseus heroically leads his crew and himself through dangerous obstacles, but also foolishly endangers them during the journey home.
Odysseus has grown from the man he was before, as now he finds comfort and safety in obeying the gods when in the past he did not consider their wishes. Odysseus has only returned due to Athena and he has recognized that and his compliance is founded in his appreciation and respect for her. Odysseus is now a hero due to the obedience he now has to the gods, founded in a sense of humility. Through Odysseus’ experiences on his journey, he learns the value of obedience and dangers of arrogance and ultimately, become a hero through the lessons learned.
Odysseus used bravery, cleverness, and determination to be a good leader and get his men through all these dangerous obstacles. Odysseus is a good leader as seen through his bravery, cleverness, and determination. Odysseus demonstrates good leadership through his use of bravery.
This helps him create an element of surprise when he decides to confront the suitors and to deal the dangers of them possibly striking at him as soon as he walks into his home. In the time he spends as a beggar, he endures the abuse
7-8). As this quote means that he is feared on a large scale for his cunningness and slyness. Odysseus manifests good leadership skills by tricking his enemies to get one step closer to his
In the book called The Odyssey by Homer, it mainly follows the story of a king of a village called Ithaca, hundreds of years ago-This man, is named Odysseus. Odysseus goes through many adventures after the victory of the Trojan War. However, this is where Odysseus, is not being as strong as a great war hero and a king as he should be. Although Odysseus was seen as a very strong person, physically and mentally, he lacks the appreciation and the care of his crew throughout the trials and didn’t think through many of his actions thoroughly and how they would affect not only his crew but people around him.
He used his tact to sway delicate situations in his favor and flatter those who had him at their mercy. Using his resilience, he persevered on his journey until the very end, willing to suffer great cruelties simply to continue homeward. This resilience left him as the sole survivor of his crew after a series of tests put forth by the gods, and it allowed him to reunite with his family. Odysseus used his cunning to deceive enemies and friends alike, spinning an intricate web of lies and transforming himself at his will. These are the qualities that make Odysseus an epic hero, and they are the reason that Odysseus was able to live to see his family even after he watched his friends die off one by one.
During these situations, Odysseus gains leadership and tactical skills from fighting in the war in Troy, which costs him 10 years of his life and another 10 years of sailing out on the sea from Poseidon 's curse. Odysseus is therefore a heroic and efficient leader because he plans his moves ahead of time and is vigilant at all times to ensure his safety. Yet, though Odysseus possesses these heroic leadership qualities, his arrogance sometimes leads to his downfall and inability to lead. While Odysseus is a little arrogant, he can also be a great leader because he is able to trust his second in command, Eurylochus, and give him more power while he is away. When Odysseus is away from Circe’s island, Odysseus has a change of heart and suddenly wants to go back to Circe’s island to retrieve his crew.
Odysseus’s traits help him achieve his goal of returning to his home. Odysseus and his men have a lot of willpower to continue traveling after some dangerous and life risking experiences with cannibals, lotus-eaters, cyclops and many more creatures that could of killed Odysseus and his whole crew. Odysseus's confidence and epic hero traits only increase as the story goes on, his confidence in his men increase as he starts noticing how strong and powerful his men can be, and also shows confidence in
One way that Odysseus shows cleverness is when he is able to get his men out of dangerous situations. Two stories in which Odysseus uses his cleverness to get him and his men out of dangerous situations are in “Scylla and Charybdis”, and “The Cyclops”. Another way how Odysseus shows his cleverness is he deceives others to his advantage. In “The Cyclops” he deceives Polyphemus when he tricks him into thinking his name is Nohbody, and this helps him to escape the island and not get caught. Cleverness is a trait in The Odyssey that helped Odysseus to get him and his men out of dangerous situations, and cleverness also helped deceive others to Odysseus’
When Odysseus finally returns home, he has Athena disguise him so he can look at how his home has been going without him. Everyone besides his wife, son, and two other of his men have been disloyal to him and there is a group of suitors there who have overstayed their visit trying to get Penelope to be their wife. Odysseus locks the suitors all in one room where the
In the story of the Cyclops Homer’s theme is intelligence rules over brute strength. Odysseus uses brilliant wisdom to overpower the might of the Cyclops. Homer shows that with Odysseus’ careful tactics he was able to beat even the mightiest of people. Homer also teaches that if one cannot keep their cool wisdom and strength are nothing.
Life gives us many chances to learn lessons. Much like the main character in The Odyssey by Homer. I have learned to fight for what I want, listen to advice and that actions have consequences. Both Odysseus and I have learned these three life lessons. Odysseus and people around the world have to fight for what they want.