Q4 BM- The Odyssey Compare/Contrast Essay

Throughout the world characteristics of leaders are courageous, smart, and usually very tactical. There are many aspects that define leaders beside the fact that they always do everything correctly. There is evidence in the movie “ O Brother, Where Art Thou? “, written by Jeff Martin and also throughout the book The Odyssey by Homer. The main characters, and leaders, from these stories are Everett from and Odysseus from the book, respectively. While Odysseus and Everett are very strong men and tactical leaders that have their flaws; Everett was more willing to not only accept the fact that he makes mistakes, but also apologize to his crew members about said mistakes. This makes Everett a better leader.

As heroic leaders, Odysseus and Everett took very similar missions throughout their voyages in order to get back home to their families and normal lives, especially back to their wives. These two leaders had to overcome all the obstacles that came in their way of returning home to their loved ones. For example, throughout both stories the men had to pass the mystical and strange Sirens, which seemed like an impossible task. Odysseus is told to tell the crew members by Circe” But if you plead, commanding your men to set you free, then they must last you faster, rope on rope”(Book 12, page 273, line 59) Meanwhile, too occupied of the task trying to get to their destinations both lose men, losing sight of reality, honesty, and concentration. Since, they are “leaders”, they attempt to disguise their weakness and remorse in order to move on with the situation at hand, which is where there cockiness comes into play. Everett decides to say, “Where is my hair treatment”, while the crew is in a desperate time of need of food and shelter, just as Odysseus did with his men by saying” And if someone were to ask you who blinded me tell them my name is Odysseus raider of the cities”(Book 9, page 227 line 561) and when he did this he put the lives of his crew members at risk of not only getting home, but getting there alive.

Odysseus ends up loosing all his men and going home alone because he doesn’t want to tell his men his plans, to warn them because of his pride, unlike Everett who goes home with his two men he came. Even though Everett didn’t tell his men the ideas he knew that his men weren’t in danger at those moments. Odysseus risks his men life when they are near Scylla by saying “No mention of Scylla-how to fight that nightmare?”(Book 12, page 278 line 241)

 Although, both characters take similar missions, Everett’s wife is not faithful to him & instead of taking the time to kill the man like Odysseus did he finds the way to get him out of both of their lives. Throughout the book Everett and Odysseus find ways to deceive their men or make them angry, Everett unlike Odysseus realizes that he is only human and swallows up his pride in order to apologize to his men by saying “I know that I have made tactical mistakes”. Odysseus doesn’t apologize, but shows grief by expressing how he felt when he saw his men die such a terrible death. He says “I could see their hands and feet already hoisted, falling, high, higher, over my head, look wailing down at me, comrades riven in agony, shrieking out my name for the last time….Of all the pitiful things I’ve had to witness”(Book 12, page 279, lines 266-280) Everett has two other men on his side that he has to lead, but Odysseus has many men, which is a result of him having to be more secure of himself and of his actions. For ex. when Odysseus furls the rock at the Cyclops, it could have ended some of his crewmembers’ lives as well just because of his pride.

 Pride and selfishness are not best characteristics. Everett displays himself as a cocky leader, while Odysseus displays himself as both selfish and cocky. Since Everett was able to put his characteristics aside, unlike Odysseus who never really owned up to the fact that it was his fault that his men never made it back with him, he was able to make a better leader.