Odysseus Decisions In Homer's Odyssey

In The Odyssey, there are several decisions that Odysseus makes throughout his adventures. The first decision is when he forcibly stopped his men from eating the lotus plant to avoid major problems. When Odysseus and the group finally arrived at the land of Lotus-eaters, he sent a few of his men to check the place and what food the people are willing to offer for them to eat. Because of his actions, he made a huge mistake. The natives provided lotus plants for the men to eat, and it made them very addicted. According to the book, “any crewmen who ate the lotus, the honey-sweet fruit, lost all desire to send a message back, much less return, their only wish to linger there with the Lotus-eaters, grazing on lotus, all memory of the journey home
According to the book, “From the start, my comrades pressed me, pleading hard, ‘Let’s make away with the cheeses, then come back – hurry, drive the lambs and kids from the pens to our swift ship, put out to sea at once!’” (218). Despite what his men were telling him, Odysseus was determined to meet the one-eyed creature and ignored all the consequences that may happen. After meeting him, he got a few of his men killed when it learned who they are. It turns out that the creature is the son of Poseidon. The scene was described as “he knocked them dead like pups – their brains gushed out all over, soaked the floor – and ripping them limb from limb to fix his meal” (220). The fight was very brutal.
In the first example, Odysseus displayed good leadership because he saved his men by forcing them to stop eating the lotus fruit. It may be good, but it is dangerous! In the second example, he was stubborn. Odysseus should have taken in consideration the advice of his comrades before he did anything, but he chose to ignore them. This shows that he made a bad decision. Regardless, Odysseus somewhat fits the concept of what a hero should