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Persuasion in the Iliad
Throughout history is an endless list of great war leaders who have conquered great masses of land. So, it must take a great speaker to convince thousands of men to leave the comforts of their homes to risk their lives in war. In Homer's, The Iliad, two great nobleman Agamemnon and Odysseus are in the position to push exhausted soldiers back on to the battlefield. Each use different approaches to excite the men, however, it is Odysseus, not King Agamemnon, who succeeds. In order to persuade these drained men, Odysseus realizes what condition the army was in, and by using prophesies as support, status did not become an issue when it came to whom the men listened to.
According to this status structure, Agamemnon outranks Odysseus; therefore, with this power, Agamemnon should be able to get the army moving and ready to fight. However, it is Odysseus who gets the army encouraged. There is even a temporary switch of power when Odysseus takes the scepter from Agamemnon before addressing the nobleman. "He [Odysseus] came face to face with Agamemnon . . . and took from him the scepter of his fathers, immortal forever. With this he went beside the ships of the bronze-armoured Achaians" (1.2.186-187). There is also a significantly long description about the scepter's history, an obvious history full of powerful men with high statuses. But if the scepter holds so much meaning of power, how come Agamemnon could not communicate with the army even with the scepter? Instead, it is Odysseus who can persuade a mass of home sick warriors, not with his status, but by his intuition of people.
Odysseus understands the fact that these men have been away from their families for too long. Which is why he add...
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...nsented that I might sack strong-walled Ilion . . . Now he has devised a vile deception, and bids me go back to Argos . . ." (1.2.112-115).
All in all, the success of Odysseus proves that status is not a factor when it comes to motivating the army. Instead, it is remembering who the audience is and to always give them a reason to believe. Throughout the story one can also see how this is true, like when Thetis implored the god of gods, Zeus, to help out her son. Zeus is of higher rank, but when she spoke to him softly and chose her words carefully, Thetis gets what she wants. Today, one can see persuasion on TV for infomercials for weight loss, or at stores when the sales lady compliments the customer for looking fantastic in an outfit. It is highly doubtful that the sales rep is going to rave about how fat the customer looks, if she wants to sell the shirt.
Although some could possibly call Odysseus, the protagonist of Homer’s The Odyssey, a great leader, the fact that he fails to earn his men’s respect, endangers his men’s lives repeatedly and allows them to die due to his own selfishness states otherwise.
Phrases including “I chose” (309, 317), “I brought” (309), “I bade” (309, 317), “I called” (315), “I made answer” (321) and more are repeatedly used. However, the use of these phrases may just be viewed as conceited and boastful, except that they are usually followed by action of another. For example when Odysseus states “I bade” it is followed with “so they went” (309), when he states it again on page 317 it is not overtly stated but is implied that his comrades did what he said and stayed by the ship. Through this repeated narrative of Odysseus commanding something to be done and the person he is commanding doing it, Odysseus continually builds his ethos and demonstrates that he must be of considerable force and character. This persuasion technique, established in the opening, continues throughout the tale. Odysseus states at one point his “fame reaches to heaven” (303). At another time, speaking of Aeaea whom he calls guileful, he says “could never persuade the heart within my breast” (305). As established earlier the ability to beguile reflects the aptitude of eloquence, therefore his resistance to it build his credibility for not only creating a persuasive message but for rejecting one as well. Odysseus also uses his relationship with another respected individual to build upon his foundation of ethos even more by stating all the gifts he was given by Maro, he expounds upon these gifts and this relationship at length. A possible explanation is that by Odysseus establishing himself as respected in the eyes of Maro, it would likely cause others listening to respect him as well for his accomplishments. Although the use of ethos may be the most common occurrence of persuasion, Odysseus does use other forms as well. He utilizes logos on page 321, pathos on page 307, preemptive argumentation on pages 305-307, raw power and overt power on page 309. These are just a
Through Telemachus, Odyssues’ son, the reader sees Odysseus’ utter dependence upon the gods’ aid. During Telemachus’ journey, all those th...
The Trojan War veterans of The Odyssey succeeded in defeating their enemies on the battlefield. The end of combat did not mean relief from burdens for them. War is cruel, but in it these men see a glory they cannot find outside. Achilleus’ death in war is treated with ceremony and respect. Agamemnon, having survived that same war, dies a pitiful death and Klytaimestra “was so hard that her hands would not/ press shut [his] eyes and mouth though [he] was going to Hades” (XI, 425-426). Dying at home meant being denied even simple acts of dignity. Reflecting back on it Hades, Agamemnon characterizes the veteran’s struggles when he asks, “What pleasure was there for me when I had wound up the fighting?” (XXIV, 95).
Through these voyages certain parallels are drawn concerning Odysseus and Telemachos: the physical journeys, the mental preparations they have produced, and the resulting change in emotional makeup. These play an immense role in the way the story is set up, due to the purpose of each character's journey, their personal challenges, and the difficulties that surround them.
This is another secret Odysseus kept from them even if it was going to have them killed. This is another reason why Odysseus was a horrible
Throughout the last books of The Odyssey Homer tells us how Odysseus restores his relationships with his friends and relatives at Ithaca. Perhaps one of the most revealing of these restoration episodes is Odysseus' re-encounter with his son, Telemachus. This re-encounter serves three main purposes. First, it serves to portray Telemachus' likeness to his father in the virtues of prudence, humility, patience, and planning. Secondly, it is Odysseus' chance to teach his son to be as great a ruler as Odysseus himself is. Lastly, Homer uses this re-encounter to emphasize the importance of a family structure to a society. To be able to understand the impact that this meeting had on Odysseus it is necessary to see that Telemachus has grown since his first appearances in the poem and obviously since his last contact with his father; Odysseus left Telemachus as an infant now their relationship is a man to man relationship rather than a man to child relationship.
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.
From the analysis above, although he never fully matches Odysseus either in wisdom or courage, we cannot deny their highly resemblance in initiative, sensitivity and socialization. Influenced by his father not only by hearing the great deeds spread by people but also fight with him for vengeance, he follows his father’s step and comes to his manhood.
The Odyssey is a tale that has changed literature and storytelling. In this tale Odysseus is a Soldier from the battle of Troy trying to get home to his island of Ithaca, where he is king. His wife and son must wait ten years while he is trying to make his way home. In Odysseus’s absence wooer’s, or better known as suitors, learn of his absence and travel to Ithaca to win his wife’s hand in marriage. These men come every day feasting on Odysseus’s food and wine, and give his servant’s orders. His son Telemachus, does his best to keep the suitors from ruining his fathers house but he is only a boy, and doesn’t receive the respect of an adult. Telemachus then has a visit from the god Athena, whom Odysseus is friends with, who advises him to travel to find out about his father. In his travels he hears that Odysseus may still be alive. Meanwhile Odysseus goes through a series of adventures and hardships that prove his wisdom. It is interesting in contrast of the Iliad, even though Achilles was much stronger and a better warrior, Odysseus was portrayed as a greater hero due to his wisdom. He uses this wisdom to escape from the Cyclops.
scores of angry men were just a few of the perils Odysseus had to overcome.
middle of paper ... ... In Homer’s Odyssey, both Odysseus and his son Telemachus embark on long, difficult journeys; Odysseus trying to return from Troy to his home in Ithaca, escaping Calypso and the island of Ogygia, and Telemachus from Ithaca to Pylos and Sparta in search of his lost father. While The Odyssey tells of the courage both men demonstrate during their respective travels, their quests are the results of the intentions and desires of gods. Odysseus is trapped in exile on Ogygia by the will of Poseidon, whose anger Odysseus attracts when he blinds the Cyclops Polyphemus, son of Poseidon, and by the love of Calypso, who wishes to make Odysseus her husband.
I said that after going through much hardship and losing all his men he should come home again in the twentieth year and that no one would know him; and now all this is coming true” (14). This shows how the gods did interfere and would tell the people on earth with symbols. The gods knew from the beginning the fate of Odysseus because they predestined it. The gods are those who gave Odysseus misfortune, and they are also the ones who fated him the way he did. Through these examples of hospitality, pride and fate, one can learn many important Greek principles.
...s was not there to parent his child, his son accepts him as if he'd known him all of his life. They stand side by side when Odysseus returns home, and together they defeat all of the suitors that tried to take over his kingdom, wife, and fortune. While sailing across the different seas, he does not have the love and support of his family. Now Odysseus sees the bigger picture, his family, kingdom and comfort are his home.
The Iliad tells the story of the Trojan War, which lasted 10 years. The Grecians eventually won the war, but the outcome could have very easily shifted due to a quarrel between King Agamemnon and Achilles. Pride and anger is what the two men were fighting about. This story is a very good example of how those two simple emotions can lead to tragedy.