Benefits of Informing One's Followers

Well, according to Mr. Watson, this is my best paper so far. And the easiest to write! So, here it is, my paper on the Odyssey.

Benefits of Informing One’s Followers

In Homer’s Odyssey, Odysseus is given a warning of what dangers he and his men will meet in their journey home. However, Odysseus does not inform his men of these difficulties, which later on lead to trouble and delays. Knowing what lies ahead will help Odysseus’ men to be more prepared, there will be less chance of mutiny, and the leader and his men will trust each other more. Overall, Odysseus’ should have informed his men more clearly in order to lead to a more reliable group.

First, the men will be more prepared. If one knows what lies ahead, he is able to prepare for this. In being ready for this, one will not be caught off guard and he will be ready for danger. In addition, in the Odyssey, the men of Odysseus eat the holy cows and thus cause trouble. If Odysseus tells the men why they were not to eat of the cows, much time will be saved. As Zeus sends a storm while the men were leaving the island, they “could see nothing but sky and sea, the son of Saturn raised a black cloud over our ship, and the sea grew dark beneath it.” A terrible squall from the West comes in, and begins to tear apart the ship, as "the ship went round and round…the men all fell into the sea…” If the men had not eaten of the cattle, they would not have been killed, their ship would not have been destroyed, and perhaps they would have reached Icatha safely.

Secondly, there will be less chance of mutiny. If Odysseus’ men knew that Aiolus gave Odysseus a bag of wind and not of money, they would not have tried to steal from Odysseus. Thinking that Odysseus had been given gold and silver by Aiolus, “they opened the bag and the winds all burst out.” Because of this, the ship is blown back to the island and much time is lost. When one knows his leader’s plans, he will be more willing to follow the leader, and will not think him mad if his leader’s actions seem strange.

Finally, the leader and his men will trust each other more. The men will have more faith in their leader, and the leader in his men, if they are kept informed. Also, Odysseus and his men will become stronger, fighting as one and not as many. Odysseus exercises this when he and his men are trapped in the Cyclops’ cave, informing them of what to do and the overall plan of escape. Odysseus cuts some wood off of the Cyclops’ club, “and encouraged my men lest any of them should turn faint-hearted… and my men gathered round me…we drove the sharp end of the beam into the monster's eye.” Because he tells and encourages his men, Odysseus and his men are able to leave the Cyclops’ cave.

Keeping one’s followers informed will lead to a stronger force. The men will be ready for any known trouble, mutiny will be less likely, and the relationship between the leader and the followers will be better. In the Odyssey, Odysseus did not inform his men often enough, thus they were delayed and there was not as much trust between them as there could have been. If Odysseus and his men had worked together, they would have reached Icatha more quickly.