It's a matter of motivation. Multiple people have brought up Odysseus as a leader and whether he can really be counted a hero or not. Some have said yes he can because although he can be blamed for much of his crews' suffering, he is also the one to be accredited with the rescue or solution. Some have said no, or at least that we should be a bit more hesitant with the title because he wouldn't have to do the rescuing had he not lead his men into peril in the first place. I have two thoughts on this matter. First, I'd like to draw a difference between being a good leader and being a hero. I do not think these roles are synonymous. Many are good leaders but are not heroic. Odysseus is a good leader- he has the respect of his crew, their loyalty, and the confidence in himself to lead. However, to be a true hero, I think you have to examine the motivations of the character in question. If you do bad things and make bad choices but are convincing enough that people will follow you regardless, you may be a good leader. However, I think a hero's intentions are for their followers good. I think "hero" implies some sort of rescuing.
In Odysseus case, he makes some bad decisions. Not necessarily with intent to hurt his crew, but if his motivation is his own pride, his priority is himself and not his followers. I don't think this is enough to disqualify him as a hero because I think we also have to account for flaws and failures even of hero's. Ultimately, if the character's final decision is for the good of his followers and his actions back that up as his ultimate goal, I think this shows heroism, not just leadership.
I commented on Sierra's and Darby's!
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