I am writing a paper for college on Homer’s Odyssey. The assignment is to explore one aspect of the story. I chose the chapter where Odysseus must navigate between 6-headed sea monster on the rocks or the giant whirlpool out to sea.

Does Odysseus….

A.) Risk the entire crew by passing over the whirlpool that sucks down boats 3 times a day. (he does not know when)
B.) Or lose at least 6 men to the sea monster on the rocks for sure.


The story is interesting because it poses and answers some fundamental questions about military leadership.

Such as:

When is it acceptable to sacrifice your men for the greater good of the mission?

Does he have a responsibility to inform the crew of the risks, and risk revolt or sacrificing the sanctity of his command by allowing crew input?

In the story he chooses to face the sea monster and lose 6 men. He does not tell the men of the danger and simply orders them to keep rowing.

I agreed with his move because risking the entire crew over the whirlpool would risk the entire mission, whereas facing the sea monster would cause loss of life but would have a greater chance success for the overall mission.

That concept of sacrificing the few for the many seems to be an accepted military practice. Invasion of Normandy for example.


I just wanted to throw this out there and see if this story brings up and other issues for others that I am not seeing. Or maybe my thesis is flawed.