Moses and Odysseus

Paper Summary:

This paper examines how, in the "Book of Exodus" in the Holy Bible, and in Homer's "Odyssey", the leadership qualities of Moses and Odysseus are thoroughly demonstrated by their individual actions and reactions to particular circumstances in their lives. It shows how, with Moses, several examples of his leadership traits are connected to the Egyptians and to his own people, being the Israelites. With Odysseus, the best examples of his leadership qualities lie in his concern for his fellowman and the future of his family in Ithaca, comprised of Telemachus, his son, and Penelope, his good wife, who has waited more than twenty years for his return from the Trojan War.

From the Paper:

"One of the first important incidents related in Exodus that demonstrates the leadership qualities of Moses concerns the time when he wandered out of the Egyptian palace and came upon a scene that opened his eyes to the fate of his fellow Israelites--"And it came to pass in those days when Moses was grown up, that he went out unto his brethren and looked on their burdens; and he saw an Egyptian smiting a Hebrew, one of his brethren" (2:11). In response to this act, Moses rescued a fellow Israelite from a beating and inflicted a kind of justice on the Egyptian that symbolized the worst excesses of the Egyptian monarchy. Thus, Moses exhibited one of the best attributes of leadership, being the saving of a fellow human being while putting his own life at risk for the sake of another."

More papers on Moses and Odysseus:

• Analytical Essay # 126047 : "Robert Moses and New York City"
• Comparison Essay # 87365 : "Moses and Jesus"
• Comparison Essay # 86800 : "Gilgamesh and Odysseus"

APA Citation:

MLA Citation: