1&2) I have been serving under Alexander the great for 9 years now. I don’t understand how everybody thinks he is not great. From an early age he always achieved big things and reached his goal, he conquered territories on a superhuman scale. He established many empires until he died at the age of 32, at the age of 20, he inherited the powerful empire of Macedon, which controlled Greece and had already started to make inroads into Asia. In 334 he invaded Persia, and within a decade he had defeated the Persians, he conquered Egypt which remained a province, and Memphis remained its capital. All structures of Egypt were left untouched. Alexander opened up Egypt to Macedonian and other Greek immigrants. Egypt was a province with a ruler and a culture that were to be both Greek and Macedonian. Then he pushed through the Macedonian empire and into India, towards the end of his conquest. Through Alexander’s conquest he spread Greek culture and education. The Greek culture mixed with other cultures, forming new types of civilization which is today is known as Hellenistic. These Hellenistic cities spoke Greek and practiced many of the religious and other cultural practices first introduced by the Greeks.

3) There are many to be considered “great”. Some more than others and all for different reasons. Many people might say that Bob Marley was great for what he did. Bob didn’t just write music for people to listen to and enjoy. The real secret is that Bob’s music is about something. It has value. Bob’s music is life transforming, holding the answering to our highest needs. His music answers in a positive way. Although Bob became a commercial artist, he was not making commercial music. Many swear that his music literally saved their lives. His use of music for spiritual entertainment and healing of the soul, which was prevalent in ancient times, is not found to the same extent now. Elvis Presley may have been the biggest single artist of all time, but are his songs really saying anything about life or even ways to get through life?  On the other hand Bob refined his lyric to simply, perfection. His words were so perfectly simple that they achieved eloquence. Today, his music can be related to, and understood by people anywhere who suffer and love and long for salvation. In other words, Bob Marley was a spiritual healer through his music, there for he was considered a great man.

Dear Diary,

     In Alexander's army it has been a great struggle fighting so many people and walking all this way to conquer new lands. We have conquered Egypt, Persia, Greece, and parts of India. Although he is tough, Alexander is a great leader. Did you know he fought in his own battles even when he first became king? Well he did.  He has also brought down many uprisings in places such as Thrace and Illyria. He was taught by Aristotle, which means he must be intelligent. That must contribute to the making of battle plans and other ways of ruling the empire. Another reason us soldiers consider him great is because when he conquers new land, he will not burn down their temples or churches, so that they can still honor their religion. After taking over Egypt, citizens of Egypt considered him a pharaoh! Can you imagine?? Alexandria, the city in Egypt he named, is the most extravagant city i've seen in my life.

Dear Diary,

     Have you heard of the Hellenistic culture? You probably have considering it is probably all over the world right now. Well, its a mixture of Egyptian, Indian, Greek, and Persian culture. It's great for our empire because it spreads the other cultures around the world, while expanding our empire as well. I do not believe that the blending of cultures will hurt the empire in any way, at least i hope it won't. I'm sure the mixing of cultures will spread as we move along conquering new territory.

     Cleopatra ruled ancient Egypt as a co-regent for three decades. First with her two brothers and then with her son. She was the dominant ruler of Egypt for all three decades. that, alone, earns her the title of "great", especially during her time. She became the last in a dynasty of Macedonian rules rounded by Alexander the Great's general, Ptolemy, who was her husband and co-ruler. Cleopatra was such a great woman because she was very well educated and spoke several languages, which was rare even for men at that time. She was known, back then, for having relations with Julius Caesar and Mark Antony. For the most part, Cleopatra was strictly business. Everyone under her rule and even people who weren't under her rule, knew that she would do anything she could to get what she wanted. Although that doesn't seem like a characteristic for someone who is considered great, i do believe that she did it for the better of her empire, which is truly great.

Works Cited

 Alexander the Great. N.p., n.d. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. <http://www.eduplace.com/ss/socsci/ca/books/bkf3/reviews/pdfs/LS_6_12_03.pdf>.

 Alexander the Great. A&E Television Networks, 1996. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/alexander-the-great>.

 Alexander the Great Alexander of Macedon Biography. N.p., 2001. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. <http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat.html>.

 Cleopatra. A&E Television Networks, 1996. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/cleopatra>.

Drew Honeycutt journals 1,2, and 3

Dear Journal,

     The classification of "Great" is a high honor that should only be given to a select few for being an all around Great Person. I think he is considered "Great" because he is successful, very successful. I don't know why we all call King Alexander “Alexander the Great”. Alexander’s father was a good general, but he destroyed Greek independence so he could use it as a launching pad to strike Persia. And the first thing king Alexander did as king was display his military strength and kill 6,000 Thebans and the survivors of his attack were sold into slavery. 

 I have been told for as long as I remember that he was "Alexander the Great". Of course I could think that he is great, but only when someone gives me a good example of why. Yes, he has been a good general and we are the largest empire in all the lands, but he has enslaved families... He has been cruel, and obviously most of the people we conquer probably don't much care for him. 

He died not too long ago, and no one seems to be too upset, it seems like he was fired and not really dead. When someone successful dies, people are disappointed for the inconvenience, and the loss of a good mind. When someone, who is truly great, dies, then people are sad, and depressed for the loss of a good heart.

Dear Journal,

      Alexander the Great was more interested in obtaining land more than governing. Meaning that the job of making a glue to connect all the new cultures was up to the people. It would be impossible to track where or when exactly that happened, but it is undeniable that the glue that connected them was there and prominent. Well, my brother says that anyways. Around this time the Hellenistic culture, a common language and courtesy, emerged.

The Egyptian city of Alexandria rose to power and became the main city of Hellenistic culture. My brother is going to go to Alexandria and go into trade, first he needs to learn the language and customs. It was in a strategic place on the Nile for trade. And with all of this combining, Alexandria will become an international community of diverse people. I heard that its population reached half a million. With the Hellenistic culture in place, Alexandria is becoming a melting pot of knowledge, arts, and philosophy. Yes, I completely think that the combining of Egyptian, Indian, and Persian cultures was a good idea.

There are so many examples of a group of people thinking that someone is great when another group of people think that that same individual is horrible. The one example that popped in my head most was Guy Fawkes. The inspiration of many different underground organizations and fighting for what is right.

          Guy Fawkes is associated with a failed plot after his failed assassination attempt on the king on November 5^th 1605. Guy had stashed many barrels of gunpowder under the parliament building but was caught. He wanted to blow up parliament because of the king’s opposition against the Catholic Church. From that night on, November 5^th was Guy Fawkes Day, where people would make a mask of Guy and go around doing silly pranks and blaming Guy Fawkes, but the supporters of Guy Fawkes, who also supported the Catholic Church, were disappointed. Those people thought Guy Fawkes was noble for the sacrifice of his life, and thought that he was great. Those who supported the king did not believe the same thing and were glad Guy died.

  *This is a mask that  the people would make of Guy Fawkes

        Today, there is a group of people called “Hactivists” who take on large corporations for wrong-doing by hacking into accounts and exposing them. The Hactivists have exposed several corporations and have uncovered a child pornography scandal. How does this relate to Guy Fawkes? No one has ever seen the face of a hactivist, because whenever anyone sees a hactivist, they are wearing a Guy Fawkes mask. They wear them in support of Guy and his fight for what he believed. To them, he was a great man for his nobility. But many people today think Guy was evil. It’s all a matter of opinion, meaning that there is not one right answer; someone is great, when another individual thinks it.

WORKS CITED:

• Roger B. Beck, . N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://my.hrw.com/tabnav/controller.jsp?isbn=9780547521084>.

 

• C. B. Welles (1970), R. L. Fox (1974), N. G. L. Hammond (1981), A. B. Bosworth (1989), and P. Freeman (2011); studies by D. W. Engels (1978), A. B. Bosworth and E. J. Baynham, ed. (2002), and P. Briant (rev. ed. tr. 2010); E. Badian, Collected Papers on Alexander the Great (2012)., , ed. N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com/src/detail?sid=67675ca3-d22a-4482-9802-d8e919ef7168@sessionmgr110&vid=2&hid=122&bdata=JnNpdGU9c3JjLWxpdmU=

 

• Trueman, Chris. "Guy Fawkes." History Learning site. HistoryLearningSite.co.uk, n.d. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/Guy-Fawkes.htm>.

• Mcgill, Annl, Sarah. "Alexander the Great." Alexander the Great. EBSCO Industries, Inc, n.d. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://web.ebscohost.com/hrc/detail?

Dear Journal, 

      I was a soldier in Alexander's army. He was an amazing leader, some people even considered him great. He was taught by Arisotle form age 13 to 16 and took over Greece at age 20. I wanted to join the army so I could work at the foot of such a great man. As the takeover progressed on I saw the empire expand from Egypt to India which was an amazing thing to see. Another thing that was notable about him was how he fought with us in a lot of the battles. Even though he took over so many cities, he still appreciated their cultures and saved most of the buildings.

Dear Journal,

      One thing that was so great about Alexander was that he accepted other cultures. After his death we were left with an empire made out of Persian, Egyptian, Indian, and Greek cultures. I am so thankful to be in an empire with such a rich culture. Alexander was very open-minded! Throughout the 9 years we were fighting he took the cultures and accepted them and integrated into them his lifestyle. During the beginning of the empire he was less acceptant but over time he became more and more acceptant. Alexander loved naming cities after himself named Alexandria. Alexandria seemed to be the biggest blending ground of cultures in thr empire. 

Dear Journal,

      Alexander is great but he wasn't the only person that is great. Joan of Arc is another person that is considered "great". She encouraged men on the battle field during France's "Hundred Years War". Just as Alexander was taught by Arisotle, she was taught by Saint Catherine and Saint Margaret. They were the ones that encouraged her to go and fight for France. She was crowned a knight and a French hero. Even though she was a female she was a great leader just like Alexander. Joan said she was guided by spirits even though no one believed her. She fought in 10 major battles just as Alexander did. 

Citations:

Worthington, Ian. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.utexas.edu/courses/citylife/readings/great1.html>.

. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://faculty.cua.edu/pennington/religion402/lecture six/JoanofArc1.html>.

. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa02>.

. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.heritage-history.com/www/heritage.php?Dir=characters&FileName=alexander.php>.

. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.ancientgreece.com/s/People/Alexander/>.

. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://corinesmiles.blogspot.com/2011/09/leadership-joan-of-arc.html>.

. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://faculty.fairfield.edu/jmac/sj/joanarc/joanarc.htm>.

Skyler Eastin Blog Posts 1, 2, and 3

Skyler Eastin Blog Posts 1, 2, and 3.        

Post 1:    

 Alexander the Great is the military commander alive today. Having been in the Macedonian army since I was old enough to serve, I know that this army has never been as feared as when Alexander was in charge. The fighting style he learned from his father, using the phalanxes in the center with cavalry on either side has enabled our forces to conquer large areas with little threatening opposition. He was wise enough to ally with the Egyptians who eagerly made him a pharaoh and allowed him to construct the city of Alexandria one of the most beautiful and prosperous cities in the world today. He was wise to destroy Thebes I feel. The Greek peoples uprising could have weakened the infrastructure of the empire, thereby ruining Macedonia’s chance to get revenge on the Persians for their attacks on Greece. The destruction of Thebes was a sad but necessary blow to the Greek people that convinced them to join our army. I think that Alexander is considered great because he has led the Macedonian army to victory over Greece and Persia.

Post 2:

            The Hellenic culture has helped Alexander’s empire. After the Greek uprising, the Greek people agreed to become part of the Macedonian empire. However, this was not an easy transition. The Hellenic culture is a merge all the cultures under Alexander’s reign. Because of this, none of the original cultures feel like they are losing too much of their original roots, allowing the cultures to united easier, both in battle and in day to day life.

Post 3:

            While Alexander was a great leader, much of the credit is owed to his father, King Philip II. King Philip was the one who united the Macedonian people, mostly peasant farmers, into the greatest army of the age, the same army that Alexander would inherit and use to conquer Persia. It was King Philip who originally took over the Greeks, who would later join Alexander’s army. It was King Philip who came up with the strategy for battles using phalanxes and cavalry, the same strategy that Alexander would use to defeat Persia. It was King Philip who hired Aristotle to tutor Alexander so he would be a better ruler when he was older. Unfortunately, King Philip died before he could attack Persia. The fact that Alexander is the one who delivered the final blow to Persia is the only reason he is remembered better than his father. King Philip laid the foundation that Alexander would inherit after Philip was murdered so young. Philip may have been referred to as great when he was alive, but he is now eclipsed by his son. If he had lived a little longer and been able to conquer Persia himself, he would have been known in history as “Philip II, the great” instead of “Philip II, the father of Alexander the Great.”

Cites:

Brown, Bryan. "Alexander the Great." Ebscohost. Junior Scholastic, 9 May 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. http://web.ebscohost.com/hrc/detail?sid=65601053-ff07-43bc-9d5a-0f4b5b965071%40sessionmgr13&vid=1&hid=21&bdata=JnNpdGU9aHJjLWxpdmU%3d#db=khh&AN=60685597

Pomeroy, Sarah B., et al. Ancient Greece a Political, Social, and Cultural

    History. New York; Oxford: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.

Sacks, David. Encyclopedia of the Ancient Greek World. Ed. Oswyn Murray. Illus.

    Margaret Bunson. New York Cirt: Facts On File, 1995. Print

Breasted, James Henry. Ancient Times. Chicago: U of Chicago, 1944.

Work Cited:

Jonathan Webb, . N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Tyre>.

“Alexander the Great”. Britannica High School. Encyclopedia Britannica. 2013.

  Web. 25 Sept. 2013. http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/article/272799

<www.ancient.eu.com/Battle_of_Gaugamela/> 

“Hellenism”. Encyclopaedia Judaica. 2013. Web. 25. Sept. 2013. <https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/judaica/ejud_0002_0008_0_08708.html>

Post #3 

            Alexander the great is known for the way he conquered most of the Middle East with no defeat. Most think that his greatness came from his determination and hard work. Others think he is great for the battles and what actually happened in them. Another historical figure known for being great is George Washington. Like Alexander, Washington led the United States to victory earning us land and freedom. Even though Alexander was not fighting for a specific country, he and Washington had a lot in common. Both men did not give up even when the times were hard. Although Washington did not win every battle he came out on top just like Alexander did. Washington had British colonists fighting for him in the civil war and eventually had some French people, which was a form of mixing cultures like Alexander did.  Both of these men were considered great and both had a lot of things on common that made them great.

Post #2

During the reign of Alexander the Great, Alexander conquered regions from all over combing cultures as he went from one place to another. Combining some of the cultures worked out well creating strong dynasties and Hellenism.

Hellenism spread throughout the Middle East and left a good effect on most of the Middle Eastern people.  The different cultures created cultural science, art, and music and where a big part of Alexander’s city Alexandria. His army also consisted of many types of people that had come from the areas he had conquered, most of them being Persian. A few negative effects where that some of the cultural backgrounds were so different they caused feuds and made decisions difficult. Over all the way Alexander mixed the different cultures and ethnic groups was good.