Liddy Malone's Blog: 1,2, and 3

1. Adam

     Over most of the last decade, I have grown to dislike Alexander. He is a paranoid alcoholic. His murders include 8,000 men that were defending the city of Cyropolis, and many other people. He burned the city of Persepolis to the ground without reason- and more recently, he has been forcing us to march for almost ten years.

     Today, I’d like to share (with whoever reads this) an excerpt from my diary. Note: at this point, I had only been in Alexander’s forces for a small amount of time.

     
     “Many times before he has seemingly sentenced us to death by ordering us to attack a much larger enemy. Today was no exception. Remember that this May of 334 BC, we crushed a part of the Persian cavalry that had four men for every one of us. He may be crazy, what with keeping us away from home this long, but he sure knows what he is doing.”

     That was around seven years ago. It is 327 BC. My opinions of him have changed much since then. I have been marching and fighting for every moment. I still do not doubt his expertise in the ways of his military, but I have lost most of my hope in his sanity. I am mentally and physically exhausted, and I long to return home. He must be as well, but if he had it his way, he would try to conquer everything there is to the east, no matter the circumstances.

     Maybe I would not be so bitter if I did not hold him responsible for the death of my most trusted companion, Samuel.

     We recently defeated King Porus’ army of men who sat on elephants- that was peculiar. Afterwards, the other men and I put our heads together and discovered that we had marched 11,000 miles. We finally convinced him to turn back. Maybe that was not the smartest plan, for now he is leading us across a desert. There is little food or water. My lips are cracked and bleeding, and I often feel faint. I do not know if I will survive much longer. I think we are headed towards Susa.

     Samuel was a funny guy from the beginning. I knew I liked him the first time he whispered a joke in my ear during an ‘inspirational’ speech of Alexander’s. Samuel claimed that Alexander was a... a homosexual. I never saw proof of such myself, but Sam was not the only person I heard this from.

     Samuel dropped dead not two hours ago- and I had to keep walking. There were no goodbyes. Worse- he was not nearly the only one. Curse this desert.

     I work alongside others who have shared their own tales and told more of his atrocities. Many share that he is a paranoid alcoholic. I do not doubt that. Once, after he had been drinking, he ordered us to burn the Persian capital, Persepolis, to the ground. In addition, we have all seen him rage and kill innocent people in large numbers. For example, last year, in 328 BC, he ordered us to kill 8,000 men outright that were defending the revolting Persian city of Cyropolis. During the capture of Gaza in 332 B.C., around 10,000 people in the city were killed. Afterwards, Alexander showed an outburst of fury and tortured the city's governor. It seems this man has plenty of evil in his barely five-foot stature.

     I suppose I understand the reason he is referred to as ‘the Great’. Most call Alexander this because he has conquered almost all of the world he knows, and he is barely thirty. He has persistence and the ability to carry through with tough decisions. Alexander has worked at expanding his empire since even before his father was murdered in 336 BC. Up until now, he has never given up on achieving what he wanted. However, his greatness came with a cost. There have been many unnecessary deaths under his rule. Many soldiers died for stupid reasons. He may be Great, but he has questionable morals.

-Adam

2. Helen 

Dear Journal,

     I, Helen, have no doubt that the spread of Hellenistic culture has done nothing but aid Alexander's empire. This I know, because my husband and I have been a resident of the city Alexandria in Egypt since 331 B.C., practically since it was founded. Alexandria is a reflection of the growth in culture, art, science, and trade that all Alexander's empire has experienced. It is all because of the spread of Hellenism- that is what Jimmy says. Culture has blossomed, education all throughout the land has flourished, architecture is more beautiful than ever, and philosophical debates are popular because of this mix of Greek, Persian, Indian, and Egyptian culture.

     Jimmy tells me that the empire is more educated because of this great increase of literature. Have you seen Alexandria's library? I would say it is the finest in the world. The library in Pergamum is a close second. If I had time, I would visit them both every day. My favorites in our library are the works of Lucian- I eat up a good romance. There is plenty of poetry to read, as well.

     My favorite sculpture- I have been to see it many times- is the Venus of Milo. It is a bust of a very beautiful woman, the kind with no arms. Jimmy told me once that it is not as beautiful as me. I do not believe him. One just as famous is the Dying Gaul. Jimmy likes that one the best. We are lucky that both of these impressive sculptures are right here in Alexandria.

     My friends and I sometimes participate in philosophical disputation. It is very popular among the educated currently, so of course that includes us. I especially love these conversations with my dear companion Dorsey. It entertains me that we may be discussing thoughts that not one soul has thought before. However, ours are likely rather dull compared to the Stoics and to the Epicureans. I can see the truth in both of their philosophies, but I do not know exactly what I believe.

     I might add that this spread of culture has also brought a great deal of money towards me and my husband. Jimmy is a very talented merchant, and now that navigators have learned more about the surrounding waters, he gets much more business trading all around the world. It helps that with Hellenism people in the empire mostly share a language. Koine is becoming quite popular.

     I owe my thanks to Alexander, even if he has not always made the best decisions. This great culture is a part of my daily life because of this vast empire he created that extends all the way to India.

-Helen

3. Comparison of Rosa Parks to Alexander the Great

     Both Rosa Parks and Alexander the Great have, at one time, carried the idea of being great. The difference between these two historical figures is whether they are considered great to this day. While Alexander was once thought of as a fearless Macedonian leader who conquered Greece, Persia, Egypt, and part of India in his very short rule, today's historians have studied the evidence and have determined that Alexander was not morally just or mentally sound. He was an angry man who had problems with alcohol, displayed murderous tendencies, and at least once showed signs of being a necrophiliac. On the other hand, Rosa Parks is now considered to be a great African American pioneer of civil rights, while she once was thought of as being an insubordinate troublemaker.

     At the very beginning of the American Civil Rights movement in 1955, Rosa Parks refused to move from her seat in the front of a bus and give it to a white person. She was arrested and fined. Though this seems appalling from a modern perspective, Rosa Parks was the one in the wrong to many white people at that time. She eventually received the respect and recognition she deserved for being the spark to the movement that ended segregation in America. 
     Alexander did many things that could prove his atrocity. Simply one example is when he drunkenly ordered the burning Persian capital, Persepolis, to the ground. 
     Rosa Parks is great person with extreme integrity, even if she was not always considered to be so. It is Alexander, with "Great" a part of his name, that is not truly great. He was vicious and evil, while Parks was brave and admirable.

Sources:

"Alexander the Great." Britannica School High. Encyclopedia Britannica, 2013.

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Boardman, John, Jasper Griffin, and Oswyn Murray. "Introduction: The World after Alexander." The Oxford History of the Classical World. Oxford [Oxfordshire: Oxford UP, 1986. N. pag. Print.

Gabriel, Richard. "MHQ: The Quarterly Journal of Military History." Gale Power

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Ansari, Prof Ali. "Alexander the Not so Great: History through Persian Eyes." BBC News. BBC, 14 July 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-18803290>.

"Hellenistic Civilization." Infoplease. Columbia University Press, n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. <http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/entertainment/hellenistic-civilization.html>.

Beck, Roger B., et al. World History: Patterns of Interaction. United States of America, 2007. Print.

"Rosa Parks Biography." Academy of Achievement. N.p., 9 Apr. 2012. Web. 25 Sept. 2013. <http://www.achievement.org/autodoc/page/par0bio-1>.