Elizabeth Lanier: Posts 1, 2, and 3

      Dear Journal,

I have been under the command of Alexander "The Great" for some time, and this is the first time I am starting to doubt his title. I know that he is a fantastic general, but his morals are questionable.We have slaughtered countless innocent people, and I want out.  As soon as he came to power, he set out to expand his empire. He was victorious at Gaugamela, and Persia was without protection from us. In less than ten years we destroyed the Persian Empire, with Alexander naming several cities after himself. He has brought all cultures together, from Greek, to Egyptian, to Persian, even Indian. 

On the other hand, Alexander is becoming more and more unstable. He has begun to drink more and more, on the verge of being an alcoholic. He's getting paranoid, and, coupled with his sense of grandeur, he has gotten to be very unstable.

I believe that his military achievements are extraordinary, and that they are the reason he should be called "Great". But was he a great person? I don't think so.
- Jimmy

I am in the new city of Alexandria, Egypt. Its very different from Egypt before Alexander The Great came along. There are so many new cultures being introduced, like Persian and Greek. I like how Alexander didn't make us get rid of our way of life, but I don't know about all these other ones being mixed in with us. It's like we aren't individual anymore. We're just becoming one big blend of people, instead of different countries. I can see how it's a good thing: we are more on the same page with other people, but it just rubs me, personally, the wrong way.
-Tom


Martin Luther King, Jr. is someone who is considered "Great". He was mostly  responsible for the Civil Rights movement, and, like Alexander the Great, he brought people together. He fought for what he believed  in, and never looked back. Instead of being brutal and violent, like Alexander was, he fought peacefully. It can be argued that he was more effective than Alexander, because, even though he died, his actions and beliefs were still in action. Alexander's empire fell apart soon after his death. There has also never been a big debate over whether MLK Jr. was great; the majority of people believe he was, while there is a lot of conflict over Alexander's greatness.


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

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/> 

Hanson, Victor Davis. The Wars of the Ancient Greeks. London: Cassell, 1999. Print.

Faiza Ismail

Journal Entry 1,

Today I was asked if I thought King Alexander was “great”. Yes I do believe he was great. Look at how much land he conquered! For a man so young it was quite impressive and well, great. But what exactly does it mean to be “great”? There are many meanings to the word “great”. According to Merriam Webster it means “markedly superior in character or quality”.  The way he conquered so much land for his age built up his character a lot. He gained so much respect from his successes in Asia and the Middle East. The days I spent in the army were filled with pride and joy. They were quite tough though. However we pushed through and gained land. Once our days in the army we were glad to return to our families.

~John

Journal Entry 2,                

                I have noticed that recently that the culture is starting to help King Alexander’s empire.  Cultures from India, Persia, Greece, and Egypt started to come together and became the Hellenistic Culture. Since there are so many new cultures, there is a new train of thought. Each culture has an idea that helps improve Alexander’s empire.

                ~John 

Journal Entry 3,

                There have been many great people in world history.  Mahatma Gandhi was a great example of one. He led India to independence, but without violence. King Alexander was violent with his conquests. Gandhi was not followed at first, he did not have any power and was not wealthy. He was even arrested at one point. Yet, he still succeeded in gaining independence.  King Alexander was a king of course so he was followed by many people. The government was not against him because he was the government. Also notice how after King Alexander’s death, his empire fell. India on the other hand still has independence. This shows that being non-violence has a better outcome than violence. 

                ~ John 

Citations 

Mahatma Gandhi. Getty Images. History Study Center. Web. 26 Sept. 2013.

      <http://www.historystudycenter.com/search/displayMultiResultMultimediaItem.do?Multi=yes&ResultsID=140C06C5D69&fromPage=search&ItemNumber=1&QueryName=multimedia>C. 

Alexander the Great. Getty Images. History Study Center. Web. 26 Sept. 2013. <http://www.historystudycenter.com/search/displayMultiResultMultimediaItem.do?Multi=yes&ResultsID=140C082C23D&fromPage=search&ItemNumber=2&QueryName=multimedia>

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>

Alexa Nunn posts 1, 2, and 3

1.     Hi my name is Andrew and I have been under the command of King Alexander for the last 9 years and it has been an honor to serve under his command. King Alexander is a great man for many reasons. For one thing he led our army to victory on numerous occasions and conquered many empires including the Persian Empire. Because of this he inspired many other later conquers. He also almost never lost a battle and was a great strategic leader.

     I honestly and truly believe that Alexander was great. He was great for many reasons. For one thing, he believed that he could one day conquer the Persian empire. It is one thing to say you want to, and it is a whole other to actually achieve that goal. Also, Alexander was a very young man at the time that I was in the army and the fact that he could think as strategically as he did for each battle was truly amazing. His greatest quality was his military strength and the way he thought out all of his plans. Also, Alexander was very involved in battle, he has always been loyal to me and the rest of the troops. Loyalty is one of the most important parts of being a great leader. I don't like to refer to King Alexander as "King Alexander". I would much rather call him Alexander the Great because he was truly a great man.

-Andrew

2.     Hello again, this is Andrew. I have returned home from many years of marching and fighting and to my surprise the Hellenistic culture has spread all throughout Greece and is continuing to spread. The Hellenistic culture is a mix of Greek, Asian, and African cultures to create one blended culture. I think that this is a good and bad thing. It is good because it unifies all of the empires because everyone speaks the same and have the same customs and traditions. It is bad though because each culture is different and not everyone wants to change their customs and traditions just because one man told them to. But I think that it is has more pros than cons because a great empire is a diverse one. 

3.     A historical figure that was considered great was Martin Luther King Jr. He was great for many reasons. He was a leader and a fighter for equality in our country. He was also one of the biggest contributors to the Civil Rights Movement. He fought for what he believed in and he did not do it with violence or harm, he did it with peace. He marched and made inspirational speeches all throughout the country for the rights of African Americans. He believed that he could make a change that could impact the entire world. This is why he is still considered great because we wouldn't have the rights that we have today if it wasn't for people like Martin Luther King Jr. 

Works Cited: 

1. historyofmacedonia.org, . N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat.html>.

2. . N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.history.com/topics/hellenistic-greece>.

3. Attridge, H.. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/hellenisticculture.html>.

Valeria Cowell: Posts 1,2 &3

Dear dairy,

I have had a long career in Alexander the Great’s army before he passed away.  At such a young age Alexander had many successes. I am very impressed on how he had the strongest power in Asia. His greatest gifts to Asia were the ethical and intellectual progress in the countries around the continent. He even started to have different cultures mix to have diversity. This is a big plus for the growing societies and economies in the continent. Even though he died at a young age he made a difference not just in the culture and the economy he made a difference in the lives of individuals that live in that area. I am proud to have had him as a leader to me he has earned the title “Great” in his name.

-          Phillip

Dear diary,

I believe that Alexander has had a huge impact of the changes in culture around us. By mixing the different cultures he has helped the societies become broader to new things. Alexandria the city he founded in Egypt was a major economic and cultural center of the Mediterranean world. Alexandrian was also the center of the Hellenistic culture. The Hellenistic culture was a more elegant and cleaner cut culture. It expanded to southwest Asia and the Mediterranean. Many cities were mixed into this culture such as Athens, Thebes, Corinth, and Miletus. I also believe that he had a more positive impact than a negative impact by mixing the culture having a greater affect in the growing societies.

-          Joseph

 Franklin D. Roosevelt and Alexander the Great had some similarities even though they lived during different time periods. They both were leaders of their own country during a period of war. When there society and economy were down they both were trying to improve them. They did succeed at helping their economy and society prosper with hard work. Even though FDR and Alexander the Great lived in different time periods they both had good morals in what they did for their own country.

Works Cited

1. . N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu/education/resources/bio_fdr.html>.
2. historyofmacedonia.org, . N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://www.historyofmacedonia.org/AncientMacedonia/AlexandertheGreat.html>.
3. Attridge, H.. N.p.. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/religion/portrait/hellenisticculture.html>.
4. Michael Beschloss, H. S. The Presidents of the United States of America, 2009. 0. <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/franklindroosevelt>.

Claire Horack
September 25, 2013


1) For being in the army for the past 3 years we all learned to respect and love Alexander. He has brought us many victories in battle for the good of the Empire. He has always been a good leader and always has had good strategic plans to win us these battles. As our empire grows we become better equipped for battle and. Alexander has always been wise and taken care of the people that are resident in his empire.he treats everyone the same and cares for the families that have people who have died in the battles. He has never rejected another's culture he accepts those with different cultures and is open minded to new versions of Hellenism. Hellenism is a mix of many different cultures combined from the lands we have already conquered.


2) Though Alexander was very accepting of other cultures and religions, he managed to create a new one. This new Religion was a mix of All the religions from all the lands that we had conquered. Though the members of the Empire not always accepted the new religion it sometimes caused a rebellion, and if those rebellions got too big they caused the empire to a point of near collapse. All through the blending of cultures caused some problems, no one was ever really discriminated because of their beliefs or their way of life.


3) A historical figure that was also considered great is Vlad III Dracule.  He was the ruthless ruler of a great empire, but was more of a dictator. Vlad earned the name Vladimir the Impaler from the countless people he killed by impaling them on a spike. Vladimir was a great planner and a good strategist. He ruled with an iron fist in every country that he was the monarch in. Though born of royal blood his reign in his homeland country didn’t last very long.

Watkins, Thayer. N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://www.sjsu.edu/faculty/watkins/alexandergreat.htm>.

Fuller, J.. N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://www.richeast.org/htwm/Greeks/Issus/Issus.html>.

. N.p.. Web. 25 Sep 2013. <http://www.historyworld.net/wrldhis/PlainTextHistories.asp?historyid=aa02>.

Ben's Post

1.                 Ben Justice

            It is the ninth year of our march, and I am tired of walking around all of Asia conquering cities that aren’t worth anything to Alexander. We have attacked and defeated the Aspasioi of Kunar valleys, the Guraeans of the Guraeus valley, and the Assakenoi of the Swat and Buner valleys. In the battle with the Aspasioi, Alexander was wounded; he was hit in the shoulder by an enemy dart. When attacking the fort of Massaga, Alexander was seriously injured in the ankle. Alexander ruthlessly murdered all of the Massaga and reduced all their buildings to ruble. There was a similar tragedy later when battling the Ora. In the aftermath of Massaga and Ora, numerous Assakenians fled to the fortress of Aornos. Alexander followed close behind and captured the strategic hill-fort after four bloody days. Later, Alexander crossed the Indus and won an epic battle against King Porus. Alexander was impressed with Porus’s bravery and made him an ally. Finally all of us decided enough was enough and we refused to march farther, Alexander tried his best to persuade us to keep marching east, but we refused, unmovable. He agreed to start the long road back. We are finally going home.

2.    All of the cultures blending and mixing in Alexander’s empire, I think helped him. I believe that through conquering all these cultures, and fighting some valiant opponents, Alexander may have learned new tactics to better his warfare. For example, in his battle against King Porus, surely Porus had some areas of his fighting style that were better than same areas of Alexander’s. In this Alexander learned new tactics that led to his great success, and unbeatable army. On a non-warfare note it helped to unify a vast place.

3.    Robert E. Lee, the great southern general in the Civil War who commanded the Confederate army of Northern Virginia. He served in the United States military, distinguished himself during the Mexican-American War, and served as Superintendent of the United States Military Academy. When Virginia decided to secede from the Union, though Lee wanted to fight for his country he would not fight against his family, neighbors, and brothers. I think he should be highly respected for this, and some people at the time probably saw him as a traitor, but he knew what he though was right, and that’s what he did. Alexander also must have had some people who disliked him in his time because he was a cruel leader, but he did what he had to do to get the job done. Both of these people are thought of differently now than they were back in their times, but in different ways.

Citations:

"Alexander the Great Welcomes You to His Home Page." The Great Homepage of Alexander, or Something Like That. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Sept. 2013.

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

   Web. 19 Sept. 2013. <http://school.eb.com/levels/high/article/

   272799>.

Brown, Bryan. Alexander The Great. Junior Scholastic 113.15 (2011): 20. History Reference Center. Web. 18 Sept. 2013

Madi Smith's Memoirs: 1, 2, and 3

{1}Memoir,

                My journey into the army has been one of great sorrow and pain and yet it still pleases me to see my homeland growing into the largest empires! I have been part of Alexander’s army since the time of his father’s death in 336 BC. When Alexander took control of the forces many of the soldiers were happy to finally have a proper general that could lead us into battle and continually guaranty a victory over the enemy. As time passed on our bodies became sore and we all longed to return to our wives arms, but our journey was far from over.

                Many of us started out in favor of conquering the lands surrounding us, like Greece and Persia. Many of us pushed onwards in pursuit of the common goal, to conquer! Alexander the Great would lead us to victory and in no time we would prove ourselves again! He was “Great” in many ways, but after years of following him into the blazing desert heat many of the soldiers longed to go home. In many of the letters to my wife I speak of how I believe in Alexander’s dream. In the excerpt I am about to share there is a stark contrast between my opinions of Alexander now and then.

                “Another victory is ours! We stand victorious over our rivals the Persians! Their Calvary formation was broken by our phalanx of soldiers with our Calvary rushing in from inside to finish off the job. I am sad to say that my closest comrade now lays in the battle field, but his death was of good cause. I am proud to say that I will continue onwards in pursuit of the entire Persian Empire.”

                That letter was written within the first few years of my army carrier and the “Greatness” of Alexander unquestionable, but none of us realized how long our pursuit would last. His quest of ten years had worn many of us down and the strong title of “the Great” had faded into the back of our minds. We begged and pleaded to go home but he paid no mind to our cries. Some of us died because of dehydration and exhaustion and others died valiantly fighting for the empires growth. Our most recent battle was against King Porus’ and his men on elephants; the tactic used ended many lives without even fighting the enemy. We were to cross the monsoon-swollen river to catch the flank Porus’ army. Many of my comrades fell beside me and the victory seemed barely won. Tears welled in my eyes as I looked back on the battle field. Somewhere among the bodies lay my closest friend, Phillip.

                In the end I can understand how Alexander was considered “Great”. His fighting tactics were almost impeccable and very few battles cost us many casualties. By the end of our 11,000 mile journey we had conquered land that we didn't even think existed. The once tiny country of Macedon was now the Alexandrian Empire. He overall appearance is based upon his accomplishments but as you look deeper into his character you see the dark murderer he truly was; the questionable acts he did in the name of the empire were finally being brought to the surface. His name still stands in the high ranks as a military leader but as a person he is one of the most despicable people to walk the earth!

~Alexius

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{2}Memoir,

                I have finally returned home safely to my loving wife and young son. We have started a new life in the city of Alexandria, on the bank of the Nile River. The blended cultures have created a wonderful style of living and both my wife and I are formally educated; we take part in many of the debates and theological discussions that are hosted by acquaintances. Our son will also be starting his tutoring lessons with a close friend and student or Aristotle, very soon! I am excited to see the changes in the style of learning because of the influx of different cultures.

                Months ago I would have never thought that the influence of other cultures among the empire would help in such a large way. Koine is the main language of the residents or a second language to those who have taken up residency in port cities such as Alexandria. The trading supply is keeping our economy afloat and is still rising. Foreigners are considered family among the residents in the trading cities; some have even taken residency in cities like Alexandria. This influx was a wonderful and much needed boost in the culture of our Empire and many wouldn’t change a thing.

~Alexius

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{3}“You cannot be buried in obscurity: you are exposed upon a grand theater to the view of the world. If your actions are upright and benevolent, be assured they will augment your power and happiness.” ~Cyrus the Great

                Cyrus the Great is a good comparison to Alexander the Great, not because of “the Great”, but because of the massive amount of land he massed together. Cyrus’ kingdom spread across 3 continents, including the Median, Lydian, and Neo-Babylonian Empires; this compilation was called the Acheamenid Persian Empire. And he proved to outlast Alexander’s Empires because even after death his empire remained strong for some time. Cyrus was also supposed to have created the first postal system inside of his empire; some say this was one reason that his empire continued long after death.

Being the opposite of Alexander, Cyrus is known for being “Great” because of his generosity towards others even after conquering them. In the quote above Cyrus talks of how one cannot live in obscurity, or being unknown; that could be said especially of kings such as Cyrus himself. He talks of how one should act “upright and benevolent” and that in the end doing so would bring you happiness and power. His rule over the Acheamenid Persian Empire was not that of an evil tyrant but a King who acted in the best interests of his land. The mixed blend of cultures never stopped his work; they only further pushed him as he made room to accept new cultures. 

Works Cited:

Brown, Bryan. "Alexander the Great." Ebscohost. Junior Scholastic, 9 May 2011. Web. 23 Sept. 2013. http://web.ebscohost.com/hrc/detail?sid=65601053-ff0-43bc-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. Print.