Is Alexander Truly Great?

Maggie Gardner

September 30, 2014

Block B

Alexander the Great

1. Does Alexander deserve be called great?

      I think that Alexander does deserve to be called great because he was a great military leader, he conquered many areas, he is known as a philosophical idealist, and he also united man - kind.

He was considered a great military leader because his way of attack is well known to this day, the phalanx method of attack.  The phalanx method was a army that consisted of sixteen men across and sixteen men deep and was almost always a given way to win a battle.  Alexander got all of his military tactics from his father who originally got them from the Epiminondas.  His army had 40,000 soldiers and never more than that.  He kept his army small because he thought speed and mobility were more important than anything else that an army could possess.  Alexander made sure his men were well fed and well paid at all times and made his army strive to win every battle.  He also dressed like his soldiers and spent time with them to earn motivation and loyalty.

(http://www.utexas.edu/courses/citylife/readings/great1.html)

            Alexander also deserves to be called Great because he conquered many areas that people, such as, his father and others failed at conquering so many times before.   His most rewarded area conquered was Persia.  This was because Persia was an area that many countries wanted to overtake and Alexander was the only successful taker.  He also conquered Egypt, India, and some parts of Asia.  The areas conquered by Alexander were a great addition to the Macedonian society and eventually helped Alexander unite man -kind.

            One of the most important actions done by Alexander was uniting man - kind.  He stretched Greece all the way to India resulting in his creation of the Hellenistic Kingdom or Hellenistic Period.  The Hellenistic Period lasted from 323 B.C. to 31 B.C.  This happened because Greece was becoming weak and Alexander noticed and wanted to make a change in Greece.

(http://www.history.com/topics/ancient-history/hellenistic-greece)

            Alexander was known as a philosophical idealist.  Philosophy back in Alexander’s time was very popular and one of the most studied fields in Ancient Greece.  Alexander was taught by Aristotle who was one of the most popular and well educated philosophers of this time and to this day.  Alexander was taught at the school of Mieza, which had Aristotle as a teacher as well as other well known teachers.  He was also very educated in morals and politics of his time.

(http://www.livius.org/aj-al/alexander/alexander_t04.html)

2. What can one learn about the values of a society based on their views of greatness?

           

            By looking at a certain society and what they think is great, it can show us what type of society they are.   Macedonia’s society was great because they viewed Alexander’s beliefs as being great.  Alexander’s army led Macedonia to victory time after time letting the society believe that a great army is necessary and is great for a society

(http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/classical-studies/alexander.shtml)  

A society’s values can tell you a lot about their views of greatness.  By a society putting most effort into budgeting, military, fairness, and education you can tell what types of values the society has.

            If a society is based on budgeting and financial needs, this society has the values of being a wealthy society, ruthless society, smart, reliable, efficient, positive, inspiring, and a respected society. 

            A society based on military is a strong society, independent, brave, athletic, innovative, committed, hard headed, stubborn, and a consistent society.

(http://www.military-history.org/intel/alexander-the-great.htm)

A society based on fairness will possess values such as being a nurturing society, open minded, creative, fun loving, and a more efficient society.

            A society that puts most effort into education will be a smart society, knowledgeable, positive, educated, courageous, and an optimistic society.

            A well rounded society that puts an equal effort into everything that they think is great will be a very successful and ideal society, that possesses many core values.

(http://examples.yourdictionary.com/examples-of-core-values.html)                  

3. Do time and distance impact someone’s popular perception?

            Over time, I believe it is possible for people to change their perception about a certain leader.  Their perception can change from thinking that a leader was terrible during his time but great in looking at the big picture or change from being great during his time but terrible in looking at the big picture.

            During Alexander’s time some people thought Alexander was great but most thought he was awful.  Most of Alexander’s people thought he worried too much about other areas and not about their own area.  Alexander made policies about a different country other than his own, such as Persia.  This made most people gain a hatred towards him during the time he ruled.   However, we now know that Alexander was a great leader who paid attention to his own country as well as looked out for others.  Looking at history, people’s perception about Alexander has changed from being a terrible leader to being a great leader.

(http://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-18803290)

Rosa Parks would be another example of a person whos way of life was hated by many people of her time, but is appreciated by most people of current time.  Rosa Parks took a stand because of her race and age and sat in the front of the bus, which was reserved for the white people.  This action caused many white people to gain an even stronger hatred for African Americans.  Although white people hated Rosa Parks after she sat in the seat of whites, African Americans gained appreciation for her taking a stance.  Even though at the time Rosa Parks was hated, if it was not for her the United States might still be segregated.  Rosa Parks was one of the starting figures to lead our country into the Civil Rights Movement.  People’s perception of Rosa Parks has changed largely from a strong hatred to a great appreciation.

           

MLA Works Cited:

-       "How "Great" Was Alexander? [P.1]." How "Great" Was Alexander? [P.1]. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.

-       "Alexander and Aristotle." Alexander the Great and Aristotle. N.p., n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.

-       "Hellenistic Greece." History.com. A&E Television Networks, n.d. Web. 22 Sept. 2014.

-       "Alexander the Great - Heroic Villain or Villanous Hero?" - Classical Studies. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Sept. 2014.

-       "Alexander the Great – the Greatest Leader of All Time?" Military History Monthly. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.

-       "Examples of Core Values." YourDictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.

-       Tarn, W.W. Hellenistic Military & Naval Developments. New York: Biblo and Tannen, 1966. Print.

-       Vivante, Bella. Events That Changed Ancient Greece. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2002. Print.

-       "Alexander the Not so Great." BBC News. N.p., n.d. Web. 25 Sept. 2014.