The Great and Powerful….OZ
- Day Twenty-Five (November 17, 2015): Discuss the conclusion of Xenophon’s Education of Cyrus 8.8 1.5 hours
The followers of a leader are important because ultimately they are the ones that determine the well being of the leader. For example if the leader is very bad the followers could revolt and put a new leader into place.
Cyrus’ ability to embrace openness
What are some problems of leadership?
a. working with others
leadership
Cyrus- liked to maintain and keep his followers allegiance, wanted his followers to be on his side
2. Read Plutarch’s Life of Alexander the Great, Parts One and Two (of seven).
Part 1
Key Points
As for the lineage of Alexander, on his father’s side he was a descendant of Heracles through Caranus, and on his mother’s side a descendant of Aeacus through Neoptolemus
Parents: Philip(put a seal on his wife’s womb the seal was the figure of a lion), Olympias (thunderbolt fell upon her womb)
Aristander of Telmessus said that the woman was pregnant, since no seal was put upon what was empty, and pregnant of a son whose nature would be bold and lion-like.
3 1 However, after his vision, as we are told, Philip sent Chaeron of Megalopolis to Delphi, by whom an oracle was brought to him from Apollo, who bade him sacrifice to Ammon and hold that god in greatest reverence, 2 but told him he was to lose that one of his eyes which he had applied to the chink in the door when he espied the god, in the form of a serpent, sharing the couch of his wife. 3 Moreover, Olympias, as Eratosthenes says, when she sent Alexander forth upon his great expedition, told him, and him alone, the secret of his begetting, and bade him have purposes worthy of his birth. 4 Others, on the contrary, say that she repudiated the idea, and said: “Alexander must cease slandering me to Hera.”4
Alexander was born early in the month Hecatombaeon
To Philip, however, who had just taken Potidaea, there came three messages at the same time: the first that Parmenio had conquered the Illyrians in a great battle, the second that his race-horse had won a victory at the Olympic games, while a third announced the birth of Alexander.
Similarity with him and cyrus
But while he was still a boy his self-restraint showed itself in the fact that, although he was impetuous and violent in other matters, the pleasures of the body had little hold upon him, and he indulged in them with great moderation, while his ambition kept his spirit serious and lofty in advance of his years.
Leonidas- Alexanders –foster father-tutor
The man, however, who assumed the character and the title of tutor was Lysimachus, a native of Acarnania, who had no general refinement, but because he called himself Phoenix
Wager if he could not tame the horse- he would forfeit the price of the horse
The horse was afraid of his shadow
His father Philip: actually shed tears of joy, and when Alexander had dismounted, kissed him, saying: “My son, seek thee out a kingdom equal to thyself; Macedonia has not room for thee.”
“Alexander, to Aristotle, greeting. 7 Thou hast not done well to publish thy acroamatic p243doctrines; for in what shall I surpass other men if those doctrines wherein I have been trained are to be all men’s common property? But I had rather excel in my acquaintance with the best things than in my power. Farewell.”
Aristotle he admired at the first, and loved him, as he himself used to say, more than he did his father, for that the one had given him life, but the other had taught him a noble life;
Arrhidaeus- son of Philip- who Philip was trying to give the kingdom to
Thracians broke into the house of Timocleia — gold in the well
Part 2….. 1 hour
This chapter was mostly about Alexanders confrontations and battle with Dareius
Leonidas his tutor
opposite of cyrus:Two Barbarians who were sitting at the fire he despatched with his dagger, and snatching up a fire-brand, brought it to his own party.
what does this say about his character? what does this say about his leadership?
“When Dareius sent to him a letter and friends,55 begging him to accept ten thousand talents as ransom for the captives, to hold all the territory this side of the Euphrates, to take one of his daughters in marriage, and on these terms to be his ally and friend, Alexander imparted the matter to his companions. 8 “If I were Alexander,” said Parmenio, “I would accept these terms.” “And so indeed would I,” said Alexander, “were I Parmenio.” 9 But to Dareius he wrote: “Come to me, and thou shalt receive every courtesy; but otherwise I shall march at once against thee.”
“I will not steal my victory”
They therefore waited upon the king when he had finished his sacrifices, and tried to persuade him to attack the enemy by night, and so to cover up with darkness the most fearful aspect of the coming struggle. 12 But he gave them the celebrated answer, “I will not steal my victory”; whereupon some thought that he had made a vainglorious reply, and was jesting in the presence of so great a peril. Others, however, thought that he had confidence in the present situation and estimated the future correctly, not offering Dareius in case of defeat an excuse to pluck up courage for another attempt, by laying the blame this time upon darkness and night, as he had before upon mountains, defiles, and sea.61 For Dareius would not give up the war for lack of arms or men when he could draw from so great a host and so vast a territory, but only when he had lost courage and hope, under the conviction brought by a downright defeat in broad day-light.
3. Compare and contrast Alexander to Cyrus, especially in terms of their character.
4. What stories of Alexander, or themes of his early life, remind you of stories we have read of Cyrus?
5. Day Twenty-Six (November 19, 2015): 1.5 hours
This last part of the education of Cyrus it can be argues that it was not written by Xenophon because it seems to be an anti Persian argument. This part of the article is stating that Cyrus was not a good leader because he did not educate his son’s well enough to carry on his legacy. I do believe Cyrus failed in this since. But Cyrus tried to educate his son’s all on his own. Cyrus himself did not have one single teacher, but many teachers who educated him in different ways.
6. Read Plutarch’s Life of Alexander the Great, Parts Three through Seven.
Part 3 1 hour reading time
Part 4 … 30 minutes
Alexander’s horse, Bucephalas- some barbarians stole the horse, Alexander threatened their lives and the lives of their wives and children, when they brougt the horse back Alexander gave them a ransom for the horse
His marriage to Roxana, whom he saw in her youthful beauty taking part in a dance at a banquet, was a love affair, and yet it was thought to harmonize well with the matters which he had in hand
differs from Cyrus Example:
And in general he showed most affection for Hephaestion, but most esteem for Craterus, thinking, and constantly saying, that Hephaestion was a friend of Alexander, but Craterus a friend of the king. 11 For this reason, too, the men cherished a secret grudge against one another and often came into open collision. And once, on the Indian expedition, they actually drew their swords and closed with one another, and as the friends of each were coming to his aid, Alexander rode up and abused Hephaestion publicly, calling him a fool and a madman 692for not knowing that without Alexander’s favour he was nothing; and in private he also sharply reproved Craterus
Part 5 1 hour reading time
Part 6 :30 minutes
This section starts off in a war setting, Alexander almost dies because a thick wooden spear was shot through his breastplate and inserted in his ribs.
Alexander captured ten of the Gymnosophists had the eldest judge: Alexander asked the other 9 questions and then said who ever answers worst was to die first
the out come was
“Well, then,” said Alexander, “thou shalt die first for giving such a verdict.” “That cannot be, O King,” said the judge, “unless thou falsely saidst that thou wouldst put to death first him who answered worst.”
Part 7 1 hour
Nearchus was appointed admiral of the fleet, Onesicritus its chief-pilot
Nearchus
took to wife himself the daughter of Dareius, Stateira,
how Cyrus and Alexander Differ:
But during this time it chanced that Hephaestion had a fever; and since, young man and soldier that he was, he could not submit to a strict regimen, as soon as Glaucus, his physician, had gone off to the theatre, he sat down to breakfast, ate a boiled fowl, drank a huge cooler of wine, fell sick, and in a little while died. 3 Alexander’s grief at this loss knew no bounds.117 He immediately ordered that the manes and tails of all horses and mules should be shorn in token of mourning, and took away the battlements of the cities round about; he also crucified the wretched physician, and put a stop to the sound of flutes and every kind of music in the camp for a long time, until an oracular response from Ammon came bidding him honour Hephaestion as a hero and sacrifice to him. 4 Moreover, making war a solace for his grief, he went forth to hunt and track down men, as it were, and overwhelmed the nation of the Cossaeans, slaughtering them all from the youth upwards. This was called an offering to the shade of Hephaestion.
Antipater’s son Cassander feared Alexander
Roxana Alexanders wife who got jealous and killed Stateira
multiple possible causes for Alexander’s death… he mainly got a fever and died shortly after
7. Fact of Fiction and How it Came into Being 30 minutes
His birth story- Since he was a real man the idea that he was Zeus’s son is implausible . Did both Philip and Olympias actually have those dreams? How much have those dreams altered with the passing down of time? And also it is stated in the story that Philip saw a serpent laying next to his wife , which is assumed to be the form that Zeus took to impregnate Olympias.
In chapter 4 6 to 7 Alexander supposedly almost dies. I feel it is plausible that people put near death experiences in their story to make themselves seem even more powerful that they eluded death at some point in their live. But to the contrary I feel that I as well as many others have had at least one near death experience so this could possibly be true but I am skeptical.
The death of Stateira seems to contradict itself. In chapter two it seems as if she dies in childbirth after being captured by Alexander. But in chapter 7 it states that after Alexanders death Roxana was still jealous of her and summoned her by letter and poisoned her.
In general when things are passed on my word of mouth the details get skewed, think of the game telephone. With each person depending on how it is said or describes another person can take their explanation to be something completely different then what they meant.
8. 30 minutes
supervision leadership: Alexander has an interesting disciplinary approach if you look at the quarrel between the two friends: Alexander said that if they quarreled again he would kill them both.For a dean an important characteristic is being patient and killing students for disciplinary actions is unacceptable so Alexander does not fit the profile when looking under disciplinary. Alexander would probably keep the student competitive which would boost grades and test scores through the roof.Alexander would be the type to try new ways of constructing different aspects of the school because of his bold and daring nature.
I have good communication skills, and I am good at fundraising. So in these cases I would be a good candidate for this position. I enjoy solving problems I study the best ways to solve problems every day. My issue is I need to improve my time management skills.