Weekly #4b

 Does Power Corrupt? How or How Not? Why or Why Not? Do you think Alexander was corrupted? And who influenced whom the most: Did Persia become more Greek or did Alexander becoming more Persian?


I think that power does corrupt most people.  Everyone has their reasons for wanting to be powerful, and many people are influenced by the power that they have.  One of the best examples that I can use is Adolf Hitler.  Honestly, his name answers this question.  Hitler used his power to kill millions of people so that he could create the perfect world where everyone with blonde hair and blue eyes lived.  I find this a little ridiculous because Hitler himself did not have blonde hair or blue eyes.  It was not just the Jews who were affected.  Homosexuals, people with disabilities, and many different religious and political groups were affected.  He used people for experimental reasons, to help aid in the recovery of injured soldiers.  He was so corrupt by power he was, in my opinion, completely insane.  Alexander was like Hitler in a lot of ways.  When researching for this essay, I discovered that after his father died, Alexander killed everyone who could get in the way of him having all the power.  He killed many of his own family members, and the main general of the army.  At that time, Alexander didn't even have all the power, he just wanted to have it all, just like Hitler.


Another example of a person corrupt by power is Senator John Edwards.  He seems like a perfectly nice person; he had a wife and kids and he was liked by a lot of people.  In 2007 he had an affair and the girl he had an affair with became pregnant and had a baby.  He used his power to keep everyone who might know about the story quiet, and he even got his friend to say the baby was his!  Edwards's wife got the last laugh though when she wrote him out of her will.  He thought he could use his power to lie to all of America, including his wife and kids.  I find this story especially bad because his wife had breast cancer.  To cheat on someone who is so perfectly innocent and fragile just seems wrong to me.  He might be indited because he spent the money he got for his campaign to keep things about his affair hushed up.  People think that because they have power they can get away with anything.  Alexander thought the same thing.  After his wife died, Alexander went crazy and slaughtered an entire town.  A good leader would do what is right for the people, not just slaughter them because he was upset.  Power corrupts people in different ways.  John Edwards used it to cheat on his wife.  Alexander used it to kill people because his wife died.


I do think that Alexander was corrupt by power.  Alexander became so used to winning, he took over everything in his path.  Although he didn't do anything completely terrible like Hitler and John Edwards, he still used his power for the benefit of himself.  He did what he did to make a name for himself in history.  I think he did care for his country, but I think all he really wanted to do was go down in history as a legend.  The stories about him are all different, and who knows if he even did win every battle.  Not all leaders are corrupt don't get me wrong, but most of them have done something wrong because they have the power to.


I believe that the question about Alexander becoming more Persian or Persia becoming more Greek could be answered either way.  Persia obviously became more Greek because they were conquered by Greece and they were influenced by Alexander the Great and his decisions.  Persia was greatly influenced by Alexander.  Many of their people were killed or sold into slavery.  I'm sure that because of that Persia was changed.


I also do think that Alexander became more Persian.  He crossed paths with tons of Persians on and off the battle field.  He learned a lot from his journey to victory there.  Alexander learned how to think on his feet and make quick intelligent decisions about the way to fight.  He wanted to be worshiped as a Persian god, which upset many of his own people.  While taking over Persia, he began to dress more Persian and honor Persian gods as well as Greek gods.  I think Alexander himself changed because of Persia.  He was intelligent and brave, and I now know why he is called Alexander the Great.