Alexander The Great: The Influence Of Alexander The Great

Over the years, society’s opinion of “great” has been influenced not only by the people who create the standard, but also by the people who follow it. People such as Steve Jobs, Martin Luther King Jr., and even Abraham Lincoln set the examples of what a “great” person might accomplish and what standards they might follow. For example, Alexander the Great was born 300 years before Jesus of Nazareth into a family in which his father was King Philip of Macedonia. At the age of seventeen he took to the throne as a result of his father’s death, and by the age of twenty he launched an invasion of the Persian Empire. Being successful in his efforts to conquer lands and create one of the largest empires at the time, his accomplishments led even Julius

In the helmet story mentioned above, Alexander willing passed up an opportunity to use his rank over his troops to his advantage. “Alexander, like everyone else, was tormented by thirst” (A). However, instead of taking his drink, he poured it onto the ground and continued marching as a way to motivate his men and prove his respect. Alexander also showed a high moral code by encouraging his men to marry among cultures. He even allowed some of his men to stay behind in the Hindu Kush in order to begin families rather than forcing them to go back to Greece with him (F). Finally, even though Alexander was in rage after Tyre’s resistance, once Tyre was defeated, he did not take his rage out on the entire city. Those who took sanction in the temple of Melkart rather than fighting Alexander’s troops were not slaughtered. Instead, their lives were spared (C). By refusing to be treated as superior to his troops, encouraging his men to marry among other cultures, and sparing the lives of nearly 30,000 enemies, Alexander demonstrated a high moral code and strong integrity. He used this integrity to strengthen his rule and work to achieve a title of “great”. This is similar to the way that he used his intelligence to lead his troops and accomplish the defeat of the Persian

Furthermore, one can see how people of the past and present who society deem “great” retain these same qualities. Therefore, through Alexander’s actions and the standards that are set today on what makes one “great”, it is apparent that Alexander not only followed these standards, but used them to carry out some of the most inspiring achievements of his time. For these reasons, one can conclude that Alexander the Great is in fact “great” and not only influenced much of the culture of his time, but also changed the course of society in many positive ways that can be seen even to this