Roxane's View of Alexander (Katie Kessler)

Today, I saw the light leave the eyes of a great man. I felt his cold hand in my warm on, and realized that I just saw the end of an empire. Such a great man, full of courage and military genius. He led his brothers into war and convinced them to keep fighting for over ten years. Considering all of the challenges the military faced, including weather (sandstorms, snowstorms, heat, and cold, to name a few) and the severe homesickness that comes with being away for so long, that was a great achievement. Only someone greatly revered by his soldiers with an uncanny ability to rally their spirits could convince them to follow him like a god. The greatest aspect of his military expertise, though, was probably his impeccable timing and great phalanxes, which he used time after time to break past the enemy. For example, he broke past the Persians on the river Granicus using his infantry phalanx to distract the army in the front, and then had the cavalry break through the back. Nothing in this day is better than a great military leader, and Alexander was the best.
In addition to his military prowess, his determination is also so admirable. Lesser men would have been satisfied with just conquering Macedonia or Egypt, but Alexander’s dreams were as big as the sky, and he was determined to satisfy them. If he wanted something- or someone in the case of Darius III- it was only a matter of time before he got it. When the Macedonian chased Darius (almost halfheartedly), it wasn't all consuming, even though he wanted him dead badly. When he ran out of reach in 331 BC, Alexander simply turned away to conquer Persia, and came back for Darius the next year. The only thing that could keep Alexander from his dreams was death.

Alexander, in the same way he wasn't afraid to suddenly take me as his first wife at such an old age (29), wasn't afraid to blend his society into my former one, as well as every other place he conquered. But sometimes I wonder if that was really a good idea. Now that he is gone, I can feel the empire splitting again. Although I’m glad that he wasn't too keen on the idea of forcing all of his beliefs on everyone else, I feel that his empire isn't connected enough to survive long after this.  Yes, there are some things he changed, like putting democracy in the cities the more voluntary cities and creating and spreading a common form of Greek (koine). But there is so much diversity between cities that I'm not sure how they can simply coexist, much less be one empire. While his acceptance for other cultures was great, now that he is no longer with us, there will probably be a rift in his former domain. You need similarities to keep an empire together, and they are just not there. There are different interests (the arts, war, etc.), different laws, and different lifestyles. With Alexander's passing, I feel that a power struggle will commence, but maybe I can secure some power for his unborn son. 

Alexander the Great and Genghis Khan were both great conquerors in history, with a mutual aptitude for military strategy and acceptance. Genghis Khan was a Mongol leader in the later 12th and early 13th centuries who created the largest-spanning contiguous empire in history. Like Alexander, Genghis had worked out a  brilliant military formation and tactics: he his men in a system of tens, with groups of tens, hundreds, thousands, and ten thousands. As far as tactics go, he would often feign defeat, only to have his men attack the enemy again. Another similarity the two great men have is the way they treat their conquered empires. Both were very tolerant: Alexander was known for accepting new cultures and blending those with the old ones, whereas Genghis was known for his religious tolerance. He was not, as was common of the day, harsh to those who did not share his beliefs, but was instead tolerant to them. He even seemed curious of Daoism, even though he practicing  Mongolian Shamanism. Genghis Khan, despite all of these great qualities, is often viewed in a negative light because of his seemingly harsh war tactics. He is thought of as a barbarian known for his brutal ways, which, though true, is not the only legacy he should leave. Both Khan and Alexander were great military leaders able to diligently conquer large masses of land in short time spans, and worthy of the title "Great".

Sources:
Beck, Roger B., Linda Black, Larry S. Krieger, Phillip C. Naylor, and Dahia Ibo Shabaka. Holt McDougal World History. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company, 2012. 142-45. eBook. <http://my.hrw.com/tabnav/controller.jsp?isbn=9780547521084>.
Holt, Frank L. "Alexander The Great's Little Star." History Today 38.9 (Sept. 1988): 31.History Study Center. Web. 24 Sept. 2013.
Miller, Helen Hill. Bridge to Asia: The Greeks in the Eastern Mediterranean. 1st ed. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1967. 199-224. Print.
Reynolds, Clark G. "Alexander the Great." Great Lives from History: The Ancient World, Prehistory to 476 c.e.. Ed. Christina A. Salowey. 2 vols. Salem Press, 2008. Salem History Web. 23 Sep. 2013.
Rossabi, Morris. The Mongols in World History. Columbia University, n.d. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/mongols/index.html>.
Rotari, Pietro. Alexander the Great and Roxane. N.d. Painting. Alexander the Great and Roxane, Italy. Web. 26 Sep 2013. <http://www.arthermitage.org/Pietro-Rotari/Alexander-the-Great-and-Roxane.html>.