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?
Power can always corrupt. When you have a leader who keep conquering and getting more and more powerful, they become less concerned with basic needs or values. They lose their “common” sense. They become too powerful. This leads to corruption. They stop doing their jobs for the right reasons. Sometimes it involves bribery, dishonesty, and/or exploitation. Power can always corrupt. That does not mean that always has to. If the leader can control all of these factors, they will most likely not have to deal with corruption.
Power corrupts for many different reasons. Sometimes, it is the leaders fault. He or she may be too assertive or confident. They may ride on a “high horse”. Then they lose the true meaning of leadership and what it means to be a good leader. Sometimes the leader may be assisted or forced into doing something that would lead to corruption. They may have a bad advisor or general. Being a leader requires a person who can fight against this and make the right decisions. For example, a leader may be told if he or she does something, than in return, they will receive another thing in return. This is bribery. It is very easy for a leader to fall for this, especially if they are stuck in a difficult situation where it feels as if nothing good is going to come. They have to be smart and strong enough not to. Leaders, especially during the time of Alexander the Great, had so much power. It was very easy to become corrupt. Alexander even had to face some of these problems.
Alexander the Great is considered one of the best leaders in all of history. He conquered more land than anyone before him. He was young, strong, and smart. It would have been very easy for someone like him, with so much power to encounter a problem like corruption. Greece was rising once again. Their only enemy was Persia. Alexander became corrupt. He said that he wanted to attack Persia to avenge the Persian wrongs. He truly wanted the power and the land. He was fighting for the wrong reasons. He even went to Egypt to create an ally because the Egyptians hated the Persians. Alexander was worshipped in Egypt. He was told that he was the son of God. This did not help his esteem. Alexander the Great did become corrupt, but he was a military genius. He led armies that were unstoppable. He was a good leader, but the amount of power and control became overwhelming. Alexander the Great had astonishing leadership talent, but did not always say what he was actually trying to accomplish.
Alexander the Great became more Persian, but there is something to be said about Persia as well. The Persians became Greek too. The Persians were slowly but surely falling. They did not have a strong army or a good leader. The military was being decimated by Alexander. They were looking more and more like the Greeks did a few years earlier. Alexander the Great was fiercely conquering more and more land and people. He was becoming brutal. He was killing thousands, taking land. He was unstoppable. The Persians were ruthless rulers and fighter. Alexander was changing, but anyone could have predicted his outcome. The boy was able to tame an “untamable” horse. He did the impossible. He became somewhat “big headed”. Alexander was always in Persia, fighting and gaining their land. Alexander the Great became more Persian than anyone else.
Power may corrupt, leadership may not be the best, and control may be lost, but Alexander the Great was a story for the history books. He did things no one else could ever do. Alexander was a great leader. He did not always fight for the right reasons, but the man was only in his twenties. He was so young, but he made up for it in his knowledge. Alexander did not experience enough life to understand corruption and what power can do to person. Alexander the Great is an example of corruption. He was strong, but uninformed. Without Alexander the Great, we would not have one of the greatest history stories ever.
a) Re-write your thesis statement as something along the lines of: "If a leader keeps their common sense, they will limit corruption". That's what is implied in what you are saying; you just need to find a more clear way to say it.
ReplyDeleteb) Your essay is lacking specific examples. Rather than say "battles", pick a specific battle and describe why it is significant and let it really support your thesis statement.
Remember, in an academic paper you are basically creating an argument that can be debated; your task is to give enough specific evidence to support your view.