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History DBQ -Alexander the Great

During Alexander the Great’s reign he was able to demonstrate leadership qualities time and time again. Alexander is the king of Macedon. Alexander conquered Persia, Egypt, Syria, Mesopotamia, Bactria, and the Punjab in eleven year from 334 – 323 BCE.  He had great military strategies and conquered lots of land in a short period of time. He is the most humble leader ever putting his army before himself, showing and teaching them that everyone needs to be equal.  

Alexander had strong military tactics. Alexander and his army outsmarted the king of Pauravas ‘Porus’ and  his army. “He realized that he could not cross at the point where Porus was encamped. When Alexander saw this, he [decided to] move his troops in all different directions so that Porus would keep puzzled.”  Finally Alexander outsmarted Porus and his army, when they were asleep they decide to split up on each sides of the river which confused Porus and his army. “At night he would take most of his cavalry to various points along the river bank where he would create a clamour. Porus would actually parallel his movements on the other side. This actually went on for quite a long time [until] Porus no longer reacted.” Alexander’s plan was so brilliant it was unheard of. Nobody was smart enough to think of a game plan “mid game” and have it work like Alexander did. Alexander’s plan makes him great because it shows he doesn’t buckle under pressure, he uses it to his advantage making his opponent think he is weak, but he than comes back and defeats.

Alexander conquered for eleven years, 334 – 323 BCE. He conquered 3,000 miles from Pella to Egypt and 4,000 miles from Egypt to Hydaspes. Alexander was able to conquer a lot of land in a short amount of time. One of the reasons Alexander and his army were so successful is because they feared losing. They needed to move quickly or they would not be able to conquer what they need to in the short period of time they were aiming for. They were so confident in their attack strategies which made a huge help to their success.  

Alexander and his men were so tired and thirsty all they could think about was water. “They scooped up with difficulty what they could and hurried back …. To Alexander; then, just before they reached him, they tipped the water into a helmet and gave it to him. Alexander with a word of thanks for the gift, took the helmet and, in full view of his troops poured the water on the ground.” If there was not enough water for everybody then there was water for nobody. Alexander is humble because he makes sure his army gets treated just as well as him. Alexander does not put himself before his army which shows whatever he gets he needs to make sure his army gets equally the same.

During Alexander the Great’s reign he was able to demonstrate leadership qualities time and time again. By getting his people and his armies to buy into his views, ultimately they developed the same beliefs as well. He proved that even though he was the leader he acted no differently than them as demonstrated by him holding himself to the same standard as he holds his people.

In the Heart of the Sea Essay

Chase was a very tough and well respected leader. He had his mind set on a goal to get a lot of whaling oil and bring it to South America. He wouldn’t let anyone or anything stand in his way. Throughout his journey his leadership style changed in a positive way to help all the crew member survive as long as they could. He was more focused on reaching the end of his voyage rather than caring for the men. He later cared more for others which is why he is a hero on this journey.

Departure from innocence is in 1820 when the Essex sank. This was a big and old boat that the crew chose to help them on their journey and it sank. A whale hit the front of the boat two times making the Essex instantly fill with water and within days they had to take all the provisions they could. This isn’t only a step into the real life of the sea life, but it also shows how Chase wasn’t able to kill the whale because he wasn’t experienced in any whale attacking them. “With Chases at the bow…to a wrecked whaleboat.” (pg 79) This quote talks about how he was ready to kill the whale, but little did he know the whale attacked them and they were battling for their lives.

Search for Knowledge is Chase and his crew settling down after the sinking of the Essex and gathering in whaleboats. Chase knew that without the Essex the only way to survive was to stay together and save food. Chase was very limited with food and he knew his crew member were getting hungry. “Just to make sure the no one… “nothing but violence to his person”. pg 124. This quote shows how Chases leadership style has changed to thinking more of his men. Yes, he is keeping the food to himself, but he is protecting it so everyone can have an equal share when it’s time and so nobody steals and take it all for themselves. By him sleeping hovering over the sea chest and having a pistol by his side it scares the crew a little bit, this is a time where he as a leader is feared more than loved.

There are many possibilities for test or challenge, but I think without a question this biggest one is how they survived the minimum food and water and the result of starvation and dehydration. You can survive more than three weeks without food, but water is a different story, you can’t go more than 8-10 days without water. This is a little strange because it seemed as if the Essex crew had more food than water. “It as back to…hardtrack per man.” pg 152. This quote is a tough one to swallow, they crew’s daily routine for food and water is very little and makes you think of how they survived. “Three ounces of hardtrack…”must, in short time, reduce us to mere skeletons again”.” pg 156. This is a big moment for Chase as a leader whereby he shows how he is starting to care more for his crew members rather than the end goal of reaching to the end of his journey.

Success or Failure could go either way. You could state that Chase lived a happy and successful business life after the return of what was left of the Essex crew. I think throughout the book as we have seen Chase’s leadership style has through caring more about himself to caring more about others is how we know the Essex journey was a failure. Loosing so many men to at first health issues to than drawing lots to leading to cannibalism, puts a dagger in his heart. “Lawson Thomas, one of the…instead of bury, the body.” pg 164. This is a perfect example of how hard it was to eat their ship mates. Yes, the Essex was segregated by race and yes, he was black, but the bond they create with each other shows he hard it was to eat their “brother”. Overall the journey had some ups and downs, but by the end I believe the down side of things took over and that’s why we see their journey in a bad way.

Chase became a very good leader. His style of leadership increased into being the best he can be. He faced many challenges which is why everything’s the way it is now. He started to be a leader that was feared rather than loved, but he changed to be love, but respected.