World History Homework Two Answers - Student Six

World History – Homework Two – Joe B

1. There is no accounting for pure brilliance; the case of Alexander the Great is no different. However, the single biggest factor that contributed to Alexander’s success was most likely his education under Aristotle. The fact that he probably had incredible intellectual talent from the start was a perfect marriage with the educational format of a home education he received under the direction of Aristotle. He was simply raised in the perfect environment to facilitate his extraordinary motivation and ability.

Superb answer, may use as a model!

2. The isolated nature of Greek geography was definitely conducive to the development of democracy. All of the mountains, rivers, and other such boundaries lead to the creation of various city-states rather than one giant country. Such a political format made it difficult for one method of government to dominate all of the others. This geographically influenced lack of an overlying, and potentially oppressive, theocracy or monarchy bred the creation of a circumstance where there were a number of opportunities for different ideas of governance to be given a try. Democracy was one of the ideas that came to the forefront.

Excellent. Right on target.

3. The emergence of a new method of writing language in the 1000s B.C., via the Phoenician Alphabet, was perhaps one of the biggest advancements in human history. It allowed for words to be further broken down, now into letters representing individual sounds as opposed to entire syllables. The result, naturally, was a more dynamic method of communication, one that allowed for the easier creation of new words to express ideas. The most influential languages in the history of the world developed as a precedent set by the Phoenician Alphabet.

Terrific, but note how an alphabet facilitates powerful expression of the unseen in a way that symbolic language like cuneiform, which is based on seen images, cannot do as easily.

4. It really is impossible to pick the most important Greek advancement in knowledge, but one veritably significant one would be the discovery, or rather the development, of Democracy. Our own current political system is at least partially descended from the Athenian model and just the concept of government for the people rather than for itself is an undoubtedly noteworthy advance. Naturally there were issues with that original model, but compared to the other political systems of the time it was a massive achievement.

Good.

5. Aesop’s Fables are an intriguing number of short stories in that each individual tale has a twist in it to bring to light some aspect of human life. The significance thereof is that the ultimate effect of these stories is not only enjoyment, but also an increase in understanding. This is interesting because the method is very reminiscent to that of the parables taught by Christ, or even vice-versa. Perhaps this lends credence to the idea that Christ taught in Greek? Even if this is not ultimately indicative of original language, at the least it shows that those with knowledge of Greek culture would have been very open to and understanding of Christ’s method of teaching.

Right on target. Obviously Jesus's parables have more powerful insights, but you are right to point out the analogy.

6. To me, Socrates is the one who truly stands out, but not necessarily because he was the greatest thinker or philosopher among them. Socrates is the most impressive specifically because he was the one who set the example. Now naturally one cannot blame the others for coming later as it isn’t their fault. However, there is something profoundly important about being the one to set the precedent in the first place, and that is just what Socrates did.

Excellent again!

7. The Assyrians comprised an ancient civilization in northern Mesopotamia. It became an independent civilization around the 14th century B.C. They were a harsh and cruel military people, who were referred to a number of times in the Old Testament due to their poor treatment of the Hebrews. After a temporary period of collapse Assyria reemerged in the 8th century B.C., but eventually collapsed toward the end of the 7th century B.C.

Terrific, may use as a model.

H3. I have a particular affinity toward the Greek philosophers because, of what I have heard, they just seem to be the most interesting. Just the entire discussion of philosophy is fascinating, and a lot of it started with the Greek philosophers. I am definitely looking forward to getting an opportunity to study them more thoroughly, perhaps in college.

Superb.

H5. Going back to Alexander the Great, though in a different capacity, I believe he exemplifies an interesting paradigm: a different mindset from that of most individuals today. I think that might be typical of a number of historical figures, but Alexander the Great is just the perfect manifestation thereof. These days it seems difficult to get people interested or motivated enough to do practically anything, much less achieve something spectacular. What is even more profound is Alexander’s primary reason for conquest: he wanted to see/discover the Pacific Ocean (I believe it was it was known in legend as the Eastern Sea, though I’m not positive). Due to his studies under Aristotle, Alexander believed that the earth was round, to the great dismay of many of his soldiers, and he wanted to look on, with his own two eyes, the body of water of which he knew must exist. This just occurs to me as a particularly fitting spark to the genius of one of the most influential historical figures ever, and is one of the foremost reasons why I enjoy studying history. The remarkable such inspiration and determination that drove a man to known as “the Great,” is nothing short of awe-inspiring.

Inspiring indeed!

Terrific answers. You seemed to pull up short on the honors questions (perhaps thinking only two, rather than the specified three, were requests? - always be sure to read the instructions carefully). Well done, anyway, with at least one model answer. 90/90.--Andy Schlafly 21:50, 15 February 2009 (EST)