Does Power Corrupt?

Power: “the possession of controlling influence.” Power can be held as a teacher, parent, dictator, boss, or by other authoritative figures. What someone does with the power they have determines if it is corruptive.

Power can be used in a good way. With a strong, well-liked leader who makes good decisions, the power that they have will most likely not be corruptive. When driven by love, passion, and enthusiasm, power can make a positive difference. If used in the right way, a person can make a difference with the force and influence that they have. With good morals and good reasons to be powerful, it will not cause any damage. It can be used for equal rights. A powerful person can inspire others to do the right thing, and they can lead by example. They can create opportunities for others. For instance, the power that Martin Luther King, Jr. possessed caused something great. He gained trust and respect from people, which led him to be able to use his power effectively. With his leadership and his ability to make people listen to what he was saying, he was able to make a big change in history and lead the Civil Rights Movement. With a good person and leader having power, it does not have to be corruptive.

When power is in the wrong hands, it is corruptive. When someone is “power-hungry”, they want to control as much as they can. This is a situation where power can corrupt and things become bad. The person feels the need to make all of the decisions and be the one in charge. They want power for the wrongs reasons. When power is gained, more is wanted and greed starts to take over. A person may achieve fame when powerful and in the spotlight. People with power usually end up abusing it because they have control and can take advantage of others. Power can also be used for personal gain, to get a reward. In the case of Hitler, the power that he had was horrific. He was able to control everyone and made them participate in his horrible ideas and actions. His weapon was fear; if you did not listen to him, you would suffer consequences such as jail or death. People followed him because they were afraid. His power caused tragedy, catastrophe, and disaster.

Politicians receive power and can sometimes take advantage of it when in office. They can think that they are “above the law”, which is the problem with many people who obtain power. They preach one thing but do something else. Another example that is easy to relate to is coaches taking advantages of their position and the power they have over their athletes. If they know that they can control what is happening on the field, court, or in the gym, they can abuse their power and become unfair and ignorant. These are situations in which power is not used well and can cause problems.

Some positions of power can be both good and bad. In the example of police officers, one may be a good person and do their job well, while the other may be discriminative and treat people unjustly. While having the job and power of a police officer should be a good thing, it too can become corruptive.

In conclusion, power needs to be put in the hands of the right people. When someone with good morals and values is powerful, many good opportunities and advancements can be a result. When put in the hands of the wrong people, power can become a bad word and have a bad meaning. It can cause damage and destruction to those affected by it. Power is inevitable, but corruptive power can be avoidable.

Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&rls=ig&defl=en&q=define:power&ei=uhGHS6LRFdOZ8Aba8-WdDw&sa=X&oi=glossary_definition&ct=title&ved=0CAkQkAE>.

Picture Source:

Flickr. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/philly_police/3273730854/>.

What Compels Someone to Lead Others?

A leader is said to be, "a guiding or directing head." I think that some people have the natural instinct to stand up and be a leader. These types of people are courageous, confident, and believe in what they think should be done. Someone may become a leader because they do not like the way that things are being done and wish to change them. Some people are naturally shy, while others are not, and those others are the ones to purposely show leadership. Someone may not intentionally lead others, but are looked up to and therefore people follow what they do. A person who wants to be a leader may want it for different things: money, power, fame, or simply because they are passionate about something. Wanting to be a leader is embedded in someone's characteristic, personality, and actions.

Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/leaders>.

Picture Source:

Flickr. Web. 25 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/24756454@N00/323534537/>.

Dionysus

Dionysus on Prezi

Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <http://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Dionysos.html>.

Picture Source:

Flickr. Web. 24 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/8593619@N06/538803175/>.

Notes on Alexander the Great

1. Alexander the Great was born in Macedon in the shadow of Mt. Olympus
2. He was born to King Phillip of Macedon. His father was a gruff old guy who had been in a lot of wars. He had one eye and was a manly man. Phillip had a lot of enemies. When Alexander was 19 years old his father was assassinated. He then took the throne.
3. The first thing he did was take revenge of the assassins. He then returned to Macedon and had to decide what to do as a 19 year old king.
4. He decided he was going to be the guy who finally takes revenge on the Persians for the war. He is going to Invade Persia.
5. By the end of the story, Alexander the Great who starts at age 19 is going to conquer the entire known world.
6. He went to Troy and when he gets there he lands on the shore. It is a symbolic gesture and he hurls a spear at the seashore and it lands in the sands. He says by this spear I claim Persia.
7. He entered his first battle down along the coast and won. He continued to Gordia. It is a town on the coast of Anatolia.
8. The legend of the town says if you can figure out the knot on the ox cart you will be the ruler of the world. The ends of the knot are all tucked underneath and inside. He says it does not matter how the knot is undone so he slashed the knot with his sword.
9. He then decided to head down along the coast and battles Persians along the wall. He continues along the Nile and comes down through Syria and Palestine across the Sinai peninsula and into Egypt. The Egyptians loved him and hailed him as king. Egyptians hated the Persians.
10. The city of Alexandria was founded in Egypt because of him.
11. He decided to take a road trip into the desert and go to the Libyan desert to Siwa.
12. He went to the oracle in Siwa and as he walked in they greet him as the Son of God. They said he was son of the god Amon (the Egyptain version of Zeus).
13. He went back across the dessert ready for war. He knows that the Persian capital is Persepolis. The Persian kings were honored as gods and it was the greatest empire. He headed into Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq. He met the Persians on the battlefield.
14. In 333 BCE Alexander met Darius, the king of Persia, on the battlefield in the Battle of Issus. The best warriors they had were the mercenaries that were around the king. Alexander takes his own calvary and within the first minute of the battle they rush across the river.

Roman Republic and Modern Democracies

The Roman Republic never returned back to monarchy after 509 BC. Rome became ruled by a Senate and its assembly, and today we have a Senate that is a part of our government. At the beginning of the Republic, the Romans created a constitution including the traditions and institutions of the government. It was basically a serious of unwritten traditions and laws based on the institution of the monarchy, even though the monarchy was not revived. Our country follows the Constitution written by James Madison. It is our country's main set of rules and regulations. The Romans elected consuls who were patricians in office for one year. The consuls "initiated legislation, served as the head of the judiciary and the military, and served as chief priests to the nation." The people in our government are elected and have different jobs to do. Our president could be considered a consul, but he oversees others doing these jobs. We have many similarities between modern democracies and the Roman Republic.

Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <http://www.wsu.edu:8080/~dee/ROME/REPUBLIC.HTM>.

Picture Source:

Flickr. Web. 23 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/lamsonlibrary/242351698/>.

Notes on Peloponnesian War

1. Sparta and Athens went to war.
2. The Port of Piraeus is not by Athens. Athens created the "long walls." From the city center, two walls were built to the harbor.
3. Sparta and Athens come out over summer and battle. Eventually Sparta is able to move the Athenians back who decided to hold up in Athens. The Athenians are stuck in the city and the Spartans have closed off the long walls. The Spartans burn down crops. The plague then hit and it hit hard. The Athenians are basically trapped and come to somewhat a truce. The Spartans go home, but the Athenians suffered great losses.

Alcibiades was the one that came up with the plan to attack Sicily. There was vandalism in the city of Athens and he was blamed.

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle

Socrates

Socrates was a philosopher born in 469 BC and died in 399 BC. He is considered "one of the handful of philosophers who forever changed how philosophy itself was to be conceived." He never wrote anything down and did not like to be called a teacher. He was highly admired.

Plato

Plato was a Western literary writer. He was born in 429 BC and died in 347 BC. He is considered to be one of the most influential authors in the history of philosophy. He was a high status Athenian.

Aristotle

Aristotle was born in Greece in 384 BC and died in 322 BC. He was a student of Plato and later devoted his time to teaching and composing his philosophical treatises. He was very important in the philosophical world.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/socrates/>.

Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://plato.stanford.edu/entries/plato/>.

The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.utm.edu/research/iep/a/aristotl.htm>.

Picture Sources:

Flickr. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/sssn09/3403519465/>.

Flickr. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/sobibor/2510099823/>.

Flickr. Web. 22 Feb. 2010. <http://www.flickr.com/photos/whooz_queen/20447878/>.

Notes on Persian War

1. Herodotus is the first serious historian in Western Civ. He is the "grandfather" of history writing. The big story he writes is the one about Greece and Persia.
2. The Persian Empire was the largest in the world around 6th century BC.
3. Once the Persian start eating up the cities along the coast, they decide to invade Greece. The invasion is led by Xerxes. They have a fleet that starts attacking.
4. Greece is spilt into provinces that go back to ancient times.
5. The Persian plan is to destroy the city of Athens.
6. The Battle of Thermoplae was led by Sparta.
7. Sparta was led by a code of military honor. Children were trained to be warriors from a young age.
8. Lyscurgus was the first of the Spartan leaders to create a system of laws.
9. By 650 BC Sparta was the dominant military power in the region. Sparta and Athens developed a style of warfare
10. Phalanx formation - they would line up in lines and march as a square
11. Women were more likely to die in childbirth then men in battle..20% to 15%.
12. The Spartans and Greek allies hold off the Persian for 3 days. Every single Greek died at Thermopalae.
13. The Battle of Samalis..where the population of Athens evacuated. If the Greeks do not win the war, we do not have Western Civ.
14. 480 BC - Persian War somes to a close and Greeks win.
15. Over a quarter of the people in Greece live in Athens. (125 million people
16. Theatre started in honor of the Gods.
17. In the Ancient world, whoever has the biggest navy is the superior in the military force.