Leading Through Inspiration

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In moments of peril, leaders are expected to rally their fellow countrymen and set a common goal. Throughout history numerous leaders has succeeded in uniting and inspiring people. From Pericles’ “Funeral Oration” and Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” to FDR’s speech responding to the Pearl Harbour attack in 1941, most leader’s use oration as a tool of war. In Pericles “Funeral Oration”, Pericles praises the greatness of Athen’s in an attempt to provide the Athenian people with something to fight for in addition to a confidence in their military and infrastructure. In Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address”, Lincoln similarly praises the founder fathers and their creation of a beautiful nation.  Additionally, Lincoln praises the dead in an effort to inspire a nation to fight for the fallen in order to not let their death be in vein. Finally, in FDR’s address to the American people after the attacks on Pearl Harbour, FDR again praises the dead, just a Lincoln did. Utilizing the idea of revenge when declaring the US’ entry into WWII served as a crucial factor towards the mobilization of the American industrial machine and not only avenged the lives of those lost at Pearl Harbour, but pulled the US economy out of its greatest depression. FDR’s ability to ignite a nation who previously had been against the distant war is truly miraculous. FDR, if anyone, has shown the power of the spoken word and it’s impact.

 

Herodotus

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Despite the Persian Wars taking place nearly two and a half thousand years ago, many of the themes and lessons from Herodotus’ Histories many centuries ago can transcend time. In the Histories, Herodotus records the clash of the Persians from the east, and the Greeks of the west.

Numerous parallels can be drawn between these conflicts of the past and the situations the world finds itself in for thousands of years afterwards. Primarily, the clash between the cultures of the east and west has gone on for thousands of years, before and after the Persian Wars. From the ancient war to the Pacific front of WWII and the tension of the Cold War the clash of eastern and western cultures has plagued history. Even today, with the war on terror, America and western Europe continue to go head to head with the people of the eastern world.

During the Histories, Herodotus has the unique ability to provide an entirely unbiased portrayal of the not only the western side but he also provided the eastern opponents accounts. This allowed for an unparalleled depiction of the conflict. We can take some valuable lessons from Herodotus when detailing our own histories. If we continue to study Herodotus when analyzing today’s geopolitics we will be able to leave a far different impression on our descendants.

American Empire

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Many Historians have come to the realization that the Modern United States is relatable to the ancient Roman Empire. Some similarities that can be found between the present day United States and the Roman Empire are military strength and reach, trading and commerce, in addition to each states ability to utilize the available technology. In terms of military prowess, each state, though separated by thousands of years, was/is a dominant force around the world. Not only were both armies exponentially larger than their enemies and allies, both were among the best organized and trained in addition to their superior ability to utilize technology. The romans created straight roads, a revolutionary feat for the time, to more efficiently move materials and people. Us Americans have been the front runner in computer technology and advancements while reigning as the worlds sole superpower of the 21st century. The final similarity lies in our trading habits. Both the US and the ancient Romans possessed a vast trade network that fueled/fuels their booming economies.

Though many similarities lie between the United States and the Roman Empire, before comparing and contrasting these two superpowers, one must first take into account the thousands of years that serve as buffer between each’s reign. Thus trying to predict the outcome of the predecessor by simply looking to the distant past would be futile.

 

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All of the works we covered depict war as a fast paced, hectic, and gruesome matter. The author’s all either use their literary style to produce a rhythmic portrayal of combat or violence cinematography to produce the same effect.

For example, in  Homer’s adaption of The Iliad, Homer uses a concise and essentially blunt sentence structure to depict Achilles’ violent laceration through the Trojan army. Homer describes Achilles driving “his sword into [Tros’] liver” and even chronicles the “liver…rolling out, while [Tros] bosom was all covered with black blood”. Aside from the clearly gruesome imagery, Homer also subtly accomplishes to employ several critical tools into his poetry. Primarily, he refers to the victim by name in order to further humanize and personify the violence. Additionally, Homer refer’s to the victims “black blood”. The use of the colors black and red signify death. Homer’s use of fire in his imagery is also key to his battle depiction. A tactic that all of the story tellers we have studied utilize. Finally, Homer tells of a “thick mist in front of [the Trojans]. This is very similar to the image broadcasted by Spielberg in his movie, Saving Private Ryan. Both interpreters use fog to play into the sadness of each battle scene. Additionally, Spielberg utilizes his ability to manipulates camera angles and patterns to truly present the tumultuous scene of battle. He employs a constantly shifting view of the fight that presents all sides of the battle. Finally, in all of the works Saving Private Ryan, The Illiad, and even Ernest Junger’s Storm of Steel, fire is shown symbolize the uncontrollable nature of war, ever expanding wildly, destroying everything in its wake.

In conclusion, storytellers systematic use of symbols truly allows for them to attempt to illustrate the fire that is war.

Leadership

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In the leaders Homer’s epic poem, the Iliad, Base Details by Siegfried Sassoon, and the military movie Paths of Glory are all parasitic in their habit to misunderstand the difference between the front lines and strategic planning, and ultimately life and death. In all of these depictions of war, leaders use their men for personal gain rather than to the benefit of the overarching body. For example, in the Iliad,  Achilles describes Agamemnon as “shameless, greedy of gain”(149) and asks him “How many of the Achaeans willingly shall obey your words,so as to go into an expedition or by force fight against men?”(150). Essentially, Achilles is accusing Agamemnon of fighting the Trojans for the purpose of personal wealth while he himself has no quarrel with the city across the Aegean Sea. Another example, in Sassoon’s Base Details, the narrator says that as “hero’s line to death. You’d see me with my puffy petulant face, Guzzling and gulping in the best hotel”(3-5). This is similar to the situation in the Iliad because, once again, the commanding officer has separated himself from his soldiers and the front line. While he relaxes in comfort, far from the line of battle, his men die needlessly following his orders. Finally, in Paths of Glory, General Moreau, who initially opposes sacrificing a majority of his men, changes his mind in order to strengthen his consideration for a promotion. Just another case of parasitic leadership, that plagues the history of war and leadership.