Page:67 “Nothing could have suited me more. This was why I had come to Sparta in the first place—to witness the training close-up and to endure as much as the Lakedaemonians would permit.”
What strikes you about this passage?
For me it must be the dedication to the Spartan fleet that Xeo holds in this mind. To become powerful, to erase fear from the human heart, and to embrace death. All these characteristics he must embrace, and he welcomes them with open arms.
What was your reaction to this quote?
It must be hard to become a Spartan, to go through the trials of pain, to ignore fear, and to recognize that eventually die in battle. For a ten year old kid that must have been heart breaking, to leave your childhood and become a Spartan warrior, to go to war, and to fight to the death with the enemy, it must have been hard.
Page: 77 “At fourteen he was as strong as any in his age-class or the class above, but dehydration in combination with exhaustion overcame him. He collapsed near the end of the second watch and fell into that state of convulsive torpor the Spartans call nekrophaneia, the Little Death…”
What is your reaction to this quote?
Holy Crap!!! The training these boys must of gone through had to be nuts. For a kid to be in that state and for it to be a normal thing in the culture had to reflect how powerful the Spartan warriors were.
What questions does this raise for you?
How extensive was the Spartan training? How were these kids prepared for this trial of endurance? Did these training stiles work to make these boys stronger and more effective in battle?
Page: 87 “The Spartans are school to regard the foe, any foe, as nameless and faceless. In their minds it is the mark of an ill-prepared and amateur army to rely in the moments before battle on what they call pseudoandreia, false courage…”
What strikes you about this passage?
The disregard for the enemy’s numbers and battle strategies tells that the Spartan armada must have been a powerful army to say the least. Charging into battle with no knowledge of who the enemy is, is a great feat indeed.
What point is the author trying to make here?
The point is that the Spartan army didn’t have to know their enemy to defeat them. Just their battle strategies were important to them. To work as one unit was the key to their success.
1 comment:
Yes! They were an incredible, fearless, killing machine. Like ancient robots marching toward their enemies.
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