Adell and Alexander continued to walk down Central Park West until they reached the Tavern on the Green. They were quickly ushered to their seats and Adell ordered the honey roasted figs for an appetizer.
“Are these types of eating establishments numerous?” Alexander asked.
“Yes there are tens of thousands of them in this city alone. You can eat every meal of the day at one of them.”
“How did you choose this one?”
“I thought you would enjoy the figs and lamb.”
“Tell me more about the map of the world.”
“It is much bigger than you think.”
“Where are we now?”
“New York City.”
“In relation to Macedonia how far away are we?”
“In a normal day’s march it would take 316 days to travel the distance if one could march in a straight line and across the ocean.”
The calculations were forming in Alexander’s mind. Almost a full year of marching to reach this location and crossing the ocean. It was almost impossible to believe. “In which direction is my homeland?”
“To the east.”
“Has anyone ever conquered it all?”
“No. It is impossible.”
“But many have tried?”
“There have been attempts throughout the centuries. But they all end the same way. The conqueror is dead and his empire crumbles.”
“What are you doing to preserve your empire?”
“Why do you assume that I belong to an empire?”
“After Deucalion the world became a world of empires. Human enlightenment and flourishing can only be brought about through the stability and prosperity of empire. You have prosperity beyond the imagination of my day therefore you must belong to the greatest empire.”
“Deca… who?”
“Deucalion. Is the name unfamiliar to you? Deucalion and Pyrrha.” Alexander said expecting some sort of recognition.
“I am not familiar with these names.”
“Maybe you know him as Utnapishtim?”
“No.”
“Ziusudra or Atra-hasis?”
“Adell shook his head at the mention of both of these names.
Alexander continued “The last name I can think of is Noah.”
“With the ark?”
“Yes, the Gods wanted the human race to survive the great flood so Deucalion and Pyrrha or Noah and his wife were preserved.”
“It is an interesting myth.”
“You mock the Gods. You have progressed so far in your splendor that you have lost wisdom.”
“You can’t tell me you believe that. Religion is just a propaganda tool for you to manipulate and exert power.”
“Oh, no it is very real and those who mock are those who fall.”
“Your gods are the ones who have fallen. Zeus and Mount Olympus are quaint reading for children.” Adell said as he bit into a slice of lamb.
“The gods may be called by different names but they still exist and there certainly was a great flood.”
“Of course there are localized floods that wipe out entire communities but it is impossible for there to be a world wide flood.”
“The Persians, the Phoenicians, the tribes that I am conquering now all know of the great flood. You also are aware of it but you describe it as myth.”
“Because it is.”
“You are too far removed from the past to accept well established facts. Do you not have ancient records that verify the truth.”
“We have many ancient records.”
“But you discard them as myth because you don’t think the way the authors think.”
“If there is no archaeological evidence to support the claim then it must be a fable or a myth meant to teach valuable lessons.”
“You discard information that could meld you into something greater.”
“We are already great.” Adell retorted.
“Let me ask you this. Have you heard of Sargon of Akkad?”
“Of course I have, but I am surprised that you would know who he is.”
“I lived far closer to the time of Sargon than you did. Why should I not know who he was? But let me really ask you was he real or was he also a myth?”
“Of course he was real all the archeological evidence proves his existence just as it points to yours and all of your accolades. But I want to know how you could possibly know about Sargon?”
“You do remember I was taught by Aristotle.”
“Why would Aristotle have known about Sargon?”
“Why wouldn’t he know about the first conqueror of the world?”
“The length of time and the distance between his kingdom and yours should have made him lost to history.”
“Don’t nations trade with one another in your time?”
“Of course they do. But what we do in hours takes you months.”
“If a caravan of merchants spends months traveling what do they do to pass the time?”
“Gossip, talk about their wives, worry about the weather or getting robbed.” Adell quipped.
“They tell stories. They preserve the history of the past. They recreate plays that they have seen. Speaking of which how many of the works of the great writers do you have?”
“I will get back to that but I want to stay on Sargon for a moment longer. What did you know about him?”
“Following the great flood, which you foolishly disregard, he was blessed of the Gods. He was inspired to build the greatest city known to man. He is the forerunner of Achilles. He had no weaknesses in battle. He is the builder of empires. Everyone should aspire to be as great as Sargon. But I am greater.”
“Why do you say that?”
“Because you act as though he was lost to history. His enemies sought to erase his name and they must have been successful.”
“And yet you knew about him?”
“I conquered the Persian Empire. I had access to all of the knowledge of Babylon. In their libraries were volumes written about the past. I dare say you would learn about kingdoms you never knew existed by spending a week in Babylon.”
“And through this knowledge you learned of Sargon?”
“And many other things. I dare say we were far better educated than you.”
“There is no chance that is true. Our institutions of learning would leave you in awe at our ability to teach starting with young children.”
“Then what can you tell me of Aeschylus?”
“Greek playwright. Lived about 120 years before you did.”
“That’s all you have to say?”
“The world doesn’t revolve around Greece anymore.”
“That is to your loss then. The moral clarity exhibited in his works by the actors on stage is inspiring. Think of the moral lessons taught in Prometheus the Fire-Bearer.”
“We don’t have a copy of that today.”
“I preserved all of the works of Aeschylus in my library in Alexandria.”
“They didn’t survive.”
“So now it becomes clear. You are working from an incomplete picture. You dismiss truths because you are missing key pieces of wisdom from the past that would enlighten you.”
“You are a blood thirsty narcissist concerned with world domination and you call me lacking in wisdom.”
“The gods chose me to fulfill a mission. It is my divine calling to expand the boundaries of my dominion. It is only through conquest that civilization can flourish. I bring stability and the ability to grow. The arts expand and life improves thanks to my rule.”
“You believe in Slavery.”
“Some men were made to rule and some men were made to serve.”
“We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
“It is folly. All men are not created equal. I am greater than you and you are clearly greater than him.” Alexander said as he pointed to a disheveled man with long unkempt hair and beard pushing a shopping cart of his possessions past the window. “I was chosen to be a king and that man a slave. We are not equals. We have never been equal. We will never be equal.”
Great literature should do more than entertain us. It should provide a roadmap to improving our lives.
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens introduced readers to Sydney Carton, one of literature's most compelling and deeply flawed characters. Dickens also gives him an unusual title: the Jackal.
His struggles raise questions that remain relevant today.
Are we defined by our past mistakes? Can we overcome our weaknesses? What separates the people we are from the people we could become?
Lessons From the Jackal is a 25-day character study exploring these questions through Sydney Carton’s life, decisions, relationships, and personal development.
This is not a traditional course on A Tale of Two Cities. Our reading assignments will focus specifically on Carton, with sufficient background provided to understand his story. No previous knowledge of the novel is necessary.
Each day will feature selected readings, historical comparisons, reflection questions, discussions, and practical challenges ...
In 1781, London’s Inner Temple was one of England’s four Inns of Court, institutions responsible for admitting and training barristers. Situated near the River Thames, between Fleet Street and the river, the Inner Temple had been associated with the English legal profession for centuries.
Its origins date to the medieval period, when the Knights Templar occupied land in this part of London. Following the dissolution of the order in the early fourteenth century, the area gradually developed into a center of legal education and professional activity.
By the eighteenth century, the Inner Temple was an established community of barristers, legal students, and experienced members of the profession. Its grounds contained chambers where lawyers could work, residential accommodations, a hall for communal dining, and the historic Temple Church.
For an ambitious young man, admission to the Inner Temple represented an opportunity to enter a respected profession. Students studied legal texts, observed court proceedings, and developed ...
“You’ve been at Doctor Manette’s house as much as I have, or more than I have. Why, I have been ashamed of your moroseness there! Your manners have been of that silent and sullen and hangdog kind, that, upon my life and soul, I have been ashamed of you, Sydney!”
