Gates of Fire
CPL Beard, Daniel Rex
07 July 2014
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield This story is told as a narration by a dying Xeones to the Persian king Xerxes. The loan surviving greek is kept alive after sustaining battle wounds by a surgeon to tell his account of the battle of Thermopylae and the events before it. His narration jumps back and forth between time to explain certain events. Xeones and his cousin, Diomache, are orphaned at a young age and hide in the hills with a slave. Diomache is taken as a maid after being gang raped as punishment for stealing and Xeones continues to Sparta where he becomes a battle squire under Dienekes. He explains in horrid detail the gruesome training of the Spartan children to become citizens or 'peers'. Xeones takes the married life and has a child. Persia threatens to invade Sparta and, under the leadership of King Leonitas, the Spartans go to fight the incomming forces. Defending the main passage of a narrow path through the mountains, the Spartans, accompanied by only a few thousand greeks, face the better part of 2 million Persian troops. As the first day of battle draws to an end, many Persians lie dead, yet only a few Spartans lay in their wake. Xerxes learns of a path leading behind the Spartans and sends a force to entrap them. After 7 days of gruesome battle, the Xerxes and his troups finally overpower the troups, and Leonitas is beheaded. After his story is finished, Xeones passes due to his wounds. The scribe writing his story accounts for the rest of the war after his passing including the Persians losing the war to the Greek army.
07 July 2014
Gates of Fire by Steven Pressfield This story is told as a narration by a dying Xeones to the Persian king Xerxes. The loan surviving greek is kept alive after sustaining battle wounds by a surgeon to tell his account of the battle of Thermopylae and the events before it. His narration jumps back and forth between time to explain certain events. Xeones and his cousin, Diomache, are orphaned at a young age and hide in the hills with a slave. Diomache is taken as a maid after being gang raped as punishment for stealing and Xeones continues to Sparta where he becomes a battle squire under Dienekes. He explains in horrid detail the gruesome training of the Spartan children to become citizens or 'peers'. Xeones takes the married life and has a child. Persia threatens to invade Sparta and, under the leadership of King Leonitas, the Spartans go to fight the incomming forces. Defending the main passage of a narrow path through the mountains, the Spartans, accompanied by only a few thousand greeks, face the better part of 2 million Persian troops. As the first day of battle draws to an end, many Persians lie dead, yet only a few Spartans lay in their wake. Xerxes learns of a path leading behind the Spartans and sends a force to entrap them. After 7 days of gruesome battle, the Xerxes and his troups finally overpower the troups, and Leonitas is beheaded. After his story is finished, Xeones passes due to his wounds. The scribe writing his story accounts for the rest of the war after his passing including the Persians losing the war to the Greek army.