Dialectic Journals- Book Eight

"....so free from care was the posture the king assumed upon the earth, cushioned upon his cloak as a ground cloth, legs crossed at the ankles,arms folded across his breast, his eyes shaded by a straw sun hat and his head pillowed insouciantley on the bowl of his shield. He might have been a boy, herding goats in some sleepy summer dale." I think the author is trying to make the point that though Leonidas is a king, he is still a real person and can't be expected to be regal all the time. It seems that he is trying to escape the horrors of war and the time of his death through sleep, and just wants to relax in his final hours, and not just renew his energy. This passage is interesting for me because in books it never explains the small details, like people sleeping, but the author makes a point to describe how the king is sleeping, and how he looks while sleeping. I also think the comparison to a boy herding goats is interesting because i can totally see that image in my head, which helps me envision Leonidas.
"A king does not abide within his tent while his men bleed and die upon the field. A king does not dine while his men go hungry, nor sleep when they stand at watch upon the wall. A king does not command his mens loyalty through fear nor purchase it with gold; he earns their love by the sweat of his own back and the pains he endures for their sake... He serves them, not they him." I think this quote is really moving and really easy to connect to. The Spartans view of a king is a hero, and a patriot. Leonidas died fighting for his country, taking all the pain so others could live. He did not watch men die for him, he died so they and their families would be saved. I think it's better to have a role model and leader that has endured the same hardships you have, and can help you through them because of their personal experience. You also want someone who does not view themselves as high above you, but someone that is comfortable talking to you and taking time to see and help you through life and struggles. All of this Leonidas did, and the Spartans loved him in return, and were happy to follow him into war, even though they knew they would die.