Candle In The Wind - T.H. White

(Third paragraph down on p. 630)-"Was it the wicked leaders who led innocent populations to slaughter, or was it wicked populations who chose leaders after their own hearts?"

Arthur questions this idea when he looks back on his life, and the mistakes he has made. He cannot see how millions of people could allow one leader to force them into doing things they would not normally do on their own. He tries to figure out how the one leader's ideas could win against the million others. Arthur then realizes that the leader must have possesed something that appealed to the people. Something must had stood out in the begining for the people to put all of their trust into one person.

I agree with the latter. Think of Americans and President Bush, for example. How did he get into office when almost everyone has something negative to say about him? The answer is simple: the majority of people elected him into office. He must have had something that appealed to the people. Americans were not looking for change at the time, and stuck with what they knew.

Now four years later, in a time of need, U.S. citizens voted for "change" and chose Barack Obama. No one knows for sure if he'll be a good or bad president. He could be one of the greatest presidents Americans have ever seen, or one of the worst in history. But his speeches were appealing, and his idea of change turned voters onto him, causing him to win by a landslide.

Leaders don't just happen. They need the people to help them achieve their power. If a leader does not live up to one's expectations, don't blame the leader, blame the people for giving them their power.

Arthurian Legends: Real or Make-believe?

Arthurian Legends have been passed down from generation to generation mostly by the spoken word. How can one really pin-point the actual events described in these passed down stories since history was not recorded in England until about the year 500? How can one be sure that the events in the stories being told are true?

Although there may have been a king named Arthur, it is highly doubtful that all of the stories are true. Just think of the game telephone: a person says one thing, passes it down to someone else, and by the end of the game, the origional message is completely different from what the first person actually said.

Arthur may have been great, but his adventures are most likely fabricated with exaggerated details. Dragons, wizards, and other magical themes make it very hard for one to believe that Arthur's tale's are based off of true events. I believe that Arthurian Legends are more like historical fiction stories. The truth- King Arthur's greatness, the fiction- his many magical adventures.