Alexander the Great

[DrachenSeele]

This is a short story of Alexander the Great I was required to write for school.

After triumphantly conquering Asia Minor, Alexander marched

toward Persia with high expectations of overcoming it. Because Alexander

lacked supplies to last his army and him through another battle they stopped

in a town, Gordium. Positioned in front of the barracks, Alexander saw, from

the corner of his eye, an oxcart and pole tide together by a massive

complicated knot. After asking around about the odd picture, Alexander

learned that that knot had been tied by a legendary hero and whoever could

undo the disarraying tie would become the next king of Asia. Having

speculated and examined the rope Alexander, who had just crouched down

looking at it from below, found the solution. Alexander speedily stood upright

on his feet, unsheathed his sword and slashed the knot in half. The two ends

of rope fell to the ground defeated. Not only victorious in solving the

frustrating knot, Alexander soon conquered Persia where he became

Alexander the Great.

[Steven Hunley]

I've always loved this story. But what kind of class was this for?

This is alright if it’s for History class. But what if it’s for Creative Writing Class? Maybe you could dramatize this a bit.
Here’s what I researched on it:

"Turn him to any cause of policy,
The Gordian Knot of it he will unloose,
Familiar as his garter" , Shakespeare

When he could not find the end to the knot to unbind it, he sliced it in half with a stroke of his sword, producing the required ends (the so-called "Alexandrian solution"). That night there was a violent thunderstorm. Alexander's prophet Aristander took this as a sign that Zeus was pleased and would grant Alexander many victories. Once Alexander had sliced the knot with a sword-stroke, his biographers claimed in retrospect, that an oracle further prophesied that the one to untie the knot would become the king of Persia.

And here’s what I came up with:

Alexander searched for the ends of the rope, as any mortal man would have done. Yet try as he may, he grew frustrated and gave up. That night, in his tent, he grew restless and out of sorts. The problem would not let him sleep. The heavens reflected his state of mind; its thunder roared and threatened to rip the sky apart. Lightning flashed so close to his tent, it set his standards on fire and filled his nostrils with ozone, which some say is good for thinking. For the Gods were certainly with Alexander.

The next morning, as he was putting on his socks and sandals and tying his garters, one broke.

He unsheathed his sword of bright steel. With one stroke he sliced the knot and the ends of the rope fell free. He unraveled a strand and tied up his socks as easily as he would unravel and tie up the Persian armies.

For Alexander was no mere mortal. He had the Alexandrian solution for everything.