Genre
Military strategy book
Setting and Context
The book is set between 431 BCE and 404BCE.
Narrator and Point of View
Third-person narrative
Tone and Mood
Sad, unhappy, resentful, pessimistic
Protagonist and Antagonist
Minos is the protagonist of the story.
Major Conflict
The major conflict is when the war breaks out between the Spartans and Athens. The Spartans attack Athens, and in the process, many people are killed, and many are left with injuries.
Climax
The climax comes when there is a shift in Athens' military, which becomes a weak point that leads to their defeat despite being a powerful army.
Foreshadowing
Laying siege to Athens by the Spartans foreshadowed endless conflict that killed thousands of people.
Understatement
The war is understated because the participants behave like they are in a game while thousands are killed.
Allusions
The story alludes to the circumstances that led to the Peloponnesian War.
Imagery
Sight imagery is evident throughout the text. For instance, the description of temples depicts sight to readers. The author writes, “Still, as the city is neither built in a compact form nor adorned with magnificent temples and public edifices, but composed of villages after the old fashion of Hellas, there would be an impression of inadequacy.”
Paradox
The main paradox is that despite Athens being a strong and tactical army, they were defeated by Spartans because of the shift within the army.
Parallelism
N/A
Metonymy and Synecdoche
Military tactics refer to strategies employed by the Spartan army to win the Peloponnesian war
Personification
The war is the futility of war is incarnated.
