The Suez Canal essays

The Suez Canal essays Throughout the course of history, there was always an interest for a waterway that connected the Mediterranean and Red Seas. The idea remained up in the air until a man by the name of Ferdinand De Lesseps took control and set it into action. Lesseps was a man who desired progress. He proved to be a powerful regulator and did not stop for anything that got in his way. His yearn for the Suez project was a direct result of his inadequate life style. At the age of forty, he was unemployed, had no salary, and left with a small sum of money from his family. Lesseps searched for a way to become famous and rich at the same time by devising a plan that took place in Egypt. He recognized that ships traveling to Europe from Southern Asia (vice versa) had to circumnavigate around Africa, which was unnecessary. His goal then, was to connect the two seas, and two worlds. In addition to this, within the space of a few years, Lesseps had lost a career, a wife, and a child. He was left with two sons, a farm in central France, and a caring set of in-laws. He had a loving relationship with his family until this drastic event took place. While Lesseps was at a pivotal point in life, he decided to devote himself completely to the creation of the Suez Canal. Yet, one question remained; if Lesseps life had not wound into a downhill spiral, would he still have encompassed the intense determination illustrated in the novel? A man, who was unemployed, simply could not start a revolutionary one-hundred mile canal by himself. In need of much help, Lesseps turned to the Egyptian government for support. Although, there was question as to how Lesseps, a Frenchman, could even dream to acquire help from a different country to satisfy his vision. The answer lay in the hands of ruler Muhammad Alis son, Said, and his insatiable desire for eating. Members of Muhammads court carefully monitored Saids food intake...