Pericles, being the man of approved “wisdom and eminent reputation,” was chosen by the state to administer an appropriate eulogy. He begins his Oration by commending all those who contributed their lives to defending the Athenian Empire. Quickly after his appraisal, Pericles transitions into glorifying the democratic institutions in which Athens was founded upon. “And if our more remote ancestors deserve praise, much more do our own fathers, who added to their inheritance the empire which we now possess, and spared no to be able to leave their acquisitions to us of the present generation.” (2.36, PG. 112) Pericles continues by describing how democracy not only exhibits freedom in government, but also in ordinary life, which in turn allowed the public to pursue means of…
Pericles states that "Our constitution does not seek to copy the laws of our neighbors; we are an example to others, not imitators of them". During his time there was usually one ruler that had the power over life and death, the mass of people did not matter. In Athens this was far from the case. Athens created its own government, one that was for the people, and benefited the people. Pericles said with conviction, "As far as public life is concerned, we live as free men". The people of Athens had a government that supported them; they were all equal in the eyes of the government. The city of Athens stood by itself; it needed no others to help it. She left her gates open to all and did not concern herself with excluding foreigners. Her military stood alone. Athens never advanced into another territory with Allies; she did it alone. He also marvels in the fact that Athens does not live for the fear of war. He states that they live free, but are always ready if in danger. He even goes so far to say that his enemies are happy with a victory over a small part of the army. Pericles praises Athens for her form of government - democracy - because it is…
Abraham Lincoln’s “Gettysburg Address” and Pericles’ “Funeral Oration” are two of the most memorable speeches given throughout history. On November 19, 1863, Abraham Lincoln delivered this speech amongst the American Civil War as a way to bring honor to those who died during the Battle of Gettysburg. At the end of 431 BC, Pericles delivered his famous Funeral Oration, to honor the dead soldiers of the Peloponnesian War, during an annual public funeral. There are many similarities and differences that can be made between the two regarding their context and content.…
In the eulogy at Caesar’s funeral, Marc Antony, close friend of Caesar and general, seems to claim that he believes that Marcus Brutus and the rest of the men involved with the death of Caesar are honorable men, but in actuality believes that Caesar was the only honorable man in the Senate who was always there for his country and brought prosperity to his country. He also claims to not want to get revenge on the murderers of Caesar, but in reality, the whole point of his speech was to turn the citizens of Rome against Brutus so that Caesar’s death will be avenged. He develops this claim by first creating ethos and pathos refuting Brutus’ excuse that Caesar was ambitious. Then, he emphasizes the grand betrayal of Brutus towards Caesar. Towards…
Both Pericles “Funeral Oration” and George W. Bush’s address to the nation after the 9/11 terrorist attack were given at times of grief and mourning. Pericles “Funeral Oration” was given in 431 BC after the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War. Pericles gave this speech to pay tribute to the people lost in battle. Pericles was chosen to give the “Funeral Oration” by the city of Athens as he was a leading citizen of Athens, as he was an orator and general during the Golden Age. This was the same for George W. Bush, he was a leading citizen in the United States of America. As he was the president of that country, it only seemed fitting for him to give the speech. George W. Bush addressed to the nation was given on September 11, 2002 at Ellis Island in New York, New York. After the terrorist attack by the Islamic extremist group al-Qaeda on 9/11.…
Several philosophers and thinkers have graced Athens but none probably have described Athens as vividly as Pericles did with his funeral speech delivered in honor of the martyrs of the Peloponnesian War. This speech was given almost a year after the Peloponnesian War started and its purpose was to inspire both the citizens and the army of Athens. In his speech Pericles describes Athens as a flawless state when compared with its contemporaries. Pericles highlighted the achievements of Athens in almost every sphere ranging from its military prowess to its conduct of justice and equal opportunity to the most ordinary of its citizens regardless of his class or economic status. Pericles proclaims Athens as…
Thucydides, a known historian during the time, described and analyzed the motives of the infamous Peloponnesian War. The war was between two powerful city-states: Athens and Sparta. The conflict arose due to excessive power. The Athenians were optimistic that they were the driving force that led Greece and all of its city-states. Specifically, the historian focuses on the funeral oration presented by Pericles. Pericles, ironically, doesn’t display sorrow but displays comfort and proud of what each individual has contributed to Athens. For Pericles, it wasn’t about the tragic fatalities but about courage and patriotism. Pericles believes in Athens and knows that this city-state possesses many freedoms and opportunities for success and peace.…
Greece’s democratic system is very different from ours here in the United States. In Greece the only people that could vote were men who were citizens and owned property while, In the United States, all who are citizens and over 18 can vote. When you look at the stone relief panel about democracy you can see that when democracy was crowned on Athens the Athenians supported democracy so much that they displayed the stone panel so that everyone could see. Athens wanted everyone’s voices to be heard. The stone relief was displayed in a public place to show how supported Greece was of the idea of democracy. In “The Funeral Oration of Pericles” he talks about democracy. Pericles says that democracy allows men to advance because of merit instead of wealth or inherited class. He also says that in a democracy, citizens behave lawfully while doing what they like without dear of prying and that in a democracy, there is equal justice for all in private disputes.…
In 470 BC Pericles entered politics. Pericles believed strongly in politics saying “just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you”. As a leader Pericles wanted people to understand that although you may not be interested in the work of your government there will always be a need for you knowledge and contribution. Once he had joined the assembly, he became a fellow politician which is where he began to become popular within the assembly. Many events following his vote onto the assembly meant that the old Athenian leader was exiled. Today the period of time between 460-429 is referred to as the ‘Age of Pericles’. Pericles also believed that Athens was an icon of Greek culture. He believed that Athenians should be the ones to lead the Greek government. Before, becoming a participant of the Athenian government was almost impossible. However, Pericles believed that all native Athenian men over the age of 18 had the right to participate in the government. He also made it possible for poor men who could not afford to leave their jobs,to participate should they choose to. This meant men of all social classes were now part of the government. Not only was serving in the government a privilege, but also a responsibility. Pericles believed in that very strongly. He always had the community's best interest at heart, showing that he was worthy as leader…
Part of Pericles’ plan for Athens was to increase the number of public officials with paid salaries and use direct democracy. Pericles plan for democracy was also for the poor to not be discriminated for social rankings. He also wanted the citizens to serve his country at any position on the social scale but you have to be a defined citizen. Pericles once stated “…power is in the hands not of a minority but of the whole people”. Athens went through a period of time of power struggles between the rich and poor. Today there are many countries that use democracy as a form of government.…
Marc Antony’s funeral speech captured the audience’s attention even after Marcus Brutus had given his argument. His words were precise and well thought out. He not only appealed logically to the citizens of Rome, but emotionally as well. Furthermore, his use of sarcasm was highly effective and persuaded the audience to riot against Brutus even though he appeared like he supported the conspirators side. Brutus’ speech was persuasive of his cause, he even questioned the audience as to taking his own life if what they thought he had done was unjust. The citizens of Rome were ready to accept their new leaders from the argument Brutus had given, but Antony rose to the occasion and made the confused people of Rome realize that what Brutus and the conspirators had done was wrong. Antony did a superior job against Brutus of persuading the citizens that Brutus was guilty of wrongful murder and that Caesar loved them.…
In Aristophanes’ play, “clouds”, there is a battle between the “old” and “new” way of going out about life. This can be seen through the “just” and “unjust” speech, whose argumentative outcomes dictate the way in which society should go about educating its citizens. The “unjust speech”, which is a heavy logical and manipulative approach to thinking about life (“new”), seems to subvert the “just speech”, which appears to rely on moral and mythical justification (“old”). Pericles, a prominent and influential Politian in Athens, has argued that democracy is the best form of government because it fairly produces the most educated and excellent citizens, through freedom to act as they please, which will eventually shape there soul into a great person (Warner 145). Thus, if citizens are allowed to wonder freely and be tolerated with respect by fellow citizens as Pericles describes, and if Socrates (a Greek philosopher) and the “thinkry” spread their “unjust speech” rhetoric, Pericles’s platform for greatness will not make the Athenians the most excellent and educated citizens. In fact it is going to make them into worse people, people who are going to fundamentally question the value of their institution. Ultimately, Aristophanes suggests that democracy cannot work in unison with “unjust speech”, which undermines Pericles argument that “unjust speech” should be tolerated under democracy, because “unjust speech” uses its persuasive power to disassembles the collective wisdom democracy has built and allows the few who understand its power to create an unequal society (West). Aristophanes argues if a democracy is faced with a society of unequal powers then it could transform the democratic system Pericles drew up, where all powers were to be divided equally among citizens, into an oligarchy or tyranny, with the citizens using…
As Thucydides shows, while he did support Pericles, he didn't necessarily support democracy. The only way that democracy in Athens was successful was under Pericles, and when he passed away, the true nature of democracy was revealed. His successors followed self-serving policies, quarreled among each other, lacked foresight and in general destroyed themselves by internal strife. The people as a whole were too easily influenced and were too interested in personal advancement rather than the good of the state. Thucydides seemed to believe that the best form of government was one which placed authority in the hands of a few wise leaders who were able to overcome personal desires to pursue policy that benefited the state rather than the individual. In other words, Thucydides was in favor of a change to the Spartan…
Another important contribution of Ancient Greek to the Western Culture is democracy. To the Greeks, democracy meant “peoples rule”. Pericles Funeral Oration, given to the Athenians in about 430 BC was the greatest contribution to our today’s society. Pericles said “Our plan of government favors the many instead of the few: that is why it is called a democracy…” Pericles was describing a democracy where everyone had an equal opportunity to advance and serve his or her country. However, everyone was expected to partake in civic affairs regardless their social class or position (Doc. 4). This contributed enormously on the society because the democratic society is a direct democracy. But at the same time, people are able to impeach powerful heads. The Funeral Operation gives citizens the idea of keeping their government a democracy rather than a…
Thesis Assessment: During the speech, it can be noticed how in several occasions the thought of having the ideal political view –it being their own Athenian democracy, was the base of all actions and thoughts. Additionally, the thought of them being able to tolerate and adapt to fit the needs of its community, within the respect of the given laws, gave Athens the position of it being the model for other nations and states to follow. However, their point of view ended up being idealized and limited to only one type of individual: citizens –during that time being only men. Therefore, it is to be noticed that even though during the speech the thought of freedom and equality is being enforced, this means did not apply to both women and…