Pericles Funeral Oration Analysis

In his funeral oration, Pericles praises Athens and the city's focus on balance between personal care and care for the state. He compared it to Sparta, where personal comfort was overlooked to benefit the state and said that the personal comfort allowed to Athenians is what makes the war worth fighting.16 By praising Athens, he showed his love and loyalty to his city. Alcibiades had no such loyalty. When he fled to Sparta he was asked if he did not trust his country, his answer was with everything other than his life.17 When in Sparta he gave military advice that caused more "ruin and destruction to his city" than anything else.18 After

A reading of Thucydides’, Pericles’ Funeral Oration and The Melian Dialogue uncovers both contrasting and comparable viewpoints on Athenian politics, power, aims of war, and empire. Thucydides presents two differing characteristics of Athens, one as the civilizer in Pericles’ funeral oration and the other as an tyrant in the Melian dialogue. In the funeral oration delivered by Pericles during the first year of the war, the Athenian leader emphasizes the idealized personal image of the Athenians in regard to their constitution and good character. Pericles goes on to praise the Athenian democratic institution of Athens that contributes to their cities greatness; in Pericles’s own words, “The Athenian administration favors the many instead of few… they afford equal justice to all of their differences” (112, 2.37). This quote emphasizes the good character of the Athens’ to coax and encourage the Athenians to preserve and better their great empire into the future. On the other hand, in the Melian dialogue, this notion of justice and equality is irrelevant; one, because Athens compared to Melos, is the stronger of the two and thus, is more powerful. Further, Athens, will continue to acquire absolute power and build its empire by conquering Melos and whomever else stands in its way. Through Pericles’ funeral oration and the Melian dialogue, the following conclusions/themes will demonstrate both the changing and somewhat stable nature of Athenian policy with regards to empire,

In the Aftermath of the Peloponnesian war between Athens and Sparta, Pericles, Athens’ general and statesmen, delivered a powerfully comforting eulogy to the polis of Athens, assuring the people that their city state is in good hands, and easing the pain of all the families and relatives of the deceased. He uses several rhetorical devices throughout his speech to gain a positive emotional appeal by his audience and makes assertions in the attempt to enhance and transform the perception of him by the audience.

Pericles’ profound rhetorical skills were displayed within his Funeral Oration honoring Athenian soldiers who demonstrated extraordinary valor. Although the subject of his speech was in honor of the fallen soldiers who died gloriously defending Athens, he primarily praised Athens and everything it stood for. Within his speech, Pericles focuses on acting for the greater good of the city, which included sacrificing oneself much like the modeled sacrifice the dead had displayed through their valor. Through praising Athens and the fallen soldiers Pericles idealized the dead, showing their modeled behavior as honorable and glorious, which further appealed the sacrifice of dying for Athens. Pericles idealized motives continuously praised Athens: the dead, ancestors, and the city. Theses motives were intended to explain why Athenians should love their city and willingly sacrifice to ensure continued happiness and freedom.

    431 BCE was the year that the end of the Peloponnesian war. A great amount of lives of Athenians were lost, and the city of Athens held a public funeral to keep up with the traditions. At these funerals, a citizen was chosen to give a speech at this event. And happen so, Pericles was chosen to give at this funeral oration, not knowing that it would become one of the most famous speech of all time. Future world leaders would use his speech to inspire their own, including Abraham Lincoln’s “The Gettysburg Address”.  Even though, they may be both addressing the people of their nations to keep fighting and mourn the lives lost in these battles, there are differences of how they used rhetorical analysis in their speeches.

When it comes to death, most people tend to sympathize with the victim of death while others dwell on the pleasures the deceased had brought them while they were living. In our readings there were many instances where the individuals were remembered for the honor and glory they showed and for the extreme measures they took for leaving this world a changed place. The differences in reactions to mortality in our texts is most apparent. People strive to give their lives meaning in the face of death in each of the texts, however there is a difference between what is worth dying for. Throughout the Iliad and in the bible, Jesus and Hector die for different reasons; while on dies for honor and glory, the other dies for the salvation of others.

Pericles, as we know, was an exceeding leader and statesmen for most of Athen’s reign during the 5th century B.C.E. He was an extremely successful man, and well rounded in many aspects of Athenian leadership. He wasn’t just a statesman for Athens, he was a persuasive politician, glorified military leader, and filled with boastful patriotism towards Athens. It was common ritual for speeches to be given to the survived families of the fallen after war, but Pericles take on the speech was a little different than the ordinary. Pericles focused greatly on the significance of a democratic government. His goal was to raise the spirits of the fallen soldiers families’, and build patriotism in their hearts to get them motivated to fight for their freedom in Athens. Pericles was a very persuasive speaker, and his Funeral Oration speech was indeed successful in its mission: convince the people that the fallen soldiers shouldn’t be mourned, but rather raise their patriotism and to follow in the footsteps of the fallen, and to fight for their honor, freedom, and democracy as a whole. Pericles’ speech was not a lie, but rather a persuasive and manipulative speech to capture the fallen spirits during a tough time of war.

When dealing with the extent to which Socrates is a good example for following the ideals of democratic citizenship, a good source to use as a point of comparison to his life is the principles laid out about that citizenship by Pericles in his Funeral Oration. In the Oration, Pericles brought forth certain ideas about Athenian democracy and how its citizens should live their lives in accordance with it. He held these views to be paramount and used them in association with the principles of Athenian Law to prove a persuasive point that Athenian democracy had to be one with the people to survive. Above all other ideals he held first the thought that politics was the highest

Throughout history war has shaped, changed, as well as eliminated cultures and civilizations in the world. In the case of Ancient Athens, war was feared as well as respected. Soldiers who have fallen in the battle field were given honorary ceremonial burials with a member of society conducting a speech in honor of their bravery, and servitude for the city-state. This selected member within society was chosen by the city for his intellectual gifts as well as his reputation within the society. After the first year of the Peloponnesian war, Pericles was chosen to speak at the funeral oration for the men who had died in the first year of combat. He used this occasion to ornate on the different aspects of Athenian democracy and also talks about

While everyone has their own opinion, and is more than entitled to share it, other’s beliefs and thoughts influence most people. Politics and opinions of leaders on the way in which a country must govern are often easy portals to access an impressionable mind. Throughout history, those with opposing viewpoints on democracy have often spoke up and shared their opinions with the world in hopes of being heard. Aristotle, Pericles and Xenophon have each taken a turn in doing so, and made their feelings obvious to the people. All opinions were very different; Aristotle's being more of an open-minded approach towards democracy (not completely dismissing the idea of it), Pericles' being in total agreement with it, and Xenophon being sarcastic and exceptionally opposed.

In “Pericles’Funeral Oration”, we see war in a favorable light brought about by its protagonist Pericles, who does not hold back in delivering an impassioned eulogy for the fallen soldiers before the people. His reasons and his deliverance being compelling, he highlights the purpose and necessity of war as a means to preserve and protect this great democracy which favors all men equally, opens its doors to foreigners, provides justice for all, allows the freedom to advance oneself as well as indulge in pleasure. The education of the Athenian schools far surpassing any other empire, in producing well rounded men who are free spirited and yet will not hesitate to defend the nation, the legacy of the forefathers and fathers who also fought to acquire, enrich and sustain an empire such as Athens is all worth fighting to preserve. He highlights the power of sacrifice as honorable for the love of a great country in his conclusion when he says, “And where the rewards for merit are the greatest, there are found the best citizens.”

I enjoyed reading your response to the assignment, you included many details from the Furneral Orations of Pericles, if someone who hasn't read it would understand what the Furneral Orations of Pericles of Athens was about. I liked how you mentioned that there was no discrimination of social classes when it came to choosing who can be involved in running the government. Also how you even mentioned as humans we do have selfish intentions at times and how it could've affected the imperial policies within Athens. I agree, because knowledge is power and if someone knows too much they could choose to rebel against the government. This didn't seem to be the case for Athenians, they were a very successful society as a whole. They are the ones who

Both Perikles’ Funeral Oration and the Athenian Constitution of Pseudo-Xenophon have similarities and differences, both in wording and content. The Funeral Oration paints an overly idealistic picture of Athens, while the Athenian Constitution of Pseudo-Xenophon, also referred to as the Athenian Constitution of the “Old Oligarch,” depicts Athens in a dramatized worst possible light. The two documents tend to use the same examples to make opposing points, a demonstration on how evidence can be twisted to fit a claim.

In the Melian Dialogue, Pericles says that instead of talking about the men who died, because you will never please anyone with what you say, he will talk of their ancestors. We also do this. Maybe not at a normal funeral, but when someone from a military background passes away in battle, we remember our ancestors that fought for our country, and gave us a chance to be able to fight for our country as well. We also have particular dates that we just celebrate our ancestors and current military men and women who are active duty, retired, or decease. This is to show we respect and appreciate them and all they have done for us, which kind of the point of Pericles is talking about our ancestors in the eulogy of the

speech, Pericles talks about the ancestors that build the state they live in now. He said their