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Pericles funeral oration
Pericles funeral oration
Pericles funeral oration
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Pericles gave his Funeral Speech to honor the Athenian soldiers who were felled by the Spartans in the Peloponnesian War. The ideals affirmed in his Funeral Speech are very similar to modern American ideals. Both Pericles’ values and modern American values promote democracy and patriotism to one’s nation. Also, the United States of America resembles the Delian League because the United States used to be completely sovereign states that were separate from each other and the Delian League used to be separate Greek city-states. Then the separate American states joined up to be the United States of America and the separate city-states made an alliance and became the Delian League. Many values are shared by both Pericles and …show more content…
Americans also exalt the beauty of their nation, proven by the patriotic song “America the Beautiful”. In addition to this, America spends tax money to beautify and maintain public areas like fountains, parks, and lakes. America is all about individualism. It is the land of opportunities for the individual. It encourages its people to improve themselves and work hard for themselves and be self-sufficient so that they can be competitive in the workforce. Pericles “links” individualism to humanism in his Funeral Speech, according to Gloria K. Fiero (41). America is also an advocate of humanism, because of the numerous charities and nonprofits it holds. Some Americans also volunteer locally in their free time. Many extracurricular high school clubs require a minimum number of volunteering hours, and a lot of scholarships require volunteering hours as well. These requirements shape the American youth to be upstanding citizens who can cooperate with and help out their fellow Americans. Pericles also emphasized that the Athenian citizen is superior and that Athens is great. This is a similar mindset of Americans. Ask American citizens what the best country on earth is and most of them will reply that the
Pericles’ Funeral Oration is a speech given by the Athenian leader Pericles, at a funeral, after the first battle of the Peloponnesian war. Pericles used this public funeral to make a statement and praise the Athenian people. “Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves”. Pericles believes Athens is original. They do not have to conform, they make the rules and other countries follow. “Its
Pericles believed the more successful the man, the less he had to be afraid of when it came to death. If you were poor and unsuccessful, you didn't have honor becuase you would lose nothing at
(2.36.4). Pericles proceeds to assert that Athens is a great society – citing the city’s government, culture and people as evidence.... ... middle of paper ... ...
It is widely known that the Athenians highly valued their warrior class, and they saw the warriors as a ring of the higher circle of the society. The Athenians were very proud of Athena and its traditions, as well. Athenian’s thought that Athena was the best, none could be better. The funeral oration was aimed to respect the fallen as well as to keep up the national pride and its passion to protect their nation. The speech was a eulogy which focused on the eminence of Athens and its predecessors. Usually a son was chosen to give the eulogy. The law required the speech to have several essential components. The speech had to concerning the lives of the deceased. At his eulogy’s end, Pericles spoke in regard to the soldiers. The speech talked about the life that the departed lived and the achievements which they gained. Pericles wanted the citizens to recall the soldiers but to forget about the tragedy that had occurred. He wanted the departed’s lives to be remembered, but not their demise. The speech helped the Athenians appreciate what their ancestors had died for and how they shou...
Writer Marilyn Vos Savant once stated, “What is the essence of America? Finding and maintaining that perfect, delicate balance between freedom ‘to’ and freedom ‘from’.” When you are an American, freedom is just one of the multitudinous privileges that come with the package. Benefits such as rights, the pursuit of happiness, and diversity are some additional perquisites. However, everything has flaws and America has a few.
Parmele, M. (2010). Pericles’ Funeral Oration: because every self aware citizen should have it available. American Bull Moose .
For Pericles, Athenian values are realized through culture and “daily devotion.” He claims that Athenian citizens obey both “the laws themselves” and “agreed-on social values (which need no specific legislation),” not requiring legislation to uphold their values. Accordingly, Pericles views exceptionalism as intrinsic to Athenians. Boasting about the city, Pericles questions “how else did she become great but by this genius in her citizens?” A recommitment to civic values, therefore, is simple to Pericles: Athenians are exceptional at the moment of his speech, and must simply continue their past conduct in order to achieve future
The Delian League’s goal was to rid the land of pirates and of any lingering persian forces. This marks the beginning of a fifty year long ‘golden’ age for Athens. Pericles, born in Cholarges, was the son of the politician Xanthippus had a quiet childhood. He was a shy child, preferring his studies over public appearances. His families wealth and connections allowed him to progress rapidly through his education.
In the first of the two texts, Pericles is making a very bold statement on the state of the Athens. “Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighbouring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves.” In his speech, Pericles is trying to rally the Athenians to support the new democracy and to make them feel important by being associated with
Like any other country America has national symbols such as the American Flag, the Pledge of Allegiance, and the “Start Spangled Banner.” To be an American means that you support these things to fullest extent and hold them in the highest regard. This means that When the National Anthem is played or the Pledge of Allegiance is recited, it is our duty as Americans to stand, remove our hats and cover our hearts as a sign of the utmost respect. These symbols are a sign of our heritage. They stand for what we believe in, who we are, and where we come from. We are Americans. We believe in life liberty and the pursuit of happiness. True Americans speak the national language, English, and know that America is a one of a kind country that cannot be beat. We have worked hard over the years to become the wealthiest and the most prosperous country in the entire world. As Americans we have the right to drive a Hummers, the right to live in luxurious houses, because after all we’...
The work of Thucydides, an Athenian historian and general of the 5th century B.C.E war between Athens and Sparta writes Pericles Funeral Oration and The Melian Dialogue which share similarities, but are also quite different. In the funeral oration, the words given by Thucydides to the great leader Pericles is a message intended to illustrate Athenian supremacy. Pericles begins speaking to the people in hope to spark a fire inside the citizens of Athens who have become discouraged from war due to the grieving of the many men lost. Pericles praises the Athenians who have lived before them, and who, over the centuries, created a government that “does not copy our neighbors', but is an example to them.”
The death of Pericles was a significant event in the course of the Peloponnesian War; however, even without Pericles' leadership the Athenian Assembly had countless opportunities to prevent their loss and chose not to take them. The fickleness and inefficiency of democracy ('the mob') allowed the Athenians to be easily influenced and therefore electing populists such as Cleon, Lysicles and Hyperbolus into dominant leadership roles. Election, via democratic means, of such populists, meant that the Athenians would take a much more aggressive approach to the war and therefore abandon the policies that Pericles had previously established. So in turn, democracy the institution for which the Athenians fought tirelessly to protect, rather than the death of Pericles, ironically became the dominant factor influencing the final outcome of this Ancient Greek civil war.
Thucydides’ version of Pericles’ “Funeral Oration” can be read as more of an ironic rendering of Pericles’ original speech since The History of the Peloponnesian War is not just considered to be a historical account but also a “highly imaginative piece of work” in which Thucydides made characters involved in the war say what he believed they actually meant instead of what they might have originally said (Thucydides Introduction pg. x). In the “Funeral Oration”, Pericles praises certain
Clarke, Fiona, and Mark Bergin. Greece in the time of Pericles. Hemel Hempstead: Simon & Schuster, 1909.
America is so-called “the land of opportunity”, which makes the country a whole. Being a whole displays a positive