Funeral Oration was a Great Speech Delivered to Honor...

All of us understand that as one of the greatest politician in the history, Pericles is on behalf of slave owners, the middle and lower people. Therefore, he attaches great importance to the value of people. Funeral Oration is a famous speech delivered by Pericles to honor the dead soldiers during the war against Sparta. In the speech, Pericles talks about the lives of the ancestors of the deceased and the deceased themselves. However, he seems to undermine the speech and urge that deeds are more significant than a mere speech. In addition, at the end, Pericles is not sure whether he has conveyed the speech in the right way. There are three reasons for Pericles to say that deeds are more important than speech at the beginning of the Funeral Oration. The first reason for his argument is the political system of Athens at that time is a democratic one which emphasizes the rights to rule the country should belong to the majority of citizens, not just a small group. In this sense, these s oldiers died for their country to win the battle so they deserve something more important than just some empty word. He also believes that speech is just mere words that the law of the country emphasized on and had no importance to the deceased or the ancestors of the deceased. The second reason for his argument is that Pericles wants to show people that the political system in Athens is not only equal to everyone but also rewarding if you do something good for your country. Through this,Show MoreRelatedHow Athenian Nature Is Delineated through Pericles Funeral Oration809 Words   |  4 PagesIn The History of the Peloponnesian War, Thucydides chronicles the events, battles, and democratic processes of the war between Athens and Sparta. Shortly after war broke out, Pericles delivered his funeral oration in honor of the courageous Athenians who already perished in battle. Through his funeral oration, Pericles reveals the true nature of Athenians. Ultimately, they were good nature d since all the citizens of Athens willingly and dutifully served their country, and ultimately the commonRead MoreFamous Speeches Of The Great Awakening3901 Words   |  16 Pages The first known recordings of eulogistic discourse emerged from the ancient Greek tradition, where the â€Å"funeral speech developed out of the formal laudation or commemoration of those who had fallen in battle for their country.† Some of the best examples of this type of eulogistic rhetoric include Cicero’s de Orator and Pericles Funeral oration. Stylistically the structure of these orations typically concentrated heavily on the mourning of the deceased and then transitioned into the celebration