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.…
After the Peloponnesian War, Pericles delivered an oration to celebrate the soldiers who had died in battle. Similarly, Sogoyewapha’s oration delivered at the council of chiefs of the Six Nations to celebrate their religion. Both orations give an understanding of the inner workings of government in ancient Athens and in the aboriginal nation. The approach that will be applied to analyze the orations will be Burke’s pentad, noting carefully both Pericles’ and Sogoyewapha’s use of identification. On a shallow level, one can see that the act of the pentad would be that Pericles is simply giving an oration to commemorate the fallen soldiers. In addition, the agent would be that of Pericles, but he identifies himself with those who reside in the state, the brethren of the fallen soldiers, their parents, their children, their neighbours and the fallen themselves. The scene is set in Athens, more specifically Athens after the Peloponnesian War. The purpose of the oration was to pay respect to those who have fallen because according to Pericles “it [seems] sufficient that [those] who have showed their valour by action should also by an action have their honour” (Thucydides). Lastly, the agency of which the oration was presented is revealed when Pericles says “thus also have I, according to the prescript of the law, delivered in word [the oration]” (Thucydides). In contrast but also very shallow, one can point out that the act of Sogoyewapha’s appeal is to preserve the religion of his people. The agent seen idealistically is Sogoyewapha, who identifies himself as a “son of the Great Spirit”. The scene is set in the new United States, after the American Revolutionary War. The purpose of the oration was to demand the Americans respect their religion instead of what Sogoyewapha says “force [their] religion upon [them]” (Bryan).…
Pericles became the leader of Athens at the end of the Peloponnesian War and was responsible for the rebuilding and reconstructing of this city. He became very powerful and well known through out the age of the 5th century, so powerful that this became known as the age of Pericles. He was the son of Xanthippus and Agariste. His father, Xanthippus was a military leader during the Peloponnesian Wars and was the victor at the Battle of Mycale. He would later ostracize himself in the spring of 484. Pericles came from a line of royalty which made it all the more easier for him to come to power. The helots revolt in Sparta and the current leader of Athens, Cimon lead troops to aid Sparta which the people…
He was such a profound influence on Athenian society that Thucydides, an admirer and contemporary historian, acclaimed him as "the first citizen of Athens". Pericles turned the Delian League into an Athenian empire and led his countrymen during the first two years of the Peloponnesian War. During the Peloponnesian War, Pericles led Athens, roughly from 461 to 429 BC. This period is sometimes known as the "Age of Pericles", which happened as early as the Persian Wars.…
After consultations with its allies, Sparta sent a deputation to Athens demanding certain concessions, such as the immediate expulsion of the Alcmaeonidae family including Pericles and the retraction of the Megarian Decree, threatening war if the demands were not met. The obvious purpose of these proposals was the instigation of a confrontation between Pericles and the people; this event, indeed, would come about a few years later. At that time, the Athenians unhesitatingly followed Pericles' instructions. In the first legendary oration Thucydides puts in his mouth, Pericles advised the Athenians not to yield to their opponents' demands, since they were militarily stronger. Pericles was not prepared to make unilateral concessions, believing that "if Athens conceded on that issue, then Sparta was sure to come up with further demands". Consequently, Pericles asked the Spartans to offer a quid pro quo. In exchange for retracting the Megarian Decree, the Athenians demanded from Sparta to abandon their practice of periodic expulsion of foreigners from their territory and to recognize the…
Pericles’ supporters said he was defending Athenian honor and protecting foreign trade. Pericles sternly orated to the Athenian assembly to not yield to Spartan demands (Hunt 101). Historian Thucydides, outlines Pericles speech to the assembly:…
After reading both speeches I found that the purpose of Pericles's speech was to honor the ancestors, the survivors, the ones who died for the country, and their families. It was also to speak of the goodness of Athens and reiterate how rewarding having a democracy is. The purpose of Lincoln's speech was very similar. It was to dedicate a monument as the final resting place for those who have died in the civil war; it was also to reinforce the fact that there is unfinished work. "It is for us the living rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who have fought here have thus far so nobly advanced." (Lincoln "Gettysburg Address")…
After Pericles’ death, Thucydides foreshadows the plight of all later leaders, noting they were unable to rule the people as Pericles had, instead they “managed all these affairs in the opposite way” and “resorted to handing over affairs to the people’s pleasure” (2.65), resulting in frequent missteps. Although this is presented to the reader, they still search for hope as the later leaders struggle to find the perfect balance of rationality and wisdom Pericles had achieved. There are frequent similarities between Pericles and his successors, but for Kleon, those similarities do not align him closer to the greatness of Pericles but rather highlight their differences.…
He risked greece being overthrown by a tyranny. There were many things that could have gone wrong with his plan. What if the Persians were faster? What if the persians had already thought of the idea? So many more thing could have gone wrong. We do not know if he even had thought through enough to have a backup plan. The people were correct to exile him because he already had much power and other than the victory he lead, he had not done much to help the democracy. Pericles had brought Athens to its best years. A blossom of education and arts had occurred and that advanced civilization globally. Themistocles could have never been able to do what Pericles had accomplished. Pericles had a vision for what he wanted Athens to look like and he went and achieved it. Pericles did not have as many enemies as Themistocles, because if he did he would have too been voted out of the democracy. Overall the better fit to rule over Athens was Pericles. Themistocles may have not been a bad choice, but he was not the best. The people of Athens where correct to chose…
The task below is based on documents 1 through 6. This task is designed to test…
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.…
The play Pericles, Prince of Tyre is arguably one of Shakespeare's best plays. In this play Shakespeare displays two informative underlying themes. One of the themes that Shakespeare is trying to portray in this play is what goes around, comes around, and in the end good always triumphs over evil. Shakespeare also displays a belief in Gods, and how they control fate in peoples' lives. This theme represents loyalty. If you are true to yourself, worship the Gods, they will oversee your life, and bless it with gifts. The gods play a major part in the play Pericles, Prince of Tyre. They used good people, pirates, and coincidental events to reward Pericles in the end for overcoming adversity. Also the gods use the same method to punish the people…
This is due to the high regard the ancient Greeks held for their language. The regard for their language is demonstrated in a speech by Nicias, an Athenian general, to his troops before facing impending defeat, in which he acknowledged their allies as Athenians, not due to similarity in origin, but rather their sharing of language placing them at equal prestige (Thucydides, Book IV, chapter XXIII). One of the finest examples of the artistry of Thucydides’ craftsmanship of speeches, is the speech given by Pericles, an important Athenian politician, at a public funeral, after the first year of the war. This speech is among the most celebrated of the ancient Greeks, due to the inclusion of a passionate tribute to the fallen and glorification of Athens and the polis’ causes. Within the glorification of Athens, he emphasized the sophistication of Athens and their aptitude for art of the mind. The first reference is towards the beginning of the address with these words, “Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves.” These references continue throughout including, “Further, we provide plenty of means for the mind to refresh itself from business,” and “In short, I say that as a city we are the school of Hellas, while I doubt if the world can produce a man who, where he has only…
The concepts of honor and glory are critical to understanding the motivation of the heroes in Homer's Iliad. Glory was gained by great, heroic actions and deeds and was conferred upon an individual by others who witnessed and acclaimed the glorious actions. Major battles provided an opportunity for many to find glory at once. Honor was similar to glory, but while the public had to view actions and deem them glorious, each individual maintained their own sense of personal honor which did not always coincide with honor as defined or perceived by the masses. Honor was gained through heroism in battle, but also through compelling speechmaking, loyalty and other noble qualities that a person might demonstrate. Having honor and glory allowed a Greek to gain influence in their society; as Osborne writes, "Individuals exert political influence according to their social standing, their rhetorical abilities, and their personal charisma, but not according to their holding the office of ruler (Osborne, 150)". An example that demonstrates this point occurs in the Iliad amidst an argument over a possible retreat. Odysseus, a respected fighter, makes the claim that it is "disgraceful to wait long and at the end go home…
In the play Wasps, Aristophanes tried to show the audience the futility of war. Fifth Century B.C. Athens had its fair share of political leaders, some, like the great Pericles, were very good leaders while others were depicted throughout history as horribly, cruel people. But, Aristophanes particularly despised the demagogue Cleon. This was the reason why most of Aristophanes plays focused on degrading Cleon. Aristophanes believed that politicians such as Cleon used conflict to get richer and, he was convinced that the concept of fighting a war for someone like Cleon, was pointless, which is why he kept showing its futility throughout the play by constantly berating Cleon. Aristophanes was sure that all Cleon wanted was for the war between…