Athenians > Spartans
When looking at the background for his speech, this funeral took place during the first year of the Pelopponesian war. This war wasn't against the Persians, Egyptians or other foreign powers but instead against the Spartans, who were the enemy. Pericles uses this factor to raise morale for the Athenians. He references the severe training that the Spartans instill in their male children to make them powerful warriors and denotes that despite this brutal and intense learning, the soldiers of Athens are just as prepared to battle with the same drive as their enemies. The Athenians instead use courage and loyalty rather than sheer force and as such are greater than their enemies.
The Athenian Soldier: Integrity and Honor
Pericles is the war general of the Greeks and yet in his speech, he frequently avoids topics that would bring attention to him, choosing instead to appeal to his audience consisting of soldiers and relatives of soldiers. He tells them of the honor that it is to be a soldier, choosing to fight the enemy and be magnanimous in their role. Pericles continues in like manner to show the ideal of a true Athenian warrior, making his speech not only a tribute to those that had fallen, but as a rally to the living in the onslaught of this war.
Unlike Katie or Alexander, I found that Pericles' speech had many similarities with the Presocratics rather than Socrates himself. These philosophers were searching for the archon of the universe, each one emphasizing a specific concept. Should Pericles have been one, he would have based his theory of archon on ethos. He mentions that the Athenians aren't merely noble soldiers in battle, but also in their homes. He mentions how they frequently do good things to others without desiring something in return (a rather christian belief interestingly) which gives each men an air of integrity and nobility. The Athenians seem to be unique to this in Greek culture and he cites this as a reason to their own superiority. In all, his speech acts as if the principle of honor could be the basis of human essence.
I totally see that there was some underlying ulterior motive in the speech. Obviously he wanted his men to beat the Spartans. I did not know that, so thanks for sharing! Although I can see how Pericles might fit in with the Presocratics, I find that he more fits in with the Sophists than them, though I agree that he might think ethos is the main thing that makes the world. Check out my updated blog post to see what I wrote about the Sophists in regard to Pericles's beliefs
ReplyDeleteAs I was reading through the posts that have been put up so far, I found it interesting that this one took a different approach than the rest. Yes, the speech we read dealt a lot with Sophist qualities, but it did also attempt to discover some underlying principle universal amongst the Athenians. Something was different about them, in particular with regard to having a purpose to fight, and not just fighting as a purpose (as with the Spartans). I don't think that there is one right answer as to categorizing this speech, but this post definitely brings up a very important case that other classmates have not chosen to develop.
ReplyDeleteI liked how you explained how bringing up the defeated Spartans boosted their morale. I went further in my blog post to explain that it also gave an added amount of honor to the fallen warriors, and it brought the community together through their Spartan hatred. In the end, it justified the reasoning behind going to war which resulted in the death of some of their citizens.
ReplyDelete