History as a Genre of Writing
After reading Pericles' Funeral Oration, I picked up
on several key differences in custom that were chosen over what the "norm"
was back in those times. Pericles glazed
over and outright skipped the glorifying of the fallen Athenian soldiers, so as
not to dishearten those who had not participated in the war. This was quite revolutionary to shift the
focus of the fallen to the glory of the country and to keep everyone feeling
more or less equal to one another at the end of the day. As noted by Pericles, this was the opposite
of what had been done before, but he still utilized history and a sense of patria
to captivate the audience.
Epideictic Oratory
Having read this section of Alexander's post, I felt
the need to perpetuate the thought. Some
of the definitions for this type of speech found on the rhetoric.byu.edu site
include "fit for display" and "ceremonial." Thirdly and most obviously, the oration is
loaded with high praise to Athens, the culture, the people, and individuals of
all social standings, including those loved ones of the fallen. Pericles does not simply restrict himself to
honoring fallen soldiers as gods among men, but rather praises the whole for
which those men bravely fought. It is in
this way that the speech is highly effective in influencing others, as it is
all-encompassing to its listeners. Everybody
is made happier in some way.
Philosophy
Through examining the thoughts of Katie, Alexander,
and Adam, I found connections in Thucydides' work to all three groups of
philosophy. As a Sophist, Pericles did
encourage more children to be born in order to lessen the post-war
deficit. In Socratic terms, the people
of Athens did in fact debate for the sake of finding truth. Pertaining to Pre-Socratics, Pericles explored
the possibility that the principle of honor was the driving force or essence
behind the Athenians' superiority. I am
sure that there could be a "best" answer, but more often than not,
people's ideals and actions meld together across the varying realms. This happens a lot in politics, as a rigid
politician is highly unlikely to be reelected, while one who caters to the
popular vote remains in office. Stark
black and white characteristics oftentimes cause critical flaws or
weaknesses. Understanding and potential
are restricted, to say the least.
Well said Thomas. Adding to your observation about Pericles' style of speech, not only was his speech "equalizing" the efforts of the Athenians it was also unifying. Instead of placing emphasis on WHAT the warriors had done, he focused on the WHY the warriors had done it. He uses the glory of Athens as a unifying tie to every single one of the Athenians, thus envoking their loyalty, passion, and support
ReplyDeleteI mentioned you in my post!
ReplyDeleteP.S: Indeed, a "rigid politician" as you said is highly unlikely to be reelected. That's why I think Pericles said all that he said. In Hecuba's more cynical view (that politicians don't care what they say or do as long as they have the people's good opinion), we could say that Pericles took on these various attributes just to persuade his audience.
I was struggling as I tried to place him in one of the camps, but I think you hit the nail on the head by saying that he was a hybrid, and as a leader he needed to be. I went on to talk about because of this (and other) examinations, he would be very welcomed at socrates' table.
ReplyDeleteYay! Someone else who agrees that he could be part of the Pre-socratics! I also liked what you said on how he skipped the tragedy (Which is surprising considering Greek culture emphasizes the dramatic) and instead transforms the speech in a make-it-or-break-it move into a inspiration for all of the people of Athens. Nice job. :)
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