Pericles' Topics of Invention

Pericles’ Funeral Oration is chalked full of rhetorical ideals which were systematized by philosophers such as Aristotle. This analysis on Pericles’ ceremonial or epideictic address will focus on only a few of the rhetorical topics of invention put to use in the speech.

A depiction of a Spartan and Athenian soldier.

Comparison

Pericles uses the art of comparison for much of his funeral oration, and to great effect. He compares Athens to Sparta and spring boards from his comparisons to an all-out rally for Athenian pride. The power of the comparisons that Pericles makes come from pointing out the distinct differences from the Spartans to the Athenians and why these differences make the Athenians so much braver than the Spartans that fought in the war. For example Pericles points out how much braver the Athenians are for going to battle without the immense training that the Spartans get to go through. Within his comparisons Pericles also uses the topic of invention of measuring by degrees when he compares the strength of the Athenian armies to those of the Spartans by saying “As a matter of fact, none of our enemies has ever yet been confronted with our total strength, because we have to divide our attention between our navy and the many missions on which our troops are sent on land.”

Testimony

                There are moments where Pericles’ arguably puts this topic of invention to good use, but for the most part I feel that his oration lacks good use of testimony and want to address why using more of it might have strengthened his arguments. The parts that stick out to me where testimony is used is near the end of the speech where he makes reference to the parents of the dead. Although their words aren’t quoted directly Pericles uses them as witnesses to the arguments he makes about courage, war, and Athens. In a roundabout way I feel that he uses Athens as a similar “witness testimony”. At times in his oration Athens becomes more of an entity or individual, strengthening the ideas Pericles presents. This perhaps isn’t the best use of testimony, which is why it might have been better for Pericles to have used proverbs or authoritative testimony to really drive home his exhortation to the living. Through these other means of testimony Pericles could have really strengthened the end of his oration.