Midterm Essays

Politics and Rhetoric--5

Rhetoric played a huge role in ancient Greece because of the political system. Every land owner had to fend for himself in court, in politics, and in other speeches. Today, the rhetorical styles of ancient Greece resonate so well with us because of our similar political system. But in ancient Greece, landowners needed more training than we do today. Lawyers were not common, thus ordinary people had to know how to win over a jury. Because of this, many were taught the ways of rhetoric. In fact, the profession of a rhetorician, meaning that you taught rhetoric, was a pretty lucrative profession in those days. Rhetoricians would pose debates in front of potential students to flaunt their skills and increase the number of students they had.

These rhetoricians taught specifically the “encompassing terms,” “persuasive appeals,” “branches of oratory”, and “canons of rhetoric.” These subjects were taught through imitation, analysis, and exercises. Students were taught according to what they would need to succeed in the ancient Greek world. No matter the profession, citizens were expected to know how to persuade others in order to succeed in society.  In ancient Greece’s democracy, all landowners were expected to participate in politics for the betterment of Greece as a whole. In summary, rhetoric played a crucial role in the lives of the citizens because politics was not just left to the politicians; rather, politics was an every-day part of the average Greek landowner’s life!

I'm just glad I'm not here right now. 

Interpreting Greek Speeches--6   

         

A lot has been said already regarding the branches of oratory in Pericles’ funeral oration, and I think there is only one thing that has been established: the branch of oratory the speech fall into is up for debate. Many have claimed that it is purely epideictic, some purely deliberative and even more have claimed that it is a mixture of both. I argue Pericles’ funeral oration is both epideictic and deliberative and let me tell you why.

Epideictic

One of the most important aspects of epideictic oratory is that the orator uses praise. The fact that Pericles praises his country and its citizens is undeniable. He exaggerates this concept of praise so much it is almost irritating: "our city," "our belief," "our empire," "our state," "our power," "our constitution," "our system of government," "our being a model to others," "our deep respect," "our obedience," and "our own real courage and loyalty." These phrases are clearly meant to praise the country as a whole, which in turn, gives the audience a feel of patriotism. Clearly, Pericles meant this speech to be (at least partially) epideictic, after all it is a funeral oration.

Deliberative

One of the most authoritative arguments for the oration to be deliberative is that in Aristotle’s Rhetoric, he quotes this speech while he is explaining deliberative oratory (Aristotle Rhetoric, 158). Aristotle quotes the speech, but that does not mean that the oration is purely deliberative. It does, however, provide a strong case for the speech containing some deliberative aspects. Pericles goes on to use the praise that he has given to his country and fellow citizens as leverage to persuade them to fight for their country. This legislative persuasion regards the future. Deliberative oratory regards the future. This simple syllogism makes perfectly clear that the speech is also deliberative.