Patriotism Elevated by Death

History

I love what James said in his post regarding being American. I too couldn’t help but notice the American ideologies expressed in the Funeral Oration of Pericles. “Our system of government does not copy the institutions of our neighbors” (line 27, page 73). “When our work is over, we are in a position to enjoy all kinds of recreation for our spirits” (4, 74). “We, when we launch an attack abroad, do the job by ourselves and, though fighting on foreign soil, do not often fail to defeat opponents who are fighting for their own hearths and homes” (21, 74). “The worst thing is to rush into action before the consequences have been properly debated” (7, 74). Thucydides stated in the beginning that “similar events would occur in the future if the same causes are present” (71). It seems obvious to me that the same can be said of patriotism if I can read a speech intended for ancient greeks and think of my present day country.  

Rhetoric

Through recognizing the historical similarities between ancient Greece and present day America (specifically in regards to ideology) I feel it necessary to comment on the magnificent persuasive power of patriotism. The fact that Pericles purposefully begun his speech by appealing to patriotism, that pride of country carried me to the end of the speech. In the middle of his speech, he made questionable statements such as: having more children makes up for the death of one or that the “greatest glory of a woman is to be least talked about by men” (8, 78). (Macey R. has a different interpretation of this quote that is quite interesting.)Though I personally did not agree with those statements, because he successfully utilized rhetoric to convince me to be a team player and embrace the community ideals, I was able to disregard such comments that went against my personal beliefs.

Philosophy

In consideration of the philosophy presented in this speech, I completely agree with Macey R. Not only did Pericles use his speech praising dead men to elevate Athens, he used such a speech to also elevate himself. We learn from the text that Pericles stands on a high platform. Not only is this a means of projection, but I also believe this is a sophist action alluding to their belief of being more knowledgeable than everyone else and thus superior. Furthermore, some of the language was so loaded that it distracted from the men being honored and guided the audience’s attention to the man speaking. This type of performance truly is character of a sophist. 

A look into the life of an Athenian

History
Athens is known today for having a strong emphasis on war and showing their dominance through fighting.and conquer their foe repeatedly. Adam explained how bringing up the Spartans as their enemies they had just fought in war raised their morale, which is clearly evident when Pericles explained that Spartans come with allies to try and invade Athens, while Athenians go onto foreign lands with a portion of their entire army, and conquer their foe repeatedly, but I think there is more to this than boosting their morale. Their culture brought out a deep hatred and opposition between the Athenians and the Spartans. Their hatred for the Spartans united their community at a time of mourning because they honored and respected the men who fought and lost their lives defending their city-states.

Rhetoric
While I was reading this epideictic oratory, I kept thinking about how it would either include "blame or praise." Pericles repeatedly praised the men who they were honoring at the ceremony. One example of this is when he states "happiness depends on being free, and freedom depends on being courageous." He attributes the happiness of the city and their citizens to the courage that the warriors exemplified in the Peloponnesian War. Because he brings attention the those who they are honoring, and gives praise to them, it adds to his ethos. The citizens are more apt to listening to him, and agree with what he is saying because they connect with his perception of the warriors.

Philosophy
I think that Thucydides' history is categorized under the pre-Socrates era of philosophy because he transfers the oral rhetoric of Pericles into a written rhetoric. This exemplifies the philosophers during this era's desire to take abstractions and make logos and sense out of them. He also writes this epideictic oratory to show what Pericles would have said based on his speaking style and the occasion. In this instance he is trying to quantify and pin point how he spoke, thus characterizing Pericles, which is another thing that the philosophers emphasized.

Hybrids Survive

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.  

Don't Cry for Me Athens

Historical Happenings

Thucydides intent for writing this history of Pericles’ Funeral Oration was to prevent future mistakes from occurring again.  He was concerned with accuracy and only recorded events that he had seen personally or had heard the perspectives of many in relation to that event.  He was concerned with recording that which was closest to be reality.  Although what a speaker may have said could be biased, Thucydides wanted the history to be what the speaker had actually spoken.  It seems that Thucydides was starting the process of making histories and trying to make sense of the differing opinions of many to help those in the future.

Establishing Ethos

Pericles speech caught me off guard a little.  He speaks much of the city in the beginning and not of the fallen soldiers.  He spends the majority of the speech reflecting on the grandeur of the city.  But as he speaks of the city he builds up the pride of those in the audience who pertain to this remarkable city.  This is one way that he begins to gain ethos.  Who doesn’t like to hear something good about himself?  Then he uses the city to connect to the soldiers.  It was their knowledge of the importance of this city that gave them courage. 

Pericles' Philosophy

But was Pericles doing what was morally correct while he praised Athens and its inhabitants?  He uses their emotions to encourage them to have more children.  Doesn’t that seem a little out of place for a eulogy?  I would say that Pericles was a Sophist because he wasn’t focused on the morals of the war but in encouraging them to be superior.  I disagree with Alexander that Pericles was seeking for truth because his “truth” seemed very biased to the side of Athens.  We have to consider both sides to arrive at truth.  When it comes down to it, killing may not be what is morally correct.   

Assignment: Analysis of Pericles' Funeral Oration

Pericles led Athens at the height of its classical glory, and from the funeral oration he gave, as recorded by Thucydides, we get a sense of how the Athenians thought of themselves, as well as the role that public speaking played in their culture.

I'd like my students to read the funeral oration of Pericles and analyze this as history, as rhetoric, and as philosophy. In a blog post of about 300-400 words, they are to spend about 100-150 words commenting on each of these three areas.

To encourage learning from one another, as well as the avoidance of duplication, each post should make explicit reference to and link to at least one other student's analysis. Rather than seeing multiple students make very similar points, I'd like to see students refining or even challenging one another's analyses. (Whoever posts earliest has some advantage, but they might also need to return and update what they say so that they can also refer to others' posts).

1. History
Consider any of the following approaches in doing a brief historical analysis.

• What does this speech reveal about Greek civilization? For example, in the picture above one can see a sculptor pausing from his work to listen to Pericles. From this one can infer the value of the arts to the Greeks. What can be inferred from the "picture" given of Greek life by Pericles in his speech? 
• What does this document reveal in terms of history as a genre of writing at that time? What was worth recording, and why do you think Thucydides chose the methods he used?
• Consider history as a genre of rhetoric, and analyze Thucydides' rhetoric (audience, intention, kairos, style, arrangement, etc.)
• Do some brief research on 5th century Athens or on the Peloponnesian war. Use this to give a better setting or sense of kairos for the next category of analysis: rhetoric.

2. Rhetoric

Use any of the following in doing a brief rhetorical analysis

• Picking up off the last suggestion from history, how does the additional historical information you researched help us better understand the kairos for Pericles' oration?
• Analyze Pericles' speech as epideictic oratory.
• Analyze the arrangement of his speech. What significance is there to the order in which the ideas were given? 
• How does Pericles establish his ethos within the speech?
• What are some of the topics of invention he uses. Are these what you'd expect for the occasion?
• Can you point to any schemes or tropes or any specific figures of speech (see the right column of Silva Rhetoricae) in his oration and say what their effect is?

3. Philosophy
We have recently reviewed basic ideas from three groups of philosophers in ancient Greece: the Pre-Socratics, the Socratics, and the Sophists. Review your notes, and then consider the following: How can one relate any of those philosophical schools, or the individual concepts of specific philosophers, to the speech by Pericles? Consider any of these approaches:

• How does Thucydides' history or Pericles' speech (or both) represent Greek rationality?
• Argue that Pericles would meet with the approval or disapproval of one of these three groups of philosophers, or of any one philosopher whose ideas we have covered.
• Use an aspect of the speech as a way of illustrating one of the ideas of one of these philosophers.
• How might one of the philosophers we reviewed have approached the speaking task differently than did Pericles? (or approached the historical task differently than did Thucydides)?
• If you don't feel you have enough of a grasp on these philosophical schools or concepts, then as an alternative, consider Pericles' speech in light of Greek drama. Is Pericles an actor, using the tools or approach of the theater? If Euripides transformed the speech into a play, how might this be approached? 

Be sure to divide your post into three sections corresponding to these instructions, and to limit the overall length to 300-400 words.