Download Sample Historical Text Analysis: Pericles`s Funeral Oration

WRITING SAMPLE – Historical Text Analysis
Asad Uddin
2014
Pericles’s Funeral Oration is considered to be one of the most memorable speeches in
human history. His speech not only gives a tribute to Athens’s fallen warriors, who perished
away during the Peloponnesian War, but also gives a tribute to the democracy of Athens as a
whole. Because it was Athenian tradition to give commemoration to fallen warriors in the midst
of a military conflict, Pericles also took advantage of utilizing this speech for an ulterior agenda:
the oration was also Pericles’s way of drumming up public support for his campaign as a
political leader. In the excerpts, Pericles appeals to the people of Athens through persuasive
skills involving pathos, logos, and ethos.
This oration was given annually to mourn fallen Athenian warriors, but what was
interesting about the oration spoken by Pericles was that he used this event to glorify the nation
of Athens – and, in effect, the fallen warriors – as a testament to how the nation was the greatest
mankind has ever known. This attitude is reflected by Pericles stating that “Our constitution does
not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are not rather a pattern to others than imitators
ourselves.” This demonstrated that Athens is a model for other countries, and, essentially, the
world. Indeed, its influence among the world is notable due to it establishing the first known
concept of government known as “Democracy”. Pericles utilizes a mix of pathos and ethos to
drive home this particular point as to how Athens excels in this regard compared to other nations.
The speech itself is acutely structured, with Pericles opening his speech by giving a brief
overview of the history of Athens, describing how his ancestors before him built the state he
lives in, and ending the speech with acknowledgement of the fallen warriors. He also describes
how and why Athens is a glorious state that would last forever. This talk of state building also
includes military prowess – which any outsider would probably consider too boastful on
Pericles’s part – stating how Athenian military is superior to that of Sparta. However, through
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WRITING SAMPLE – Historical Text Analysis
Asad Uddin
2014
the usage of ethos (or his credibility as a general), he specifically mentioned key evidence to
assert Athena’s military prowess. Pericles stated that “At Athens we live exactly as we please,
and yet just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger,” where he showed that even with
enemies using fully-sized armies to attack Athens, the city-state only needs to use half of its
military to stave off danger. He further cites that “the Lacedaemonians [Spartans] do not invade
our country alone, but bring with them all their confederates; while we Athenians advance
unsupported into the territory of a neighbor and fighting upon a foreign soil usually vanquish
with ease men who are defending their homes.” He places emphasis on mentioning that the
military of Athens goes into these territories with only “a fraction of our strength.” As a general
at the time, Pericles was utilizing a mixture of pathos and ethos to appeal to the pride of the
people of Athens on its military might (or from another perspective, its imperialistic strength).
By building up this appeal, he accomplishes establishing the tone for how he mourns the dead,
and how he sets the “public agenda” for Athens. Pericles stated that the hardships the Athenians
faced is tackled “in the hour of need as fearlessly as those who are never free from them.” The
conclusion at the end of the excerpt exemplified the warriors’ commitments to preserving the
democracy and empire of Athens. Pericles used the warrior’s sacrifice to point out another trait
that Athenians exceled in: duty to the nation. He pointed out that the warriors' sacrifice is not
simply about honor or glory, but for the greater good of the nation. Duty to the country is a trait
that the nation came to expect from all of the people, living or deceased. Pericles emphasized this
by saying, “Every one of their survivors be ready to suffer in [the goddess Athena’s] cause.”
Because of the strong messages Pericles mentioned, this speech pioneered the concept of
nationalism (having large pride for one’s country, and believing that the country is the best in the
world, to a point that one would die patriotically to preserve the country). It is a concept that
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WRITING SAMPLE – Historical Text Analysis
Asad Uddin
2014
politicians utilizes daily to obtain the votes of the American people, as it is a trait that Americans
today have at some level (though not necessarily to the extreme like the Athenian people).
Because Athens contains a democratic system of government, it is a government ruled by
the people, with laws and legislation debated by the people. The laws are carried out and
enforced by magistrates and administrators, with Pericles citing “Its administration favors the
many instead of the few; this is why it’s called a democracy.” Pericles also mentioned a person’s
economic status does not prohibit them from becoming a statesman, and hence why there was no
ruling of the people by an elite group. This mentality derives from a train of thought pioneered
by the Greek philosopher Aristotle, who looked down upon the concept of oligarchy. Although
what Pericles described is accurate for male citizens, this was certainly not the case for female
citizens. In the speech not covered by the excerpts, he bluntly described the role that women play
during the Peloponnesian War (and in Athenian society), equating them to simply being breeders
of children. However, Pericles stated that this system of government is all kept together, saying
that “Against this fear [of lawless citizens] is our chief safeguard, teaching us to obey the
magistrates and the laws, particularly such as regard the protection of the injured…” What
Pericles described just now was Aristotle’s idea about the evolution of humanity reaching the
status of the “polis,” or state. The point that Pericles made about how everyone respects the
security and law of Athens is a predecessor to Locke & Rousseau’s theory of Social Contract, of
which all forms of modern day governments rely on to create order for its citizens.
As for the life in 5th century Athens, Pericles boasted many aspects of life in Athens, such
as how it is very open to trade and culture to foreigners, including being open for educational
opportunity for outsiders, even if the “the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our
liberality.” According to Pericles, the Athenians can generally live free to do as they please, so
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WRITING SAMPLE – Historical Text Analysis
Asad Uddin
2014
long as their behavior does not cause any public disturbances. He explicitly stated, “Far from
exercising a jealous surveillance over each other, we do not feel called upon to be angry with our
neighbor for doing what he likes, or even to indulge in those injurious looks which cannot fail to
be offensive, although they inflict no positive penalty.” In terms of generosity, Athenians look to
making friends by “conferring not by receiving favors [in the form of a bribe],” and that they
place emphasis on disgracing those not struggling to fight against poverty. Pericles even used the
fact that Athens is a center of the arts, citing Homer as a notable author. Pericles’s view of
Athens regarding the arts is that the nation is a pinnacle of the arts and humanities, which inspire
the world. He used pathos heavily here to compliment the grace of the Athenian people.
All of the major points that Pericles presents to the Athenian people are delivered based
upon his heavy usage of pathos, logos, and ethos. The speech is a testament to Pericles as an
orator, motivator, and a general who understands the culture and inner workings of Athens. Not
only did he bring honor to the fallen warriors’ deeds of sacrificing for the greater good, Pericles
also masterfully furthered his own agenda to appeal to the pride of the people, utilizing the
funeral oration as a secondary campaign platform. He brought a twist on mourning the dead, not
by actually mourning such losses, but actually glorifying their deaths for a greater good that
brings honor to the Athenian people. Whether or not his points about Athenian society are
accurate is benign at best, for the way he delivers his speech may have been exaggerated to begin
with since he was utilizing rhetoric to secure votes from the Athenian audience (even though
there are points he made that was true, such as the military prowess). The romanticized view he
presents about Athens in the funeral oration is highly accepted by the Athenian people, and a
textbook example to inspiring a group of people to action.
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