Analysis Of Pericles's Funeral Speech: The Ideal Of Athens

Improved Essays
The ideal of Athens centers on its community, one of the most important is Liberty, Democracy, Education and Law. This society had several values based on believes that the aristocracy that is different and superior from the rest of the habitants was the aristocracy with more privileges and could have more power of decision among the others. Citizens could gather and form an assembly to participate in decisions for the whole community. Athens is a city encountered in Greece, and one of their most significant governors is Pericles. His funeral speech stated some of the values and ideals of the Athenian society. Athenian citizens have a very common characteristic that determine their passion for their empire. Citizens show proudness of being …show more content…
Citizens were allowed to bring anything to their tombs, and someone was chosen to give a speech in honor of the first men that died in combat. A famous speech that prevails in history is Pericles’s Speech. In this speech, he states several characteristics of the Ideals of Athens in the economy, education, and passion for being part of the Athenian army. He demonstrates that the every individual that is part of the population of Athens can take care of public and private decisions for the society as a whole. He presented a connection between the government and citizens and showed them as the unique body that ruled in Athens. Citizens were allowed to interfere with the laws that the private body of Athens created. These laws recognize the rights of the persons and evaluate the role of each. The system presented is called democracy, and for it to be sustained, every citizen had to participate. This participation was a law for the entire community, and it guarantees equal rights for every individual. Pericles’s explained how secure they are because they emphasize their army, and as they live how they want, they will be very fortified against any other

Related Documents

  • Decent Essays

    Unlike neighboring cities, Athens “executes favors” to others because of its self-assurance of progressiveness. He is confident of Athens’ prosperity. Pericles makes it point to make Athens stand out from neighboring states which favor only the few, Athens democracy favor the equal treatment of all it citizens. Pointing out its willing generosity is one way he underscores its importance. 2.…

    • 287 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pericles Funeral Oration

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Pericles describes Athens as a democracy, he states “It’s administration favors the many instead of a few; this is why it is called a democracy.” Pericles sees Athens as being…

    • 687 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Standing in front of the grieving Athenian people, Pericles must address the democratic nation in a way which will build up the comminuted and avoid isolating any one individual. In order to build up the democratic city, Pericles avoids praising the heroism of the fallen soldiers, but rather explores the notion of what it means to die for Athens. To pinpoint what it means to be Athenian citizen Pericles states, “In short, I say, that as a city we are the school of Hellas… for Athens alone of her contemporaries is found when tested to be greater than her reputation” (Quote). Through describing Athens as the school of Hellas, Pericles implies Athens exist as the center of democracy were opportunities to learn are bountiful and living as an Athenian citizen offers one the best opportunity to reach full capacity in knowledge and become apart of the best civilization in the world. Through discussing the achievements of Athens, Pericles builds up the community spirits through making them…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Funeral orations are usually consisting of praises and admirations to the people who passed away. However, there were two famous funeral orations that not only praised the people who sacrificed, also gave an important inspiration about democracy and equality. Both Pericles’ funeral oration and President Lincoln’s Gettysburg address were spoken for the soldiers who died in the battlefield. Moreover, many people claimed Lincoln imitates the ideas of Pericles’ funeral oration. Nevertheless, both orations show a great influence in the history of literature, and also provide significant inspiration for current readers.…

    • 639 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Although Athens was ruled by tyrants for many years, Cleisthenes was able to break that chain through his unique way of thinking. Cleisthenes believed that relief of oppression by the government, prevention of tyranny, and people’s participation and contribution to the community were essential in the process of turning a corrupted Greek government system into a democratic society. Cleisthenes was raised to be an aristocrat, but he did not think like the rest. Athenian people suffered under the rule of tyrant leaders, people’s economic conditions dropped constantly. During Hippias’ ruling period, Cleisthenes observed how the Athenian government used its power unjustly and oppressively against its own people.…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    What Pericles is trying to accomplish in his speech, was solace. He wanted to emphasis how great Athens was and that it was because of men like the fallen that Athens was as great as it was. He wanted the families and friends to be comforted by the fact that their loved one had not died for nothing. They died with honor fighting for a great country so it could remain a great country. The Athenian traits and values that Pericles singled out for praise were many.…

    • 167 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Was ancient Athens truly democratic ? To say about how Athens was more of a democratic civilization, it was not because of how most things that certain people are allowed to do in the city it was because there was not much laws and our order between one another. but between the democracy and the city of Athens it was not so secure about their laws or order because of how most people were citizens at some weren’t because of how they were born in the city with their parent but their parents came to Athens as uncivilized people. But in order to be a citizen there in Athens you would have to be born there and also your parents to be from there as also to be able to have law and order in the population of the city. Also as of how men had more…

    • 407 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    According to McWhorter, “Democracy, equality, complete freedom of thought and of speech may not have been responsible for such brilliant manifestations of the Athenian spirit, but such manifestations would have been impossible without this freedom”25. Pericles was essentially the unofficial ruler of Athens from 461 B.C.E. to 428 B.C.E., when he died. The Assembly looked to Pericles for guidance in important affairs, however, although he held various offices during this time, none of them gave him the authority that he had. He had a tremendous ability to influence the Assembly26. This time, known as the “Age of Pericles” was “...one of the [most] brilliant, enlightened periods of all times”27.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Menaldo states “Pericles style of speaking, rhetorical ability, and preference for rational explanation, became well settled in him on account of his great natural genius. His preference for rationality over customs, omens and divinations made its way into his policy proposals….Pericles Olympian loftiness, composure, calmness, and even the composure that characterized his tone of voice, present the embodiment of a political leader who derived his authority through his self-command and persuasive speech. As the leading citizen of his time, Pericles greatly affected the life of the average citizen in democratic Athens. Pericles’ character, public manner, intelligence, and rhetoric ability were all important to his political success.”…

    • 1411 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In his funeral oration, Pericles speaks of the intangible qualities that make Athens great, beyond their simple military might. He talks about how the Athenians treat other peoples and says “when we do kindnesses to others, we do not do them out of any calculations of profit or loss: we do them without afterthought, relying on our free liberality” (Thucydides 2.41). Pericles believes that every decision does not have to be made out of selfishness. According to this philosophy, one can and should show mercy merely because one has the ability to do so. The fundamental reason Pericles holds this position is because he views the world through the lense of self governance.…

    • 1236 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    After the Peloponnesian War and throughout his Funeral Oration speech, he talks to the people of Athens about the importance how the citizens need to have public spiritedness. He also talks to the people about how incredible necessary for them to live the nation, not just themselves. Pericles states, “An Athenian citizen does not neglect the state, because he take care of his household” (Pericles 18). He goes on to describe that a person who does not show any act of action within public, is useless and that all people are the judges of policy. Pericles also focus on with public spiritedness, it’s about the nation and its expansion into becoming something…

    • 1244 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Roman & Athenian civilizations were truly legends in our world’s history the reinvented the meaning of the word: “society”. In earlier civilizations, the people were treated as lowly subjects, having no rights or responsibilities. By the 6th century the concept that people would actually have a say in the government and take on responsibilities towards the country had emerged. Rome and Athens were among the first societies to practice the “citizenship”. However, the framework and guidelines that the two civilizations followed were very different.…

    • 983 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Pericles is a fearless leader. The dictionary defines a leader as a person who leads. A leader also is a guiding or directing head, as of an army or political group. Pericles successfully lead a military, built a a democracy, and built many cultural projects. With all of his successes, 446 to 429 BC, have been called the Age of Pericles.…

    • 712 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Persian War Essay

    • 1039 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Many Athenians were in the plays, that taught the people “Human experience” (Page 120). When Xerxes burned down the Acropolis, it left the Athenians the opportunity to embrace their confidence. Hollister explains how because of Athens imperialism, they were able to build a new Acropolis and represent the classical ideal. Through sculptors, Athens was able to show of their wealth by having Phidias place large gold, ivory statues in the open for ships to see. Hollister explains how the sculptors express the idea of men not having individual problems an how they were ideally proportional.…

    • 1039 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Western civilization, as we know it today, is far from being wholly original. The culture of the Greeks has provided one of the earliest foundations for future societies to base their own culture on; it’s a culture that we have adopted and modified. The importance of taking a look at Greek society lies in the fact that it shows significance for modern issues such as politics, the importance of critical thinking, and influence on architecture. This paper will speak on these three points, giving a brief background and then explaining modern day significance. One aspect of society that people may take for granted is an organized form of community with a common culture.…

    • 1129 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays