The use of speeches in history, though not always historically accurate, is very powerful. Speeches make the reader feel included, so the immediacy of the speech can make the audience feel as if they are in the time frame of that speech. Listening to a great leader is something people still do today, and the use of speeches in history helps the listener put his or herself in the place of that people- essentially feeling what they feel. Herodotus was a military commander before he was exiled and therefore knew how Demaratus and Xerxes would have spoken to each other. In the speech by Herodotus, Xerxes asks Demaratus how the Greeks would defend themselves against his attack, and Demaratus asks him if he would like “a true answer… or merely an
