Alexander The Great And Persuasion Essay

The Campaigns of Alexander the Great by Arrian is easily comparable to The Funeral Oration of Pericles by Thucydides since these two primary sources exemplify the maximum power of the pre-Roman leaders in antiquity. Alexander the Great and Pericles both had complete authority and admiration of their men, but both likewise encountered troubling periods amongst their men. In the case of Alexander, his kinsmen were far from home, and were questioning why they persisted to fight under, and with, Alexander. Pericles’s people doubted anything they might accomplish about the war in Peloponnese. Throughout their speeches, they possessed the aptitude to persuade. However, Persuasion is the weapon of the orator as the sword is the weapon of the warrior, …show more content…
Speaking to some soldiers, a lot of widows, and a multitude of citizens is the context of Pericles, but Alexander the Great address solely soldiers. Speaking exclusively about the history of Athens, Pericles declares “Our institutions do not emulate the law of others. We do not copy our neighbors: rather, we are an example to them.” This differs from how Alexander reflects on the past since he says, “…he [Phillip]taught you to fight on equal terms with the enemy on your borders, till you knew your safety lay not, as once, in your mountain strongholds, but in your own valor. He made you city-dwellers; he brought you law; he civilized you.” Alexander’s speech reaching into the past, about his father, was a far more generalized speech as his soldiers were men from all over Macedonia, Peloponnese, Greece, Persian, and all of the known world at the time. It was a beautiful tactic as these men did not share the same background not did these men share the same ancestors. Pericles had a very specific history of the Athenian city-state. This speech was also quite impressive because he was addressing the people of Athens specifically so it was intelligent to focus on their specific history. These two men beautifully crafted speeches that catered to their people, warriors or citizens. Furthermore, these speeches, uttered by great, powerful leaders, were fine tuned for a specific goal, and this goal was to regain the trust of his people. It seems that they each gained the trust of their people as the people of Athens continued to fight the martial city-state of Sparta for years to come, and Alexander’s warriors flocked to him after he made the Persian commanders his kinsmen. When in a place of certain failure, these two men were able to regain the respect, faith, and admiration of their