Intro to Greek Life

With reading and analysis of Pericles’ Funeral Oration

From the Peloponnesian war, written down by

Thucydides Believed that history could be understood in

terms of human behavior Examined the human mind in war time Aimed to teach people so that they would avoid

making the same mistakes he witnessed in war. Admirer of Pericles and probably heard him

deliver the annual speech honoring the Athenian war dead in the winter of 430 BC

Historical Background Info

A great statesman of ancient Greece and one

of ten generals during the Peloponnesian War Tried to unite his country under the leadership

of his own city, Athens. Promoted democracy in Athens During his rule, sometimes called The Golden

Age of Greece, many magnificent buildings, including the Parthenon, were built.

Who is Pericles?

431 to 404 BC- an ancient Greek war fought by Athens

and its empire against the Peloponnesian League led by Sparta

Destruction of Athen's fleet at Aegospotami effectively ended the war, and Athens surrendered the following year

Reshaped the ancient Greek world and marked end of the “Golden Age” International relations- Sparta became established as the

leading power of Greece/ economic effects across Greece Greek society- conflict between democratic Athens and

oligarchic Sparta (civil war in Greek world)

What is the Peloponnesian War?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Peloponnesian_war_alliances_431_BC.png

“Greece: The Birthplace of Western

Civilization”

Video

A speech is an oral presentation on an

important issue. The speaker determines the content of the speech by considering the speech’s purpose, the occasion for which it is being given, and the audience to whom it is addressed.

Often include rhetorical techniques such as restatement (repeating an idea in different words) and parallelism (repeating grammatical structures).

Genre

Rhetorical triangle

One form of speech is an oration, a formal

address intended to inspire listeners and incite them to action.

Orators deliver an impassioned appeal to the audience’s religious, moral, or patriotic values.

Classic orations like Pericles’ have seven identifiable parts (see next slide)

Genre

An opening, intended to capture the audience’s attention A narration, or recital of facts An exposition, or definition, of issues to be addressed A proposition to clarify the issues and state the speaker’s

purpose A confirmation to address arguments for and against the

proposition A confutation, or refutation, to disprove opposing arguments A conclusion, or epilogue, to summarize arguments and stir

listeners

**We will notice how Pericles develops his oration using these techniques**

7 parts of an oration

Pericles’ speech reveals the values and

attitudes of Athenian society. (Example): When he says, “the greatest glory of

a woman is to be least talked about by men, whether they are praising you or criticizing you,” he reveals women’s inferior status in that society.

What other passages reveal Athenian’s cultural attitudes? (watch for this!)

Cultural Connection

Incredulous Manifold Tangible Consummation Culmination Commiserate

Vocabulary to know..

Ancient Athens…

“Ancient Greece: The Democracy of Athens,

500 BC” “Living in Ancient Greece” “Golden Age of Ancient Greece: Daily Life”

Video Clips

The city of Athens during the classical period of Ancient Greece (508–322 BC) was

a notable polis (city-state) of Attica, leading the Delian League in the Peloponnesian War against Sparta and the Peloponnesian League.

Athenian democracy was established in 508 BC under Cleisthenes following the tyranny of Hippias. This system remained remarkably stable, and with a few brief interruptions remained in place for 180 years, until 322 BC.

The peak of Athenian leadership was achieved in the 440s to 430s BC, known as the Age of Pericles, or the Golden Age.

In the classical period, Athens was a center for the arts, learning and philosophy, home of Plato's Akademia and Aristotle's Lyceum, Athens was also the birthplace of Socrates, Pericles, Sophocles, and many other prominent philosophers, writers and politicians of the ancient world.

It is widely referred to as the cradle of Western Civilization, and the birthplace of democracy, largely due to the impact of its cultural and political achievements during the 5th and 4th centuries BC on the rest of the then known European continent.

Classical Athens

Balanced between military and leisure time Cultivate the mind Doesn't show off wealth Participates in both the private life and public life Can judge sound public policy Can converse of issues to determine a course of action Thinking before action Reflect on actions Friends not made based on favors Adapts with grace Believes in truth and fact Fair treatment to the vanquished Patriotic Courageous

Characteristics of a Greek Citizen:

Who(speaker): Pericles, the central figure of the Golden

Age of Ancient Athens, a gifted statesmen and talented military commander who led Athens in the second Peloponnesian War before his death from plague.

Audience: Athenians (citizens) What/purpose: After Athenian casualties in war, he

delivered a speech in honor of the fallen When: 431 ,shortly after the Peloponnesian War had

broken out Where: Athens, Greece Why: to commemorate those troops who had already

fallen in battle

Funeral speech

Central theme: the idea that the Athenians are able to put

aside their petty wants and strive for the greater food of the city Bound together by bonds of mutual trust and a shared desire

for freedom, the people of Athens submit to the laws and obey the public officials bot because they have to, but because they want to.

Citizens were able to adapt to situations, rise to challenges, were clever, tolerant, and open-minded.

Pericles relates the special qualities of the Athenians, redefining many traditional Greek virtues in a radical new light.

New ideal of the Greek world

Funeral Speech

Purpose: We will be analyzing the speech

with the purpose of trying to discover what Pericles considered to be the outstanding political characteristics of Athenian democracy in the 5th century BC, during the Athenian Golden Age.

What were the main features of Athenian democracy according to

Pericles?

Intro: states purpose (what is the purpose)

Structure