“MourningAthena” Thucydides

Thucydides II

Peithō in Crisis

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Was democracy stasis?

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Agenda

• It Ain’t So• Epideictic and the Rhetoric of Response

• Thucydides 2• Concepts, Lenses, Readings

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It Ain’t So

Epideictic and the Rhetoric of Response

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ddx8t6zGWxA

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Terms

epideixis:“demonstration”

epideictic genre:praise/censure displaying skill

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Epitaphic topoi

The speaker’s challenge“May I find the power to say what I wish! May I find the wish to say what I must!”

cf. Thuc. 2.35.1

Loss“. . . though they have died, the loss we feel has not.”

cf. Pericles’ Samian Epitaphios

The good death“their trophy of triumph, their gift to the god — the sacrifice of themselves.”

cf. Thuc. 2.43.1

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Gorgianic Figures

Basic concept• Colon

• rhetorical unit

Word repetition• Anaphora

• colon beginning

• Antistrophe• colon end

• Anastrophe• end/beginning

Other figures• Antithesis

• contrast

• Homoioteleuton• end rhyme

• Isocolon/parisosis• same/similar-length

successive cola

• Paronomasia• word play

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Our epideixis..

Babies, the other, other white meat. We live in a time of overpopulation, we die in a time of great starvation.

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Thucydides 2

Concepts, Lenses, Readings

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Timeline

431 War begins.

430-426 Plague.

428-427 Revolt of Mytilene, stasis at Corcyra.

421 Peace of Nicias.

416 Melian debate, conquest of Melos.

415 Sicilian Debate, Expedition.

412 Board of Probouloi (10).

411-410 Oligarchic coup, politeia, democratic restoration.

404 Athens’ defeat, 2nd oligarchic coup

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Concepts

• “Truthiness,” “truth that comes from

the gut”

• Foundationalism The “noble simplicity”

• versus Spin & revalorization

• Sophistic ethics• Law of nature• Right of the stronger

• (Counter-)rhetoric• captatio benevolentiae• demophilia topos

• Stasis

and persuasion?

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Lenses

• Despotic/oligarchic democracy? (Michels)“The preponderant elements of the movement, the men who lead and nourish it, end by undergoing a gradual detachment from the masses and are attracted within the orbit of the ‘political class’ ” (Political Parties)

• Charismatic democracy? (Weber)“… devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him” (Economy and Society)

• Pragmatic democracy? (Finley)Democracy’s “substantive promises”: “what counts is that the people expected results and at times, sometimes for long periods, felt satisfied with them” (Ancient History)

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“Fragility of Goodness”Plague Description

• Plague as “too severe for human nature” (48)

• “The pleasure of the moment . . . [was] set up as … nobility” (49-50)

Stasis description

• “War is a violent teacher” (90)

• “And they reversed the usual way of using words to evaluate activities” (90)

• “Simplicity, which is the chief cause of a generous spirit, was laughed down” (92)

concepts

lenses

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. . . and Melian Debate

“Nature (phusis) always compels gods (we believe) and men (we are certain) to rule over anyone they can control. We did not

make this law (nomos), . . . but . . . will take it as we found it. . . .”

(Thucydides 3.38.4, p. 68)

concepts

lenses

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Erōs, logos

• Plague• “The pleasure of the

moment . . . [was] set up as [a standard] of nobility and usefulness" (50)

• Mytilenean Debate• CLEON: Athenians as

rhetoric-addicts• DIODOTUS: “Hope and

passionate desire (erōs) . . . dominate every situation” (73)

• Stasis Description• “The cause of all this was

the desire to rule out of avarice and ambition” (93)

• Sicilian Debate• NICIAS: “Do not be sick . . .

with yearning (erōs) for what is not here” (116)

• HISTORIAN’S ANALYSIS: “Now everyone alike fell in love (erōs enepese) with the enterprise” (122)

concepts

lenses

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Antix-Rhetorical Rhetoric?Cleon

• “The habits you’ve formed: why you merely look on at discussions, and real action is only a story to you!” (68)

Diodotus

• “The most difficult opponents are those who also accuse one of putting on a rhetorical show (epideixis) for a bribe” (71)

concepts

lenses

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“Gorgianic” Cleon (Thuc. 3.38.4)

Figures:parisosis (closely balanced clauses)

antithesis (contrast)homoioteleuton (end rhyme)

oxymoron (ironic non-sequitur)

eiōthate theatai men tōn logōn gignesthai,

akroatai de tōn ergōn,

“and LISTENERS TO DEEDS”

“you are accustomed to being VIEWERS OF WORDS”

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