Thoughts and Reflections on : The Funeral Oration

Katie Taylor, World History Period 6.                                                  January 22, 2014
Thoughts and Reflections On: The Funeral Oration 

By: Thucydidies 

      Each year in Athens at the annual public funeral held in honor of those who were the first to die in battle, a speaker would get up and give a memorial speech to honor the fallen, but this year they had year they had a speaker who believed the dead should be honored by the fact that they had the fought and died for there great city. Different from previous speakers Pericles began to speak of the great and powerful city of Athens. What made him think it was great you ask? Well to start with the government. The Athenians had one of the best and only functioning democracies in the world during this time period and Pericles took great pride in the fact that Athens unlike its neighbors did not steal or copy its form of government from others, but instead was only copied from. He also mentioned that people were not put into power because of social or economic class but were evaluated for their personal abilities in order to be chosen. Although it wasn't entirely true he went on to point out the fact that the under the law all Athenians were equal, which is something we still strive for in our world today. Continuing to talk about law he said that "it commands our deep respect" that the Athenians are aloud to keep private lives private while abiding by the law in all public affairs, making it clear that it was a athenian privilege that enabled them to keep the government out of all their affairs while still keeping peace and order in the city. Pericles then spoke of the great Athenian way of not only obeying written laws and authorities, but also adhering an unspoken sort of honor code and closely following the laws which stopped oppression. Not only did Pericles talk of the government and laws held by the Athenians but he also mentioned that the Athenians had what sounds like a work hard play hard sort of attitude. The people of Athens were able to join in all sorts of sports and activities and also enjoyed all the beauty of the finer things. Next he talks about how Athens was a real place of power in the world and how its great reputation and power established Athens as a trade hub which aloud its people to have access to things from all different regions. Also relating to worldly exposure he talked of how Athens is opened to anyone and rarely even deported people, which would allow the city to have a good amount of diversity. Following that he spoke of their education system. He almost boasted about the fact that the Spartans undergo intense training while the Athenians enjoy life and are just as brave and prepared as the Spartans are for war.

Needless to say Pericles took great pride in his city but if you are wondering why he chose then to express his patriotism, to explain why Pericles chose such a speech instead of a traditional style he said "This, then is the kind of city for which these men, who could not bear the thought of losing her, nobly fought and nobly died. It is only natural that every one of us who survive them should be willing to undergo hardship in her service. And it is for this reason that I have spoken in great lengths about our city".