Thucydides: Pericles' Funeral Oration One Essay

One of the main reasons for which Pericles chooses Athens to be reference to those that have just died is that of glorifying the dead by attributing the general image of greatness associated with Athens. By promoting an ideology like democracy, one influences people in trusting their own powers and the power of independence and equality as a whole. Pericles's stand in the general context proves that he feels compassion for the people of Athens and that he identifies with each of the individuals who had lost someone dear in the conflict that took place in the area.

In spite of Pericles' dedication to Athens and its people, the fact that he puts across concepts that are obviously exaggerated leads to the assumption that one of his main intentions was to get people's attention away from the war and of the risks related to it. Pericles relates to Athens as being a "prize," thus directly referring to the fact that it was in danger of being lost to another body. The public was obviously scared, as a lot of Athenians had died in the war and many of those alive were also exposed and in danger of losing their lives in the conflict.The Athenian orator's constant allusions to the glory of Athens can easily be identified as a mean to have people think that the nation will surely win in the ongoing war.

Pericles' speech was principally meant to improve conditions in the Athenian camp, as conditions were critical and Athenians had apparently lost their trust in victory. The Athenian orator did not hesitate to relate to Athens' greatness, even with the fact that it had been but a memory of what it once was......