Athenians Respect For Their Warrior Class example essay topic

We can learn several things from the "Funeral Oration of Pericles". Two of these things are, the Athenians respect for their warrior class and how the Athenians were exceedingly proud of their city and its customs. The Athenians respected the warrior class and placed them among the top members of their society. They were seen as the top portion of their classes.

They are classified as heroes or idols. The Athenians are extremely proud of their city and its traditions. To the people of Athens their country was at the top and there was no other country that could top them off. The purpose of the funeral oration is not only to respect the departed but, but also to instill the citizen's national pride and a passion to fight for Athens. The oration is a eulogy that focuses on the greatness of Athens and her ancestors.

The eulogy is given by a member of the family, in most cases the son. This speech was required by the law to have some necessary components. The speech had to talk about the lives of both the deceased and the ancestors of the deceased. At the end of the eulogy Pericles has told about the soldiers and the ancestors of Athens but it seems that he is not sure if he has been able to get through to the citizens of Athens.

"My task is now finished. I have performed it to the best of my ability, and in words, at least, the requirements of the law are now satisfied". (Thucydides, 109) The speech told the significant life the departed lived and the great things they had achieved. Pericles addresses the public about the soldiers who have just died.

He wants the citizens to remember the soldiers who have died but to forget about the tragedy that has occurred. The soldier's lives should be remembered but not their deaths. The speech reminds Athenians what their ancestors have died for and mournful citizens should be proud they died defending the freedom of their country Athens. The oration also reminds Athenians of their greatness because of the fact that Athenian warriors have more to fight for. Athenian warriors are fighting not only for their country but also for their family, friends and other communities in the city. These warriors have more to lose because they are fighting for everyone in the city.

During this time possessions were incredibly significant. Wars were usually about gaining land and having as much land as possible. Soldiers were not afraid of dying during combat and chose the most "honorable" course of action by fighting boldly and courageously. In this way, Athens was able to accomplish an enormous army and standard of living, without the harsh everyday training found in city-states. Speeches given at funerals would primarily talk about the ancestors of the deceased and the lives they led.

"And if our more remote ancestors deserve praise, much more do our own fathers, who added to their inheritance, the empire that we now process, and spared no pains to be able to leave their acquisitions to us of the present generation". (Thucydides, 105) This quote shows that Pericles wanted to show more about what the warriors had accomplished. Pericles wanted the people to know that they did something significant not because of their ancestors but because of the lives they led and the goals they set for themselves. He did however feel that their ancestors should be given the honor that they deserved. During the war numerous soldiers died. Pericles was selected to speak for the families who had lost an important person in the war.

The speech Pericles gave was not only about his father but also of the others who had died in the battle. Pericles wants to console and raise the spirits of the community who had just lost soldiers who were all respected individuals in their own right. In his tribute to the warriors, Pericles speaks about the country and the democracy they all belonged too. He says that the country produces people that love the country, and will be able to fight for the country and its people. The city will acknowledge people who are different but they need to be able to have a love for the country, as do the Athenians.

The people of Athens would accept foreigners and outsiders into the country but they learned quickly of the pride the Athenians held. However, the struggle they endure is not the same type of struggle other countries bear. Pericles wants the people to know that they are all proud of Athens and that the people will shield their country when necessary. The warriors should be seen as an example of how people living in Athens should live their lives.

These warriors are heroes in their country because they defended their country and were not afraid to die for their country. Warriors will protect their country at all costs because of the love they have. Athenians seem to have set a goal for themselves. Athenians want to love and protect their country in all ways and they want to choose the most honorable way to die.

The most respectable way to die would be in battle. This is because it would show that they fully loved their country. Dying for their country meant that they had completed their goal. "And where the rewards for merit are greatest, there are found the best citizens". (Thucydides, 109).