Pericles, Funeral Oration

“For myself, I should have thought that the worth which had displayed itself in deeds, would be sufficiently rewarded by honors also shown by deeds; such as you now see in this funeral prepared at the people’s cost. And I could have wished that the reputations of many brave men were not to be imperiled in the mouth of a single individual, to stand or fall according as he spoke well or ill.”

Here, Pericles presents himself as humble, using the rhetoric of false modesty to suggest that he might not be adequate to the task assigned to him. However, this sets the stage for his framing of the fallen soldiers of Athens as heroes defined by their courageous actions and sacrifice for their superior nation.

“Our constitution does not copy the laws of neighboring states; we are rather a pattern to others than imitators ourselves. Its administration favors the many instead of the few; this is why it is called a democracy. If we look at the laws, they afford equal justice to all in their private differences; if to social standing, advancement in public life falls to reputation for capacity, class considerations not being allowed to interfere with merit; nor again does poverty bar the way, if a man can serve the state, he is not hindered by the obscurity of his condition.”

This is the first mention of how being Athenian sets the listeners apart from other Greeks. Pericles presents Athens as superior to other Hellenic city-states. He presents the government and constitution of Athens as a unique democracy and attempts to persuade that crowd that only in Athens can a poor or lower-class man hope to become part of the political power elite. This is possible because power there is of the people, not of the state.

“If we turn to our military policy, there also we differ from antagonists. We throw open our city to the world, and never by alien acts exclude foreigners from any opportunity of learning or observing, although the eyes of an enemy may occasionally profit by our liberality; trusting less in system and policy than to the native spirit of our citizens; while in education, where our rivals from their very cradles by a painful discipline seek after manliness, at Athens we live exactly as we please, and yet are just as ready to encounter every legitimate danger.”

These lines present another idealized view of the greatness of identifying as an Athenian. Athens is presented as a welcoming, open city-state that offers both freedom and opportunity, even at the risk of being occasionally taken advantage of by outsiders. Pericles extols the virtues of Athens to intensify his listeners’ patriotic sentiments.