#15 - Close Read Annotations "Pericles Funeral Oration (Thucydides)

Students will annotate the Pericles speech for all of the following items below.

Paragraph 1

Topic: Reluctance to speak

Devices: Ethos, Shift

Comprehension: Why does Pericles think a speech might actually harm the dead?

Higher-level: How does starting with reluctance make the rest of his praise more believable?

Paragraph 2

Topic: Ancestors, Fathers, and the Present City

Devices: Structure, Logos, and Audience

Comprehension: Whom does he honor before he praises the men being buried?

Higher-level: Why praise the city’s way of life before praising the dead?

Paragraph 3

Topic: Democracy, Merit, Freedom, and Law

Devices: Antithesis (equality/merit), Definition of Democracy, and Logos

Comprehension: What two things does Pericles say exist together in Athens: equal justice and what else?

Higher-level: How can a city claim both equality before the law and special honor for the excellent? Does his argument hold?

Paragraph 4 

Topic: Games, Homes, and the Goods of the World

Devices: Pathos and Contrast with "The Raven"

Comprehension: What everyday comforts does Pericles say Athens provides?

Higher-level: Why mention games and beautiful homes in a funeral speech?

Paragraph 5 

Topic: Military character versus Sparta

Devices: Antithesis, Logos, and Ethos

Comprehension: How does Pericles say Athenian training differs from that of their enemies?

Higher-level: What claim is he making about the relationship between freedom and courage?

Paragraph 6

Topic: Courage, Discussion, Friendship; Athens as “school of Hellas”

Devices: Antithesis, Definition of True Bravery, Shift, Thematic Topic Legacy, and Contrast with "The Raven" (“Nevermore”)

Comprehension: What does Pericles mean by calling Athens “the school of Hellas”?

Higher-level: Why does he say Athens does not need Homer? What does that do to the audience?

Paragraph 7 

Topic: The city as proof of the dead.

Devices: Logos, Definition of a “good death” as the seal of a life., and Contras with "The Raven" (unresolved grief)

Comprehension: According to Pericles, how has he already praised the dead before he names their actions?

Higher-level: Is it fair to treat a man’s death as the “true measure” of his worth? What does that definition leave out?

Paragraph 8 

Topic: How they met death?

Devices: Parallelism (wealth and poverty, dishonor vs standing fast, and fear vs glory), Antithesis, and Pathos

Comprehension: What two conditions (wealth and poverty) does Pericles say did not stop these men?

Higher-level: How does “they ran away from the word of dishonor” define courage as a relationship to reputation, not only to danger?

Paragraph 9 

Topic: Charge to the living; “the whole earth is the tomb”

Devices: Pathos + Command, Metaphor (tomb = ______), Chain of definitions (courage = freedom = happiness), and Contrast with "The Raven" (memory/shadow)

Comprehension: What does Pericles mean by “the whole earth is the tomb of famous men”?

Higher-level: How does this view of memory differ from the speaker’s relationship to Lenore in “The Raven”?

Paragraph 10

Topic: Consolation to parents

Devices: Pathos and Thematic Topic Grief

Comprehension: What different comfort does he offer younger parents versus older parents?

Higher-level: Why might this consolation fail for a grieving parent and why might Pericles still think it belongs in a public speech?

Paragraph 11 

Topic: Sons, Brothers, and Widows

Devices: Audience Targeting and Thematic Topic Using the Dead

Comprehension: Why will it be hard for sons and brothers to equal the dead?

Higher-level: What does this section show about how a city can use the reputation of the dead to control the living?

Paragraph 12

Topic: Close: words, deeds, and “you may depart”

Devices: Ethos, Logos, and Contrast the ending with "The Raven" (duty, grief, and expectations)

Comprehension: What practical promise does Athens make to the children of the dead?

Higher-level: The last words are “you may depart.” What is Pericles trying to make the audience do after they leave and how is that different from the last condition of the speaker in “The Raven”?