Transcript Classical Civilizations

Classical
Civilizations
Ancient Greek and Roman Literature
Poets
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Sappho:
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Female poet
Wrote nearly 500 poems
Object of many rumors (prostitute, ugly,
committed suicide) that were later discredited
Constantine ordered all of her work burned and
forbidden
Poets Continued….
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Pindar
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Commissioned by an aristocratic family to write
an ode in honor of their son
Began career with this first ode
Lyric Poetry
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Expresses the observations and feelings of
a single speaker
Originally sung to the accompaniment of
music – often the lyre
Emphasizes a single thought
Ode – form of lyric poetry honoring a
person/place
You Know the Place: Then
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Invocation to Aphrodite (goddess of love)
Heavily relies on sensory images: incense,
murmuring, rose thicket, quivering leaves
Mood: peaceful, sensuous, lush
He Is More Than a Hero
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The speaker feels very powerful emotions
for her love.
The speaker uses death as a metaphor for
what happens to her when the object of her
love is close: inability to move, speak, think,
etc.
Olympia 11
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Ode to a victorious young boxer named
Agesidamos.
Appropriately gives gods the credit:
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For his ability to write
For the athlete’s ability to perform
Thucydides
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Greatest historian of antiquity
Failed as a military commander during the
Peloponnesian War and was exiled for 20
years
Wrote The History of the Peloponnesian
War while in exile – including many
speeches, historical documents, etc.
Speech
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Oral presentation on an important issue
Purpose: goal of content
Occasion: event for presentation
Audience: to whom the content is
presented
Rhetorical Techniques
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Restatement: repeating idea in different words
Parallelism: repeating grammatical structures
Oration
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Formal address (speech) designed to inspire
listeners and incite action
Components:
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Opening – capture audience’s attention
Narration – recital of facts
Exposition – definition of issue being addressed
Proposition – clarify issues and state speaker’s purpose
Confirmation – address arguments for/against proposition
Confutation – disprove opposing arguments
Conclusion - summarize arguments and incite action
Pericles’ Funeral Oration
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The main lesson of Pericles' oration concerns the
honor of dying in battle.
Pericles disputes the notion that his oration is “a
mark of honor to our soldiers who have fallen in
war” to excuse his shortcomings as an orator.
Pericles' primary reason for discussing the virtues
of Athens in his funeral oration is to justify the
deaths of the Athenian soldiers.
Pericles Continued…
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Pericles makes the assumption in his oration that
Athens is worthy of the many advantages it
enjoys.
Pericles uses the example of Sparta to refute the
ideas that the best soldiers are those who have
had extensive training.
According to Pericles, the citizens of Athens must
possess courage in order to sustain their
democracy and freedom.
Pericles Concluded
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Cultural attitudes of ancient Athenians include
pride in imperial conquests, reverence for war
dead, and esteem for democratic decision
making.
Pericles argues for the superiority of the Athenian
way of life on all of the following grounds including
democracy, openness, and a sense of beauty.
The language and style of Pericles' speech are
best described as bitter and ironic.
Plato
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Considered most influential thinker in
history of Western culture
Born into aristocracy and groomed to be a
political leader, but decided against it
because the corruption in politics sickened
him
Fell in love with philosophy after meeting
Socrates
Socrates
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Philosopher who wandered the streets
questioning people about their ideas and
values
Believed the unexamined life is not living
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Questioned virtues
Questioned value of knowledge
Questioned importance of truth
Sophists
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From “sophia” meaning “wisdom”
Self-proclaimed thinkers
Taught art of rhetoric – ability to use
language effectively and persuasively
Followed Socrates and recorded his
teachings and musings
Literary Terms
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Monologue: long, revealing speech by one
character
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Explains and defends his philosophy and life’s
mission (pursuit of knowledge)
Analogy: extended comparison of
relationships
The Apology
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Socrates delivered this speech in court in
399 B.C.
Socrates served as his own counsel in
defense of his life
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Accused of Atheism
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Calls on “God” in monologue…pay close attention
to that!
The Apology continued…
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The Apology an example of the calling that
Socrates urges upon his audience because it is a
self-examination.
As elements of a monologue, the questions
Socrates asks himself serve the primary function
of revealing his thought processes.
Socrates' reputation as the wisest man in Athens
arose chiefly from the pronouncement of the god
of Delphi.
The Apology still….
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According to Socrates, Athenian society is most in
need of a “gadfly” because their complacency.
In the context of this work, the word apology in the
title is best defined as a justification or defense,
not an explanation.
Socrates' monologue reveals all of the following
details of his personal life: his financial
circumstances, his wartime service, and the
number of children he has.
More of The Apology
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In the Apology, Socrates promotes all of the
following ideas: the duty to obey one's
conscience when it conflicts with unjust
laws, the superiority of inner virtue to
external wealth and the need to examine
traditional ideas critically.
The end of The Apology
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Socrates' manner of speaking to the
listeners he describes as his “friends” is
bitter and ironic.