Rhetorical Analysis Of Pericles Funeral Oration

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In the preamble articulated in his Funeral Oration honoring the fallen Athenian heroes at the end of the first year of the Peloponnesian War, Pericles opens by speaking with stoicism and respect about the ancestors of Athens; portraying the significance their actions had on Athenian values and democracy. Pericles’ primary message to the audience in this introduction is that the Athenians’ ancestors played an indispensable role in building their democratic policies, and that they should be honored and respected for their contributions to the city-state. Pericles then uses this point to innervate a sense of pride in the Athenians, motivating them to be even better than the predecessors that laid the foundation for the values they upheld. In mentioning