Standing outside the walls of Athens after the opening battles of the Peloponnesian Wars against Sparta and its allies, Pericles, the leader of Athens, delivered a lasting and memorable funeral oration, praising those who had fallen and inspiring those who had not yet served. The Funeral Oration of Pericles demonstrates the Homeric concept of arete to support his assertion that Athens is the school of Hellas by relying on the ideals of their ancestors and their political system, invoking their rights, their responsibilities and their moral fiber as Athenians, and rightly citing their dominant status in the region due to their superior ideals and way of life. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Pericles notes how their ancestors founded Athens in freedom and democratic values, and implores the citizens of Athens to take up arms to defend these ideals. He maintains that Athens alone is the school of Hellas; The theocracy of Sparta takes young children from their mothers' arms to kill them while in Athens their democracy creates a system that benefits everyone, the Greek heritage. Pericles implores the listeners not to be dismayed by the dead but to fight for their memory. Their status as equal and contributing members of Athenian society, for the benefit of all, is both their right and their responsibility, for it is the Hellenic way and still highly valued today. He also praises their moral fiber, inspiring them by telling them stories of Athenians triumphing over extremely detrimental obstacles and emerging victorious. They will always be the few against the many, says Pericles, but this should not dismay us, it is the Greek sense of honor that will lead them to victory over their enemies and over their inferior moral strength and integrity . Pericles appeals to the Athenian claim that they are the rightfully dominant power in the region through their Homeric ideal of arete. He argues that their superior lifestyle, luxurious compared to the Spartans, gave them power and justice over their enemies. Their Hellenic ideals will always triumph; the fire that Prometheus gave to man must never be extinguished. Pericles claims that this is their guaranteed path to victory. Unknowingly, he goes back to Hector, who must go and fight against the Mycenaeans even though he knows he will die, in order to inspire the Athenians in one last spirited effort. Even though Pericles dies of the plague and his relationship with Sparta leads to the destruction of Athens, he is the greatest leader Athens has had the pleasure of giving birth to, and his ideas would inspire those of today (he just take a look at Lincoln's ideas). Gettysburg Address). It details the Hellenic concept of honor and arête, proving to the world, in a final energetic battle against surrounding enemies, the values ​​for which we should die, evident even today, in our support of the army . Pericles uses his Funeral Oration to illustrate these themes and inspire many beyond the listeners outside the walls of Athens on this faithful day..