“Mourning Athena” Thucydides Thucydides II Peithō in Crisis

Was democracy stasis? 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 2

Agenda It Ain’t So Epideictic and the Rhetoric of Response Thucydides 2 Concepts, Lenses, Readings 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 3

It Ain’t So Epideictic and the Rhetoric of Response 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 4

Terms epideixis: “demonstration” epideictic genre: praise/censure displaying skill epideixis: “demonstration” epideictic genre: praise/censure displaying skill 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 5

Epitaphic topoi The speaker’s challenge “May I find the power to say what I wish! May I find the wish to say what I must!” cf. Thuc Loss “... though they have died, the loss we feel has not.” cf. Pericles’ Samian Epitaphios The good death “their trophy of triumph, their gift to the god — the sacrifice of themselves.” cf. Thuc Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 6

Gorgianic Figures Basic concept Colon rhetorical unit Word repetition Anaphora colon beginning Antistrophe colon end Anastrophe end/beginning Other figures Antithesis contrast Homoioteleuton end rhyme Isocolon/parisosis same/similar-length successive cola Paronomasia word play 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 7

Our epideixis.. Babies, the other, other white meat. We live in a time of overpopulation, we die in a time of great starvation. 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 8

Concepts, Lenses, Readings 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 9

Timeline 431War begins Plague Revolt of Mytilene, stasis at Corcyra. 421Peace of Nicias. 416Melian debate, conquest of Melos. 415Sicilian Debate, Expedition. 412Board of Probouloi (10) Oligarchic coup, politeia, democratic restoration. 404Athens’ defeat, 2 nd oligarchic coup 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 10

Concepts “Truthiness,”  “truth that comes from the gut” Foundationalism  The “noble simplicity” versus Spin & revalorization Sophistic ethics Law of nature Right of the stronger (Counter-)rhetoric captatio benevolentiae demophilia topos Stasis and persuasion? 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 11

Lenses Despotic/oligarchic democracy? (Michels) “The preponderant elements of the movement, the men who lead and nourish it, end by undergoing a gradual detachment from the masses and are attracted within the orbit of the ‘political class’ ” (Political Parties) Charismatic democracy? (Weber) “… devotion to the exceptional sanctity, heroism or exemplary character of an individual person, and of the normative patterns or order revealed or ordained by him” (Economy and Society) Pragmatic democracy? (Finley) Democracy’s “substantive promises”: “what counts is that the people expected results and at times, sometimes for long periods, felt satisfied with them” (Ancient History) 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 12

“Fragility of Goodness” Plague Description Plague as “too severe for human nature” (48) “The pleasure of the moment... [was] set up as … nobility” (49- 50) Stasis description “War is a violent teacher” (90) “And they reversed the usual way of using words to evaluate activities” (90) “Simplicity, which is the chief cause of a generous spirit, was laughed down” (92) concepts lenses 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 13

... and Melian Debate “Nature (phusis) always compels gods (we believe) and men (we are certain) to rule over anyone they can control. We did not make this law (nomos),... but... will take it as we found it....” (Thucydides , p. 68) concepts lenses 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 14

Erōs, logos Plague “The pleasure of the moment... [was] set up as [a standard] of nobility and usefulness" (50) Mytilenean Debate CLEON: Athenians as rhetoric-addicts DIODOTUS: “Hope and passionate desire (erōs)... dominate every situation” (73) Stasis Description “The cause of all this was the desire to rule out of avarice and ambition” (93) Sicilian Debate NICIAS: “Do not be sick... with yearning (erōs) for what is not here” (116) HISTORIAN’S ANALYSIS: “Now everyone alike fell in love (erōs enepese) with the enterprise” (122) concepts lenses 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 15

Anti x -Rhetorical Rhetoric? Cleon “The habits you’ve formed: why you merely look on at discussions, and real action is only a story to you!” (68) Diodotus “The most difficult opponents are those who also accuse one of putting on a rhetorical show (epideixis) for a bribe” (71) concepts lenses 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 16

“Gorgianic” Cleon (Thuc ) Figures: parisosis (closely balanced clauses) antithesis (contrast) homoioteleuton (end rhyme) oxymoron (ironic non-sequitur) eiōthate theatai men tōn logōn gignesthai, akroatai de tōn ergōn, “and LISTENERS TO DEEDS” “you are accustomed to being VIEWERS OF WORDS” 13-Nov 2012 Thucydides 2 17