BELFAST RB BOOKLET 2020 - Flipbook - Page 74
Ci t y of Belf ast Grand Bl ack Chapt er - Dem onst rat i on Bookl et 2020
A SALUTATION TO THE BRAVE
During the year 431 BC, Athenian statesman Pericles (right)
delivered his Epitaphios or Funeral Oration at the public burial of
the first Athenian soldiers to lose their lives in the Peloponnesian
War. Since then, that solemn eulogy way back at such a
momentous occasion, has gone down in the record books as one
of the most historical and influential speeches of all time.
At the end of the first year of that War, the gave his stirring speech
traditional ceremonial public funeral for all just before the Royal Irish
those who had been killed in action was held troops under his command,
first and after the final interment, it was then moved on Iraq in 2003, then his words of
the duty of a leading citizen, chosen by the advice and encouragement, or how far they
city, to offer a suitable speech, and on one were offered, but rather paraphrased or
occasion, Pericles was so acknowledged.
even invented, will always continue to be
So much so that Pericles oration became matter of dispute by the doubting Thomas'
one of the most famous passages within in our midst.
ancient historian, Thucydides’ work, as it
Notwithstanding any sceptical questioning,
offers a stirring tribute to the culture of Pericles words were and still are, regarded as
Athens, to its democracy and freedom and a rhetorical masterpiece and so from the
throughout, it celebrates sixteenth century onwards they were often
those brave Athenians included, or used as a template, in collections
who were willing to die of ancient speeches that were used to teach
for their land and faith.
students the principles of rhetoric.
The sincere manner in
During WWI for example, quotes from the
which Pericles spoke back speech were used in recruiting posters and
then and the content of his many advertising hoardings throughout the
oration was reputedly length and breadth of the United Kingdom
recorded by Thucydides who was present at in order to inspire a patriotic spirit.
its delivery. It has since inspired subsequent
Indeed such was the evocative and valorous
epoch-making orations from Abraham Lincoln stirring within Pericles' centuries-old oration,
(above) at Gettysburg, to many other US that it has also played an important role in
Presidents including more recently, Kennedy commemorating those brave souls who paid
and Obama; with various Congressmen the supreme sacrifice during both World Wars
quoting lines from it during the aftermath of the and other conflicts since.
Muslim terror attacks of 9/11.
Various quotations from within the
Obviously with the
overall content still
event being many
appear on various
centuries ago, there
monuments
and
will always be the
cenotaphs as well as
sceptics who will
being
continually
doubt those exact
used
in
many
words were ever
memorial services.
recorded
properly
But
the
most
back; something but
important thing to
for a British reporter
remember is that it is
being on hand when
mainly a speech,
Colonel Tim Collins
intended to persuade
IN MEMORY OF THE FALLEN - 72 - AND THE FUTURE OF THE LIVING