Pericles uses the speech of the Funeral Oration to promote Athens. He believed in his people and through this speech he was able to get the people to be proud to be Athenians. Athenians were very proud of their city and its customs. They had a great deal of respect for the warrior class and believed they were top members of their society. Warriors were classified as heroes. The funeral oration was to respect the ones who had died in battle or after battle to build this city into what it had become and praise them for being so dedicated to defending their country.
It focused on Athens and the ancestors and how without their past and current dedication of citizens Athens would not be what it was. Pericles truly believed in his citizens even at his death he believed that Athens was truly the best. “And if our more remote ancestors deserve praise, much more do our own fathers, who added to their inheritance, the empire that we now process, and spared no pains to be able to leave their acquisitions to us of the present generation. (Thucydides) Pericles wanted the people to know that they did something significant not because of their ancestors but because of the lives they led and the goals they set for themselves. He did however feel that their ancestors should be given the honor that they deserved. In his speech, Pericles spoke about the country and the democracy that he and the community all belonged too.
He wanted them to know that it is the country that produces the love the people have for it, and it turn the country will encourage its soldiers to be proud to fight for the country and its people. Athens accepted outsiders into the country, however these people learned quickly of the pride that the Athenians held for their country. In conclusion I feel Pericles wanted the people to know that everyone was proud of Athens and that the people of Athens will protect their country when necessary. And those citizens believed in Pericles and their country.
