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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
A 3 page essay that analyzes the writing style employed by the ancient Greek historian Thucydides in writing his classic history of the Peloponnesian War. The writer focuses on Thucydides' use of narrative and rhetorical arguments. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
3 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_khthurhe.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
intends his history to convey meaning through narrative structure. An examination of Thucydides style of writing demonstrates that he accomplishes this intent, but it also reveals that this historian was
also quite capable of employing classical Greek rhetorical devices when it suit his purposes. From the beginning of the text, it is clear that the narrative mode plays a
prominent position in Thucydides style of writing. For example, in Book I, chapter 32, where Thucydides records the arguments of the representatives of Corcyra as to why Athens should aid
them, the reader finds a long narrative that relates all of the events leading up to this request. This includes how the army of Corcyra "single-handedly" defeated the Corinthians, which
shows that their military is quite capable, before going on to describe the greater force now facing them. However, while this -- for the most part -- is a straight-forward
narrative of historical events, even here, Thucydides has elements of classical rhetorical style. According to Aristotle, rhetoric, that is, the art of speech making and persuasion, can be characterized
by three categories of argument: ethos, an appeal based on the character of the speaker; logos, an appeal based on logic or reason; or pathos; an appeal based on emotion.
At the beginning of this extended speech, the representative from Corcyra prefaces his narrative of events with an appeal that is clearly based on logos, that is, he states his
intention to show the Athenians that aiding Corcyra will be "acting in your own interests, or certainly not against your own interests" (p. 54). The representative honestly admits that
no "help is due to us because of any great service we have done to you in the past or on the basis of any existing alliance" (p. 54). As
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