Ancient Greek Oration

The art of oratory, or public speaking, was particularly popular in ancient Greece. Orators told stories, provided legal services, ran for political office, and much more. For this assignment, pretend you live in Athens or Sparta in the time between the Persian Wars and the Peloponnesian War. Specifically, take on the identity of one of the characters listed below, and orate a two minute speech that your persona might have given in a public square to describe his or her standpoint on the start of the Peloponnesian War.

• Character 1: An Athenian who is in favor of going to war against Sparta;
• Character 2: A Spartan who is in favor of going to war against Athens; or
• Character 3: An Athenian who is opposed to going to war against Sparta.

Your speech needs to draw from the history, geography, and contributions of ancient Greece in order to support your viewpoint and position. In addition, it should be well-organized, creative, and interesting. Instead of simply presenting the information or facts, try to persuade your fellow Athenians or Spartans to agree with your stance. You must create an audio file of your speech, as well as a transcript. Use the audio recording information found in the Student Resources section to help you create your speech.

Before you begin, access the Ancient Greek Oration Checklist to be sure you include all of the items required for full credit. You may need to use resources outside of this course to complete the assignment. If so, please submit a Works Cited document. If you need assistance, please visit the Student Resources section for information on citing any resources that you use.

 

After completing this assignment, please submit your work to the dropbox.