posted
Thank you, he was also:Greek orator whose reputation is based mainly on his Philippics, a series of orations exhorting the citizens of Athens to rise up against Philip II of Macedon.
Posts: 69 | Registered: May 2003
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Actually that is a very thin description of a great man. It is worth while to do more research on him. To me, his greatest feature was that he was a hard-working, self taught man. He started his career as a very poor speaker, and virtually uneducated. It is amazing that most accounts of him refer to the fact that he practiced speaking with pebbles in his mouth, a very minor thing. A few mention that he practiced speaking while jogging to improve his lung capacity and the ability to project his voice, another small thing. This was a man who had no natural ability to give speeches. He would study late into the night constantly, practicing and rewriting his speeches. He would study other speakers, and practice their gestures, speech patterns, and how they influenced the listeners. The saying "Burning the midnight oil", described him perfectly.
He only spoke about issues that he truly believed in. He only spoke when he was prepared, and on subjects that he thought were important.
Other speakers of his time were more likely to stand up and say whatever was on their mind at the time (kind of like most forums). Many were hired guns, arguing any point of view for money.
A great man. Affected the course of history.
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