The Orator Demosthenes

A citizens’ assembly is being held in Athens. The topic of the debate is the issue of democracy and dictatorship. There is only a young man less than 20 years old

Wearing a light yellow dress and a laurel wreath on her head, she strode confidently onto the podium.

"Hey, why is it him again?" Someone in the audience whispered, mixed with slight ridicule. The young men on the stage heard all this. He couldn't help but think of the previous failures again, and he couldn't help but feel a little frightened. But he still mustered up his courage

and started his speech:

"Citizens, what I am talking about is that Athens must adhere to democratic..." "Why are you stuttering again?" ?" He was anxious and shrugged his shoulders habitually. "Oops!" He cried secretly in his heart, his whole body burning with anxiety, and bursts of cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

There was a commotion in the audience, and someone loudly coaxed him to get off the stage. He heard the roar of laughter that he had heard more than once.

He walked down the stage silently, and his long and exciting speech was in vain. He was extremely frustrated and annoyed, covered his face with his hands

, and hurried home. Run... This young man would later become an outstanding orator and famous politician in ancient Greece

Demosthenes, when he was 18 years old.

The father of Demosthenes (384 BC - 322 BC) was a wealthy Athenian citizen and died when he was 7 years old.

The guardians arbitrarily embezzled his property and left him less than one-twelfth of what he deserved when he came of age. In order to claim back the inheritance, Demosthenes learned the art of speech from Isaiah, a famous Athenian orator who was good at writing inheritance lawsuits. The property dispute with the guardian

lasted for 5 years, during which time he published 5 speeches.

After winning the case, Demosthenes became a famous lawyer and began to write court defense statements on behalf of others, but he was even more eager to become a politician

Politician. He began his political career at the age of 30 and remained an active figure in Athenian politics until his death.

In Athens, where the art of eloquence is highly developed, whether in court, in the square, or at citizens' meetings, there are often debates by experienced orators

and the audience's requirements are very high. , every inappropriate word used by the speaker, every ugly gesture and movement

will attract ridicule and ridicule.

Demosthenes was born with a stutter, a weak voice, and a bad habit of shrugging his shoulders. In the eyes of ordinary people, he seemed to have no talent as an orator, because in Athens at that time, an excellent orator must have a loud voice, clear pronunciation, and good posture

Beautiful and eloquent. In order to become an outstanding political speaker, Demosthenes worked several times harder than ordinary people and conducted extremely hard study and training. His initial political speech was very unsuccessful. Due to unclear pronunciation and weak arguments, he was kicked off the platform many times. To this end, he studied hard. It is said that he copied "The History of the Peloponnesian War" 8 times; he humbly asked famous actors for advice on pronunciation; in order to improve his pronunciation, he held pebbles in his mouth and read aloud, welcoming He spoke in the strong wind and waves

; in order to get rid of shortness of breath, he kept reciting poems while climbing on the steep mountain road; he installed a large mirror at home

, he wakes up early and stays up late every day to practice his speech in front of the mirror; in order to get rid of the bad habit of shrugging his shoulders when speaking, he hangs a sword or an iron power on his head; he shaves himself into a yin and yang head, So that he could hide and practice his speech with peace of mind...

Demosthenes not only trained his pronunciation, but also worked hard to improve his political and literary accomplishments. He studied ancient Greek poetry and mythology, recited excellent tragedies and comedies, and explored the styles and styles of famous historians. Plato was recognized at the time as a unique speaker. Demosthenes went to listen to every speech he gave and carefully studied the master's speech skills...

After more than ten years of training, Demosthenes finally became an excellent speaker. His famous political speeches established him an immortal reputation. A collection of his speeches was published. , became a model of ancient eloquence and touched the hearts of thousands of readers

.

When Demosthenes entered the political scene in Athens, it was the time when the Kingdom of Macedonia was rapidly rising

and expanding in all directions under the governance of King Philip II. Regarding its attitude towards Macedonia, Greece was divided into two factions, one was the faction close to Macedonia, and the other was the expansionist faction opposed to Macedonia, mainly represented by Demosthenes. Demosthenes went to the pulpit of the citizens' assembly many times to denounce Philip II. He delivered 5 speeches against Philip, the most famous of which was delivered in 341 BC. In this speech, he loudly declared: "While the ship of Athens has not yet sunk, the ship People in the country, big or small, should take action

to save the nation.

Once the huge waves roll over the side of the ship, everything will perish together and all efforts will be in vain." It is said that when Philip read this speech, he actually said: "If I listen to Demo Sthenes' speech, I myself would have voted for his election as leader of my opponents. ”

This patriotic and eloquent speech had an effect. The Citizens’ Assembly decided to send envoys to contact friendly countries,

Demosthenes was also sent to Byzantium. AD In 340 BC, an anti-Macedonian alliance was formed to assist the Byzantine Greeks in defeating the Macedonian fleet. Subsequently, Demosthenes was appointed as the Superintendent of the Navy. He immediately began to reorganize the navy. Use all the expenses of theater performances for military expenses. Demosthenes has a famous saying: "The soul of rhetoric is action, action, action." "He himself followed these words. In 388 BC, he participated in the decisive Battle of Chaeronea as a heavy soldier. Due to internal divisions, Greece failed. Since then, Greece has lost its freedom and independence.

In 366 BC, Philip was assassinated. Demosthenes, who was extremely happy, was dressed in festive costumes and wearing a wreath.

< p>Appeared at the Council of 500. In 322 BC, the uprising against Macedonia was suppressed, and the Macedonians demanded that Demosthenes be handed over. He had to leave Athens and fled into exile. In a foreign land, he committed suicide by taking poison in the Temple of the Sea on a small island in 322 BC. In 280 BC, the Athenians built a bronze statue of him for his loyalty to the country. >

The spirit of independence, freedom and tenacious fighting will always live in the hearts of the people of Athens and those who admire and admire him.