Date of Award

6-1938

Degree Type

Bachelors Essay

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts (BA)

Department

Literatures, Languages, and Cultures

First Advisor

F. A. Ryan

Second Advisor

Donald J. Keegan

Abstract

Much has been written concerning the great orators of various ages, especially in regard to their style, ideas, originality, political sympathies and the influence of the orator on the literature of hie age; but, strange as it may seem, nothing has ever been written concerning the relative merits of two of the greatest orators that the world has ever known. The two men that I refer to are Marcus Tullius Cicero and Edmund Burke. Cicero must be recognized by the entire world as being the first and foremost orator in the world, while Burke is acknowledged the foremost orator in the history of English oratory. These two men stand head and shoulders above any other men in their respective fields, and therefore, it seems only fitting and proper to compare the relative merits of each and, mere especially, how Burke owed much of his brilliance and success to a close imitation of his great predecessor, Cicero. We have an abundance of material concerning each of these men individually, but we are unable to find anything that shows that Burke patterned his writings after those of Cicero. However, to anyone who analyses the speeches of both men with any care at all, it will immediately become apparent that Cicero was the illustri­ous model that Burke imitated with such diligence, ability, brilliance and success. But, before we enter upon a dis­cussion concerning the likenesses and differences of the two men, I think that it would be well to look into the life and character of each man separately.

Comments

A Thesis submitted to the Faculty of the College of Liberal Arts of Marquette University in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements. for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts

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