Problem: Give a reflection on the quote below by Pericles:
"Just think: if we were islanders, it would be nearly impossible to catch us! From here on out that is the mindset that we need to adopt. Forget your land and your houses; think only of guarding sea and city. You must not enter into a fight on land with the Peloponnesians, who greatly outnumber us, out of anger at losing your possessions. If we engage them on land and win, we will have to fight just as many of them again; if we lose we will also lose our allies."
Take into consideration at least three of the following:
- The context of the quote (what is Pericles referring to?)
- The context of the war (What is happening? What has led here?)
- The context of Thucydides' History (he is putting words in Pericles' mouth: how reliable are they? What picture of the conflict are we getting from them?)
- The events and facts the quote foreshadows: that is to say, what can we glean in Pericles' words that hints at events after 429 BCE, the year in which Pericles died?