Thucydides

1. How and why do the Corinthians contrast Athens and Sparta?
R: The Corinthians are trying to persuade the Spartans to go to war against the Athenians – which are expanding their empire and harming the Sparta’s allies, including Corinth – and, in order to get it, they describe the characters of Athens and Sparta and they use the contrast between the cities as a way to persuade Sparta to do something it doesn't really want to do – something that is out of its character. Through their speech, the Corinthians describe Sparta as a [city] which doesn’t like chan...