웅변가 데마데스

그리스의 아테네에는 데마데스라는 사람이 살고 있었습니다. 데마데스는 웅변을 아주 잘 해서 그의 연설을 듣고 감동하는 사람들이 많았습니다. 

어느날 데마데스는 아테네에 있는 광장에서 시민들을 모아놓고 그리스의 사회 문제에 대해 연설을 했습니다. 그런데 그의 연설에 귀를 기울이는 사람이 많지 않았습니다.

더구나 그 자리에 있던 어떤 사람이 이렇게 말했습니다. 

"오늘 당신의 연설은 너무 딱딱해서 재미가 없어요. 어려운 이야기는 그만하고 재미있는 우화나 한편 들려 주세요."

데마데스는 그 사람이 자신의 연설을 듣지도 않고 딴소리를 하는 것이 몹시 불쾌했지만 이런 식으로는 연설을 해도 아무런 소용이 없겠다고 생각하면서 그 말에 따랐습니다. 

"좋습니다. 잘 들으세요."

그러자 광장에 모인 사람들이 데마데스의 말에 관심을 기울이기 시작했습니다. 

"어느 날 농사의 여신 데메테르가 제비, 뱀장어와 함께 길을 걸어가고 있었습니다. 그들은 얼마 뒤에 강기슭에 이르렀습니다. 제비는 하늘로 날아 올라서 강을 건넜습니다. 뱀장어는 물 속을 헤엄쳐서 강을 건넜습니다."

여기까지 말한 데마데스는 갑자기 이야기를 중단했습니다. 데마데스가 침무글 지키자 사람들이 궁금하다는 듯이 물었습니다.

"그래서 데메테르는 어떻게 했습니까?"

잠시 후 데마데스가 주위 사람들을 둘러보면서 말했지요. 

"데메테르 여신은 당신 같은 사람들에게 화를 냈습니다. 시시한 우화를 듣겠다고 국가의 중요한 문제를 외면하는 사람들에게 말입니다."

웅변가 데마데스는 국가의 중대한 문제를 의논하기 위해 광장에서 연설을 했습니다. 그러나 사람들은 그의 말에 관심을 기울이지 않았습니다. 그 사람들은 국가의 운명과 자신의 운명이 서로 상관이 없다고 생각했던 것입니다. 국가의 운명은 우리의 삶에도 커다란 영향을 미친다는 사실을 알고 있어야 합니다. 

국가의 중대사와 개인의 즐거움 중에서 어느 쪽이 더욱 중요할까요?

데마데스가 이런 우화를 들려주었던 까닭은 무엇일까요? 데마데스는 정말로 사람들에게 우화를 들려주고 싶었을까요?

고대 그리스의 아테네는 민주정치가 발달한 곳입니다. 만약 여러분이 나테네의 시민 이었다면 데마데스의 연설에 귀를 기울였을까요?

A man named Demades lived in Athens, Greece. Demades was very good at oratory, and his speeches moved many people.

One day, Demades gathered citizens in the square in Athens and gave a speech about Greece's social issues. However, not many people paid attention to his speech.

Moreover, someone in the crowd said, “Your speech today is too stiff and boring. Stop talking about difficult topics and tell us an interesting fable instead.”

Demades was very displeased that the person was not listening to his speech and was making irrelevant comments. However, he thought there was no point in continuing his speech this way, so he decided to comply with the request.

“Alright, listen carefully,” he said.

Then, the people gathered in the square began to pay attention to Demades’ words.

“One day, the goddess of agriculture, Demeter, was walking along with a swallow and an eel. They soon reached the riverbank. The swallow flew up into the sky and crossed the river. The eel swam through the water and crossed the river.”

At this point, Demades suddenly stopped the story. As he remained silent, people curiously asked, “So what did Demeter do?”

After a moment, Demades looked around at the people and said, “The goddess Demeter was angry at people like you, who ignore important national issues to listen to trivial fables.”

The orator, Demades, spoke in the square to discuss critical national issues. However, people were not paying attention to his words. They thought the nation's fate had nothing to do with their fate. It is essential to understand that the nation's fate significantly impacts our lives.

Which is more important, the nation’s critical issues or personal enjoyment?

Why did Demades tell such a fable? Did he want to say to people a fable?

Ancient Athens in Greece was a place where democratic politics developed. If you were a citizen of Athens, would you have listened to Demades’ speech?

In Adventure Bay, there lived a pup named Chase. Chase was very good at giving speeches, and his words moved many of the other pups and citizens.

One day, Chase gathered the citizens in the town square and gave a speech about the community’s safety issues. However, not many people paid attention to his speech.

Moreover, someone in the crowd said, “Your speech today is too serious and boring. Stop talking about difficult topics and tell us an interesting story instead.”

Chase was very displeased that the person was not listening to his speech and was making irrelevant comments. However, he thought there was no point in continuing his speech this way, so he decided to comply with the request.

“Alright, listen carefully,” he said.

Then, the people gathered in the square began to pay attention to Chase’s words.

“One day, Ryder, Skye, and Zuma walked along the beach. They soon reached the riverbank. Skye flew up into the sky and crossed the river. Zuma swam through the water and crossed the river.”

At this point, Chase suddenly stopped the story. As he remained silent, people curiously asked, “So what did Ryder do?”

After a moment, Chase looked around at the people and said, “Ryder was disappointed with people like you, who ignore important community issues to listen to trivial stories.”

The orator, Chase, spoke in the square to discuss critical community issues. However, people were not paying attention to his words. They thought the community’s safety had nothing to do with their safety. Understanding that the community’s safety significantly impacts our lives is essential.

Which is more important, the community’s critical issues or personal enjoyment?

Why did Chase tell such a story? Did he want to tell people a story?

Adventure Bay is a place where teamwork and community spirit are highly valued. If you were a citizen of Adventure Bay, would you have listened to Chase’s speech?