"History is the Mirror of Our Character" National Character in Greek Teachers' Speeches on National Day Commemorations

Abstract

The paper analyses some aspects ofthe speeches that Greek teachers give at school on national days. A view of the nation as a "natural unit" becomes the basis for the alleged "national character." The nation's past struggles are presented as the natural consequence of national character. In this way national character becomes destiny.At the same time, though, heroic behaviour may influence fate and succeed in altering that destiny, when it is felt as unjust. Speeches given on national day commemorations (a) confirm and consecrate a model of the world as consisting of discrete nations, each with a distinctive set of moral qualities constituting its national essence, and (b) urge each individual member to make themselves the embodiment of national character.