Demosthenes: Philosopher who filled his mouth with stones

Introduction 

Demosthenes was a great statesman and orator of ancient Athens. He diligently learned the rhetoric of previous great orators. He delivered his very first speech when he fought a case against his relatives to save his property at an age of 20 years. He played a very vital role in uprising Athens against the new King of Macedonia, Alexander the Great. He was also recognized as one of the ten greatest Attic orators and logographers in the world. But initially, things were not in his control and he faced so many challenges in his life. 

Childhood of Demosthenes

Demosthenes used to stammer during his childhood and no one had any hope from him. He was a very introvert child and his father was a very rich person in Athens. But his father died when he was just seven years old and left a huge sum of money for him. Shortly, his relatives flocked to his home and started sipping his father's fortune. At that time, Athens was a republic and people of Athens used to group together during the day and listen to ministers. But they used to stop anyone's speech by making a huge noise. One day Demosthenes observed a great orator and everyone was listening to him with a pin drop silence and no one dared to stop that great orator. Demosthenes got inspired by this event and aspired to become a great orator.

Learning habits of Demosthenes

Demosthenes decided to challenge his relatives to get his father's fortune again. He sued them in court but due to his introvert nature, he was unable to argue against them. 
Demosthenes took a great lesson after this incident and started working on his oratory skills. He started going to the nearby beach and filled his mouth with stones while practicing his speech in order to overcome the problem of Stammering. He also increased his capacity of lungs to speak more fluently by speaking loudly while climbing the mountain. He also practiced in front of the loud noise of the ocean and as a result, became an expert in speaking.

Success as a Philosopher

After practicing for several years, he gave his first speech with full confidence but unfortunately no one liked his speech. Citizens immediately removed him from the stage but Demosthenes never blamed anyone and started improving himself. He deeply studied the philosophy of his time by locking himself in a small chamber. He also became half bald so that he will never make an attempt to go out. At the age of 30, he entered politics when he became an expert in philosophy and oration. No one feared to challenge him again and he became famous across the world for his speeches. He also led a revolution against the new king of Macedonia, Alexander the Great.

Conclusion

If we had seen Demosthenes as a great politician then we might not have thought about the challenges he faced during his childhood. Similarly, we used to see the popularity of famous personalities but we must also see that it is just the tip of an iceberg. Demosthenes faced so many challenges in his life but he overcame those challenges by proper planning and perfect execution. We had also seen how he filled his mouth with stones to speak clearly and practiced loud-speaking while climbing the mountain. By this true story of Demosthenes, we can say that nothing is impossible in this world.
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