Ephemeral And Eternal Advice In Quintus's Republic Of Ancient Rome

Ephemeral and Eternal Advice Everyone faces challenges. Whether the challenge is voluntarily or involuntarily, he or she needs a support system, and often times, it comes from family. In 64 BC, the greatest orator of ancient Rome, Marcus, took on a challenge and ran for consul. He was considered an “outsider” because he lacked “the advantage of noble birth” (Election viii). Because of Quintus’s “keen sense of how elections are won,” he decided to provide his brother with support (Election xi). How to Win an Election is comprised of the advice that Quintus gave to Marcus upon his decision to run for consul of ancient Rome. Quintus provided Marcus with ideas that were most useful to winning an election. One example is that “[Marcus] should approach every speaking engagement as if [his] entire future depended on that single event” (Election, 5). This is useful to both Marcus of ancient Rome and candidates running today. Because of the many meetings

This is also useful to both the candidates of Ancient Rome and current politicians. When a political leader gives the people helpful advice, it shows them that the candidate is educated about the peoples’ role in a successful society. After establishing his or her ethos, the candidate can then turn the table and ask for advice in return. This shows that the candidate is humble and willing to change for the better of the country. Quintus later explains the importance of "bring[ing] hope to the people and the feeling of goodwill toward you" (Election, 79). Marcus and current politicians can bring the feeling of goodwill toward themselves by not only sharing advice to the people, but also by asking for advice in return. Doing this will increase the potential leader's chance of winning the