Analysis Of Gorgias And Plato

Analysis Of Gorgias And Plato Plato was one of the most important Greek philosophers in our time. He founded the Academy in Athens, an institution devoted to research and instruction in philosophy and the sciences; the first institution of higher learning in the Western world. His works on philosophy, politics and mathematics were very influential and laid the foundations for Euclids systematic approach to mathematics. Gorgias is a dialogue in which Plato sets the rhetorician Gorgias in opposition to the philosopher Socrates; Platos mentor. Gorgias was a Sicilian philosopher, orator, and rhetorician. He is believed by many scholars to be one of the founders of sophism ; a movement traditionally associated with philosophy that emphasizes the practical application of rhetoric toward civic and political life. The dialogue begins right after Gorgias had given a speech at an exhibition where he answered questions put forth to him however Socrates missed this. Socrates was offered to visit Gorgias and was allowed to question him as long as he liked. Socrates wanted to hear from him what is the nature of his art, and what it is which he professes and teaches. Socrates initiates by asking Gorgias what he is and what rhetoric is and Gorgias replies in a typical rhetoricians manner, using smooth language and seemingly sophisticated structure and not really answering the question at all. Gorgias is referred to rhetoric as an art. Rhetoric signifies The art or study of using language effectively and persuasively. Even though Gorgias practices rhetoric, he was not very convincing when answering questions done by Socrates. He gave short answers and was instantly refuted by Socrates in a very convincing fashion. Polus is also not very convincing as he is being accused by Socrates of speechifying rather than answering questions: Polus has been taught how to make a capital speech Interestingly, Socrates did not accept rhetoric as an art yet he was practicing this art while asking Gorgias questions. He was trying to convince the three speakers that rhetoric was rather an experience rather than an art. Gorgias claims that rhetoric is an art which treats of discourse but says that all the the other arts which work fully through the means of words is not considered to be rhetoric. The question is: What is so different about rhetoric that uses its power of persuasion and all the other arts that also use this power? The dialogue moves on to talk about power, evil happiness. According to Polus rhetoric equals power and that power is a good thing but Socrates on the other hand says that rhetoricians have no power; for them so literally nothing which they will, but only what they think best. One can say that all the enjoyable things are done because it is enjoyable to do it but Plato means to put emphasis on that any such action is not done for the reason of itself and its own performance, but rather for the very sake of the pleasure which comes with it. This also holds for a true art, an action which is good not only on its own but also what good comes out of it. That explains why Plato thinks that the true rhetoric is only which is done for the sake of the good. For Socrates, rhetoric should be used to do good things, to punish the bad and not the good. ; Or rhetoric is no use to us. As Callicles enters the dialogue with Socrates he begins to undermined philosophy .Not only does he undermines the very nature of philosophical inquiry and its marked focus on words but Callicles also makes some quite harsh statements of his own against any man such as Socrates who continues the chase of philosophy as a main focus into adulthood. By using this matter of discouragement on philosophy on the disgrace of Socrates lifetime of philosophical study he proves to Socrates that he is not being that good of a friend, after Socrates felt that Callicles had knowledge,good-will and outspokenness. Socrates believed that no matter what the price was, total honesty and truth was the only choice in order for one to live a happy, fulfilling life. As he said that doing wrong is much more evil than suffering wrong, that rhetoric should only be used for the sake of the good and that every wrongdoer should be justly punished. Interestingly, Socrates understand that the majority of the people will not understand his theories and he does not try to convince everyone with his beliefs, he just uses a method is to call in support of my statements the evidence of a single witness, the man I am arguing with, and to take his vote alone; the rest of the world are nothing to me; I am not talking to them. This is what makes him an interesting person that he not trying to win sympathies of people but only tries to make his antagonist understand his points. Callicles speech is that of a typical sophist. He raises no questions in his speech, and does not attempt to use logic to prove his points. In the end, Callicles speaks about his own opinions for quite some time, and as his proof, quotes three lines of an ancient poem. Thats not to say that some of Callicles theories arent valid, just that he does not allow for discussion, and therefore loses a chance to perhaps prove his point to Socrates or the other interlocutors. Jennifer Richards has not mentioned in her book that Socrates did not convince Callicles of the true rhetoric I think it is interesting that he convinced Polus and Gorgias but with Callicles he had no such luck. The way which you in mistaken confidence are urging upon me; it is quite worthless, Callicles Eventually, Socrates remains mostly true to his method of discussion. His use of speeches as ways of expanding his opinions, rather than force them is quite successful for him. Despite a few digressions, he refrains from using oratory or rhetoric unlike the interlocutors, and although he is unable to convince Callicles of the truth, he is not unsuccessful in the sense that he defended himself against the methods of the sophists.

Huckleberry Finn Essay

Theme, structure and social characteristics as the literary elements, highlighting the spiritual growth of the main characters in â€Å"My Name is Asher Lev†, â€Å"Emma† and â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† The present paper is designed to discuss three novels about moral maturation and the growth of self-awareness, â€Å"Huckleberry Finn† by Mark Twain, whose protagonist is Huckleberry Finn, Jane Austen’s â€Å"Emma†, named after the protagonist and â€Å"My Name is Asher Lev† by Chaim Potok, whose main character is Asher Lev. Notably, the authors necessarily indicate the protagonists’ names in the titles, underlining their moral and psychological development as a central plotline. The literary elements of theme, structure and protagonist’s social characteristics actually strengthen the reader’s understanding of the character’s spiritual growth: Lev’s novel demonstrates’ the protagonist’s liberation from the community bonds through the lens of the theme of social pressure, Twain’s writing – the progress of Huck’s humanistic views underlining the theme of slavery, Austen’s work – Emma’s psychological maturation, through prioritizing the theme of marriage, moreover, all works by their structure provide the mistakes made by the protagonists on their path and thus make clear to the reader that development is not a smooth and gradual process, whereas the change or stability of sociological characteristics pay reader’s attention either to the connection between self-awareness and social position or to the purely inner revolution. The characters actually perfect very distinct aspects of self awareness: Emma, for instance, overgrows the selfish and infantile girl, whose main interest is manipulating the others’ fates (as she appears at the beginning), Asher Lev realizes that he is actually an independent personality rather than the subject of the Hassidic community after being judged for depicting the his mother’s anguish, whereas Huckleberry Finn, who has never considered carefully the issue of racial equality, begins to realize his humanistic views and oppose the oppression of slaves and the split of their families. Due to the fact that the major theme in â€Å"My Name is Asher Lev† is community bonds and the conflict itself develops in terms of the weakening of the commitment to the groups of Hassids (Walden, 1985), the protagonist, who is a bright and unordinary individuality, should ascend over the blind observance of community tradition and learn to distinguish himself from the group. Therefore, his development is associated with individuation and learning of his ego and the religious conflict results in the development of Asher’s ability to assert his self: â€Å"So it is time for the defense, for a long session in demythology. But I will not apologize. It is absurd to apologize for a mystery†(Potok, 1998, at http://search. barnesandnoble. com). The theme of marriage as the leading one in â€Å"Emma† is also related to the main character’s development: whereas at first, Emma views marriage as a game, popular in her environment, she is still not infantile to understand that this specific type of partnership is based necessarily on strong affection after developing the feelings for her brother-in-law; whereas at the beginning she has fear for the responsibility associated with marriage. The theme of slavery also supports the reader’s understanding of the young protagonist’s moral growth in â€Å"Huckleberry Finn†: â€Å"I’m low down; and I’m a-going to steal him† (Twain, 1999, Ch. 33); as one can understand, Huck no longer views Jim as property, but in order to persuade Tom, he recognizes his own inclination to wrongdoing and takes entire responsibility for the stealing the slave. The structure of the stories is generally similar: the greatest part of the plot is dedicated to depicting the behavioral imperfections of the protagonist, so that the reader can feel the protagonist is an ordinary person, whose growth is based upon his/her own mistakes. For instance, â€Å"Emma† at first depicts an arrogant and class-conscious girl saying â€Å"The yeomanry are precisely the order of people with whom I feel I can have nothing to do† (Austen, 2001, Vol. 1 Ch. 4) and throughout the first two parts she acts as a quarrelsome person, whereas her later reasoning can be characterized as wiser: â€Å"I think Harriet is doing extremely well â€Å"(Austen, 2001, Vol. 3, Ch. 28), i. e. she approves of her best friend’ marriage to the farmer, having got the idea of love and letting it in. Beyond mistakes, Potok’s and Twain’s protagonists also encounter difficulties and adversities, which shape their outlooks; for instance, Lev’s story can be divided into three parts (Walden, 1985): period of the teenage conflict with the environment, movement toward the goal in Kahn’s studio and the resolution of the conflict and individuation (Potok, 1972). Huck’s moral development is less gradual and actually consists of several insights: 1) first encounter with Jim as a fugitive slave and the initial desire to help him; 2) The loss of the companion after meeting the â€Å"aristocrats† and Jim’s imprisonment in Phelpses’ house. Finally, social characteristics of the protagonists are quite expressive themselves and point actually to the qualities to be changed. For instance, Emma is introduced as a girl with a degree of self-importance and class-based prejudice because of her upper class identity, but later she begins to understand her friend Harriet in her love for Martin and thus grows more open-minded; furthermore, her maturation is accompanied by the change of social characteristics, as Emma accepts Knightley’s proposition Huck Finn’s social characteristics remain practically the same, as the author seeks to maintain the reader’s focus on the advancement of his moral qualities, so that the adolescent still remains to some extent uncommitted to social norms (â€Å"Aunt Sally she’s going to adopt me and sivilize me, and I can’t stand it† (Twain 1999, Ch. 43), in spite of having developed his distinct attitude towards slavery. Asher Lev, in turn, drastically changes his social identity: the growth of his self-awareness and self-identity result in his alienation and separation from the community. To sum up, the reader’s understanding of the protagonist’s path toward self-awareness is to great extent manipulated by the authors: Jane Austen, Chaim Potok and Mark Twain design the plot structure, which underlines the failures and subsequent insights of the protagonist, embed the central theme into the main character’s spiritual growth and substantially change the protagonist’s social features, except Huck’s case, in which the focus on morality shift is broadened through remaining social characteristics stable. Reference list Austen, J. (2001). Emma. At http://ebooks. adelaide. edu. au/a/austen/jane/a93e/. Twain, M. (1999). Huckleberry Finn. At Potok, C. (1972). My Name is Asher Lev. Alfred A. Knopf. Potok, C. (1998). My Name is Asher Lev. At http://search. barnesandnoble. com/booksearch/isbninquiry. asp? ean=9781400031047&displayonly=EXC&z=y#EXC http://etext. virginia. edu/toc/modeng/public/Twa2Huc. html Walden, D. (1985). The World of Chaim Pot ok. State University of New York Press, 1985.

Choosing Writing Graduate Papers

Choosing Writing Graduate Papers Here's What I Know About Writing Graduate Papers Graduate essays help the students to bring up the great excellent assignments and decent performance. Graduate degrees are offered in just about any subject. Writing your thesis is an intimidating job. Writing my thesis can quickly become a mess unless you have the expert help from Ultius. Our thesis paper writing service is something which we are extremely pleased with. The goals of your paper will help you locate the ideal thesis. If you purchase essays online, it's really important to understand whether the work is still in process or has been finished. It's possible for you to get essays, papers and the other forms of academic assignments as soon as you demand. What You Need to Do About Writing Graduate Papers Before You Miss Your Chance If you've forgotten about editing your term paper and require a hand before an extremely tight deadline, you'll be placed in touch with a writer who will be in a position to satisfy your need quickly and directly with no filler. All you have to do is consult with an expert customized essay writing service like ours that is guaranteed to submit all of your assigned work punctually. If you have a draft already, it's smart to bring a difficult copy. If you have a choice select a book you might enjoy. While it's the case that there are a few excellent writers in college some find it extremely difficult to write. Have a rest as a prolific Canadian author manages your paper. By employing an instance, the student can learn precisely what is expected in their writing. Get the Scoop on Writing Graduate Papers Before You're Too Late One reason why a lot of students receive a minimal grade and even a fail with their papers is they do not comply with the rules. They can go to the English department's home page to see if any examples are available online. They turn to our company to make their college life a bit easier. An excellent means to prepare for the writing you will be expected to do as a graduate student. The Basics of Writing Graduate Papers Who knew essay writing may be so tough. Now you can get genuine college essay online, one that is going to fit your financial plan and get your work done also. Therefore, if you're attempting to locate an expert writer to complet e paper assignments or simply to provide you a list of excellent essay topic strategies for your paper we can do it all. There are quite a lot of reasons as to the reason why students resolve for expert guidance and graduate paper writing services. My Homework Writers, for example, offer writing services in just about all the subjects. Today, most college students find it difficult to compose an essay on a particular topic. With our essay help you may be sure nobody shall receive a better mark for the work than you. Our writers will be happy to provide you with a helping hand! Top Writing Graduate Papers Choices You should remember that, just as any other academic paper, graduate papers also demand higher standards that you need to meet to be able to attain quality outcomes. The number of information reported in the normal scientific paper may be less than you believe. Your paper topic should meet with the course requirements, but it also needs to relate to your very own scholarly interests. With the aid of our professions, you will get knowledge that will permit you to fill the mental gaps and compose a top quality thesis paper.

Sample of Informative Speech

Sample of Informative Speech What Is Comparison? Have you ever thought of a linchpin of our individuality? What makes us unique and special among billions of other human beings, in fact so similar to ourselves? And, finally, what is the major component that lays in the basis of our choice concerning profession, hobby and, of course, life partners and friends? Since our birthday we start to absorb experiences, emotions and pictures, like sponge and further on build our personal mentality and personality. One could argue that the major role in this process is played by parents and relatives; the other may put more emphasis on the role of the society and circumstances, the third could even dig into the scientific reasons. But today I would like to talk about the role of comparison in our lives. And even more – about life as a comparison. I strongly believe that everything we know comes to us as a result of comparison. We let the external factors flow through the prism of our individual perception. Our perception, therefore, is the collection of our experiences and pictures from the past that enrich and fulfil our personality. When we are small, we compare ourselves to the others and questions that come to our mind, such as, Why is the sun shining? Why is the sky blue? Why do the birds sing? etc are the first familiarization with the realities of the world we live in. We know the laws of nature but if one day sun does not rise, our comparison will make us to develop a new experience and seek for the explanation of this phenomenon. We meet new people and inevitably compare them with other individuals, with ourselves and our standards. Every new meeting is a