Preview

Gorgias: Rhetorical Analysis

Good Essays
Open Document
Open Document
1439 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Gorgias: Rhetorical Analysis
Power, Justice, and a Bunch of Dudes Arguing
Power and weakness, justice and injustice, good and bad. In a world where men seek power at any and all costs, it is important to stop and consider what truly makes one powerful. In Gorgias, translated by James H. Nichols Jr., Gorgias and Polus are trapped in an argument with Socrates about the power that rhetors possess. However, through the use of allegories to justice and suffering, Socrates asserts that it is not power that these such men possess, but, rather weakness.
If the greatest evil is “false opinion”, as Socrates asserts (458b), then using rhetoric to spread false opinions and untruths would surely be evil, as well. Furthermore, using the spread of false opinions to achieve power that
…show more content…
On theme with this shift, the men are arguing about whether is it good for a man to be take what he wants regardless of whether it is just or not. Polus and Gorgias are, for all intense and purposes, on the same side of the arguments, and, as such, Polus often steps up to continue the arguing without Gorgias chiming in. Such is true for the sections 468e6-470c3 of Gorgias, which begins with Socrates and Polus locked in a heated discussion about whether or not one should envy the man who was doing whatever he pleases, whether it be killing or stealing or anything else. Polus asserts that he is enviable as he is getting whatever he wants, while Socrates argues that one should actually pity this man as he is “unenviable” and “wretched” (469a3-4). As per usual, Polus is flabbergasted with Socrates’ position and goes to question him further. Polus is confused how it would matter, in terms of the man’s power, whether the man is killing justly or unjustly as long as he is doing as he pleases. This is where Socrates states his main argument for the section; “doing injustice happens to be the greatest of evils” (469b7). Here is where there is yet another shift in dialogue. Polus, confused by Socrates’ bold claim, inquires whether suffering injustice would actually be a greater evil than committing it. To prove that committing an injustice such as ruling as a tyrant …show more content…
Gorgias had been arguing that rhetoric was almost synonymous with power, as a rhetor can convince anyone to do anything. This, to Gorgias and Polus, is true power and will lead to one’s happiness. However, from the measly two pages or so of argument, Socrates is able to prove sound doubt as to whether this is true or not. This is all to back up Socrates’ earlier claim that “both rhetors and tyrants have the smallest power in the cities” (466d4-5). By using the argument of justice, Socrates is able to prove that doing what is unjust is not good for anyone, especially the person committing the injustices. He will go on to continue backing this claim throughout much of the

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    Chapter 4, we learned the various aspects of an audience, when preparing a written or electrical document. How did I consider my audience needs and interests as I developed the presentation about Great Calls marketing strategy? I put myself in their shoes and considered the expectations that a manager of a large cellular company would expect. I recognized their time is valuable and I would need to be quick and direct. I also thought that I would have to put together a presentation that was professional and eye catching and brought valuable information to helping them direct the company to a new solution to increase customer attention. Who was my audience? The people I am presenting to are five managers of Genuine Cellular, who I assume are…

    • 305 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Buddha once vowed that “if a man can control his mind he can find the way to Enlightenment, and all wisdom and virtue will naturally come to him.” This quote correlates to Plato’s works written shortly after the Peloponnesian War (431 BC- -404 BC) between Athens and Sparta, arising from Sparta’s fear of Athens’s increasing power and knowledge. This relates to the Socratic dialogues The Gorgias and The Republic illustrating significance of temperance towards pursue of the good and explicates the deceitfulness of imitative poetry through Socrates. Polus, the adversary of The Gorgias’s second phase, maintains that to suffer injustice is worse than to commit injustice, something that Socrates later disproves. The third and final phase of The Gorgias,…

    • 216 Words
    • 1 Page
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Peter S. Goodman, executive of business and global news editor at TheHuffingtonPost.com, has strong feelings about foreign news coverage. He feels that America lacks the foreign news coverage that they need. Goodman builds his argument through his use of logos, stating his position, and also by giving an opposing view/concession as well as his goals for the future.…

    • 516 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Within philosophy, the idea that power results from physical and situational force is known as moral realism, of which Callicles is essentially the founder. Simplistically, as Callicles asserts within "Gorgias," the powerful, and subsequently just ruler, is one who exerts force to maintain influence. Thus, following this line of thought, might makes right. Throughout the dialogue, however, Socrates repeatedly argues that temperance overrides brute force. He suggests instead, that control over our desires, such as the desire to rule according to individual belief rather than the majority's benefit, is true power. He also makes it clear that power hungry, inconsiderate leaders have no true strength, because according to Socrates, a ruler who cannot control his own convictions has no control in any other aspects of life. However, despite the philosophical logic of these assertions, leaders even today unthinkingly rely on armies and weapons to enforce their personal (and not always authentic) views of justice.…

    • 1594 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    One conversation between the parties was that of how a truly just state would look like and Socrates answers by declaring that a state might find justice when the overall happiness of the state has priority of desire to ones selfish ambitions. Socrates also says in reason people want to do what their desire bids them achieve and be trained in such a way that they would not care about anything but what their position in that society would have them do (The Republic, 376c-377e). This leads on to Socrates being asked to describe in detail how the laws of such a state would be where justice is to be found. Socrates says that for him to explain such a place to them would cause such humor to the group because his ideas are quite contrary to the ideas of people in the society in which they live(The Republic 450d-452e). He explains that three ideas that would push could be implemented that could make up a society that may contain justice. One is the common education of men and women another is women and children held in common the third is the idea that philosophers should rule as kings.…

    • 1033 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Gaby Rodriguez makes use of rhetorical questions throughout her novel to put emphasis on the cliché ideas that people hold about teen moms. One question that Gaby poses to the reader is “Why do we insist on putting limitations on what people are capable of doing?” (Rodriguez & Glatzer 111). This rhetorical question is drawing attention to how Gaby’s classmates put restrictions on her because of her “pregnancy.” They metaphorically place a glass ceiling over Gaby’s head because they believe she is not capable of going any further. Gaby constantly struggles to break through this barrier. Her goal is to show everyone that a teen mom is not doomed to live an unsuccessful life. During her project, she makes it clear that she will still attend college,…

    • 740 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    All can relate to that one special time of the year, Christmas, when whole families unite and spend hours endlessly sharing stories, making memories, and of course, opening presents! What happens though, when all of the sentimental value of Christmas is replaced solely with physical value, the gifts? What would Christmas be like then? Richard Rodriguez takes the readers through one of his annual Christmases and brings to light, through his thoughts, the disconnect that exists between himself, his siblings, and his parents. Rodriguez’ chronological presentation of events with flashbacks, short, abrupt syntax, light-hearted attention to detail and concerned tone contribute to suggest his worried attitude toward his family.…

    • 429 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    A Rhetorical Analysis

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Page

    Hello Thinh! After reading your rhetorical essay, I agree what you said "media embrace the gender inequality and the idealism of a female body." People always see that the photos woman always appeared in movies, TV, magazines, who are in good shape, attractive and charming. It lowers the value of the women because people just appreciate their body and not appreciate their intellectuals. According to what you said "showing researched evidence (ethos), personal interview (pathos) and statistic (logos)", I can understand the purpose of the director that the film is more credibility and persuaded to the audience by using logos, pathos, and ethos. Overall, your essay is well organized, and it provides different sources as well as analyze what you…

    • 150 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Good Essays

    Therefore, for Socrates, no one would choose to do injustice since no one would choose what is more painful and bad. However, according to Vlastos, there is no suggestion here that the conclusion represents one of Polus’ standing convictions. Since the conclusion does not follow from anything Polus had said so far in this discussion, Socrates ‘mounts the above epagoge to win Polus’ acceptance of conclusion on the spot’. For Vlastos, Polus can reject premise 4 when Socrates tries to apply pleasure and benefit to laws and practices; and if Polus has sensed the shift to these more abstract objects, no less than that of bodies, colours, shapes, and sounds, the pleasure to the actual or ideal beholder is what accounts for admirability, he would have stymied Socrates. And it is true that it would be flawed to compare the more abstract things like laws and practices to bodies, colours, shapes and sounds. Therefore, Socrates refutation is not sound, as one of the premises can be…

    • 634 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    This paper argues that Socrates does not successfully refute Thrasymachus’s argument about justice in The Republic. In Book I, Socrates attempts to refute Thrasymachus point about the craftsmen analogy in regards to Thrasymachus’s argument. Socrates argues that every craft seeks the advantage of what it rules over and not its own advantage. (342c) He further goes into this idea of how competition doesn’t exist between people in the same craft.…

    • 569 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    It is in this phase that one begins to understand the origin of their actions. One may think they are pursuing something for one reason, when really there is an unconscious desire that is the true cause of the action. In Plato’s Gorgias (488B-491A), Socrates uses his question and answer technique to the extreme. Socrates continuously asks Callicles, in what may seem like a redundant process, to further explain his idea of the terms ‘better’ and ‘superior’. It is clear through this questioning process that Callicles has many discrepancies in his understanding that weaken his overall…

    • 455 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Socrates meets with some of his friends and begins discussing the meaning of justice and whether the just life is better than the unjust life. First, they contemplate the meaning of justice. Cephalus stated that justice is as simple as telling the truth and returning what you receive, Polemarchus stated that justice is giving each his due, and Thrasymachus stated that justice is the advantage of the stronger. Socrates proves each of them wrong and embarks on a discussion to find out what true justice is, and to find out whether the just man is truly happier than the unjust man, or vice versa.…

    • 627 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    When Socrates is asked to defend justice on its own, but not for the reputation that it brings, he suggests that justice should be found in the city before starting to use the analogy of finding it in an individual. He then uses an example of a just city that aims at satisfying the basic human wants. Some citizens enter into political welfare as no one is independent. Nevertheless,…

    • 879 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Thrasymachus Arguments

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages

    He tries to hear him out about why he thinks that way but for some reason he just could not understand him. Throughout the book Socrates and Thrasymachus goes through trying to answer the questions that comes up. Earlier in this essay I mentioned the second question that came up about an unjust man. Socrates wanted Thrasymachus to explain exactly why he felt the way he felt about defining justice so he could eventually make his claim against him. Although it was tough for me to take a stand because the arguments on neither side were a strong as they could have been. I think it is safer for me to say Socrates has won the argument because it is tough to agree with Thrasymachus. I do agree with the claims Socrates made about justice being a virtue of the…

    • 538 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Socrates and Glaucon analyzes and discuss what a tyrant man is, and the life that he lives in by illustrating “three proofs”. During the conversation Socrates states that, “lust will dwell within him as a tyrant, in total anarchy and lawlessness” (p. 290). Socrates is explaining that lust is the most dangerous form of all desires. A tyrant becomes a slave to his irrational desires, and tries to continue to feed his desires by stealing from others and commit murders. However, he will never be able to fulfill it. So, he would have to live a life of unhappiness and fear among the victims that he has done wrong. Because of his aggressive actions, he will never have any freedom and will never develop any friendships. At the end, Socrates states that the bad and unjust is the unhappiest which is a tyrant that brings fear among the people of the state and…

    • 359 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays