Socrates' preposition

Explain the Socratic method in your own words, giving examples from The Defense to support your claims.

Socrates uses rhetorical questions, authoritative examples, and facts to back up his arguments. He also humbles himself to the audiences level, and tries to stay there in order to bring them up to his level. One of his rhetorical questions is something like, And who are these accusers? He also uses the god Apollo in his argument, which is both an authoritative example, and a figure that everyone can relate to, putting his argument on their level. All of this he does in a neatly and carefully wrapped present of words for his audience to understand and begin to think a different way. he also is very efficient, and has almost nothing that could be taken out of his questioning and representing that his argument could use without.

Iliad Book 16

1)Which god is Hector's patron in this book? What does this god have to do with prophecy? what is ironic about Patroclus' prophecy to Hector, that Hector rejects?

Apollo is Hector's patron because he was the one that had him kill Patroclus and was the support for him as Hector did the act. Apollo was the one that fulfilled the prophecy that Zeus gave for Patroclus to die. Patroclus had said he'd kill Hector, but Hector ended up killing Patroclus.

2) What responsibility does Patroclus have for his own death? To what extend is Apollo responsible? To what extent is Hector Responsible? To what extent is Achilles responsible? To what extent is Zeus responsible? Fate?

Patroclus) Patroclus is quite responsible for his own death. He strapped on a hero's armor, dashed into battle, and got himself killed, thinking that putting on Achilles' armor would scare all the Trojans, while he couldn't just stand around, and wait for Achilles to change his mind, and we can't blame him for his actions, he still went into battle, which puts his life on the line, and so he died.

Apollo) Apollo was basically the reason Patroclus got killed. Patroclus, who isn't Achilles, had to face a god, then man killing Hector himself, persuaded by Apollo to go after Patroclus.

Hector) While Hector killed Patroclus, I believe he isn't that responsible for Patroclus' death. He sees what he thinks is Achilles, and goes to kill him, as someone in a war might do, take out the major player, and so he goes to kill Achilles, but finds that Patroclus is the one in Achilles' armor. While Hector did have the choice to kill the person in the armor, you can't blame him for killing in a war.

Achilles) Achilles is very responsible for his friend's death. He strapped his dear friend into his armor, and send him into war in his stead, and got him killed. Achilles should have taken the armor himself and gone to fight the Trojans.

Zeus) While Apollo was the action that sent Patroclus to his death, it was Zeus that sent that action into action. He was the one who ultimately decided that he wanted Patroclus dead.

Fate) Fate I believe is also responsible for Patroclus' death. Achilles wasn't changing his mind, and it's his fate to go into battle, so what does Fate do? Fate gets Achilles' friend killed to get him into battle.

Oresteia

Summarize the dialog between the coral Leader and Aegisthus? What kind of character/ politicial leader does Aegisthus appear to be? What is the Chorus' hope about Orestes? How will this hope be fulfilled?

The coral Leader basically tells Aegisthus that he's doing wrong, and that he can't take the throne. Then Aegisthus flaunts his power and murder, then him and Clytemnestra go into the house. Aegisthus seems to be a tyrant coming into power through murdering the king. The chorus don't like this, so they are hoping Orestes will come back, and kill the tyrant. This hope will be fulfilled in the next play, and in secret, like and assassination.

The Allegory of the Cave

How does "The Allegory of the Cave" demonstrate Plato's view of structure of reality? Does this understanding enable him to reconcile the arguments of both Parmenides and Heraclitus?

Plato's view of the structure of reality is that reality exists in more than one level or degree, and that the two main degrees were being and becoming, which is changing, and imperfect. This is seen in "The Allegory of the Cave" by the people forced to look at the wall, which represents both being, and becoming, and just see the shadows of the bearers coming in and out. Socrates is seen by Plato as the one in the story who has been freed, and has seen the world, or becoming better, and less imperfect. He then came back to tell everyone in the cave about it, to lead them to a better being, which some don't want because their being where they are is much easier than to become better. This does reconcile for both of Parmenides' and Heraclitus' arguments because it gives both a place, and that the world has both being and change.

Plutarch's biography

I believe Plutarch wrote this biography because he agreed with the moral values of Lycurgus. He tells about all of the reformations that Lycurgus made in Sparta, and therefore wanted to remind everyone of those values. Things such as not killing a king baby in your arms, helping a country in many ways, and not being selfish and drunk with power are all things Lycurgus did. While he could have taken power, he changed a nation, and left it to chose wether or not to keep those reforms. While he could have had money, he abolished all worth of gold, and luxuries, and made the Spartans a tough people, not being familiar to the pleasures of a couch, and having money. All this and more made Plutarch want to make a piography about Lycurgus