Mood of in Gorgias and Phaedrus - Essay Example

Topic: The art of rhetoric Introduction Gorgias and Phaedrus are detailed studies on the virtue founded upon the examination of the nature of rhetoric, power, art, temperance, justice as well as good versus evil. Plato tries to examine the philosophical approach in determining noble and proper human existence. The study is presented in a dialogue between Socrates and his fellow citizens. Nature of Socrates In Gorgias, Socrates is given the character of a selfless personas he does not consider excessive power thus believes people with temperance do not have self actualization. He relates the concept of ‘Natural Justice’ to individuals with more power and control who have the ability to rule over the less powerful individuals in the society. He believes that justice defines equal proportions to all as the most powerful and less powerful people are all considered to have equal rights and responsibilities. Intelligent he believes that justice does not come from power but is attained through equality. He differs with the definition of natural justice which states that ‘the weak are there to be ruled’ but instead considers slaves to be stronger than their masters due to the difference in daily experiences (Wardy, 2005. Pg. 59). Socrates is persuasive as he insists on knowing Gorgias concept of examining nature of rhetoric. He pesters Gorgias to explain to him the art in rhetoric. This is portrayed in an extract of their conversation when Gorgias says, “Therefore I claim that the art of Rhetoric has to do with the words, and maintain that may claim is correct.” Socrates responds by saying, “I wonder whether I understand the kind of thing you wish to call it.”(Wardy, 2005. Pg. 62) Socrates also believes in inner personal drive as he tells Callicles that a slave is better than his master as he possesses greater strength. In Phaedrus, Socrates is given the characters of a critic as he criticizes the speech written by Lysias the love aspect presented by the logographer thus proposing that “the speech should focus on the non-lover rather than the lover.” In conjunction to this, he bears the character of a hypocrite as he praises Love in his speech having disputed it on Lysias’s writings (Plato, 2008). Rhetoric The persuasive nature of Socrates makes him to strive in the verge of finding out the true definition of rhetoric. In his view, rhetoric is divided into two approaches. The first approach uses flattery and shameful public harangue. Second approach considers the creation of a good image in a dialogue as a writer tends to strive towards what is considered to be best where the approach is pleasant or unpleasant. The main aim of this approach is to create instill good characters on the readers through the argumentum in the dialogue. Gorgias uses the second approach as Socrates is given a percussive character that tries to diverge the perception of Callicles on the philosophical interpretation of justice from the notion that ‘justice’ entails the practice of force to the fact that ‘justice’ is brought about by the practice of equality. Gorgias analyses the nature of justice as rhetoric, as it aims at satisfying Socrates philosophical goals and appease Callicles at the same time thus uses the art of persuasion to achieve these aspects. In this case, rhetoric can be defined as the art of philosophy that presents truth as a matter of belief and persuasion rather than a matter of knowledge and actual facts (Wardy, 2005). Phaedrus defines rhetoric as an art of flattery (Plato, 2008). This is portrayed by the two speeches composed by Socrates comparing love with evil and divined madness. Therefore, Socrates defines rhetoric as techne psychagogia which means the art of directing or leading souls. The art of rhetoric in Gorgias In Gorgias, Pluto focuses on the art of persuasion as a form of establishing truth. This approach is used to establish whether justice is attained by the use of force or it is indeed a resultant effect of equality in the human society. He argues that equality brings out the advantages and achievements which a noble and powerful person is entitled to thus it can be equated to the notion that justice is derived from power. He uses the example of a slave and his master whereby the slave is perceived to poses greater strength than his or her own master as he or she endures tougher experiences daily as compared to the master. Callicles responds by supporting his belief in power and natural justice as he argues that, ‘better and wiser rulers posses more justice than the inferior ones’ (Wardy, 2005. Pg. 69). Socrates does not get convinced by Callicles argument and this leads him posing a question on whether rulers with great power have control over themselves. This is because their actions and decisions are restricted to rules that govern the areas they administer thus are not eligible to act according to their inner desires. This raises the concept of temperance as an art of mastering one’s own pleasures and appetites. Socrates argues that justice is equivalent to temperamence which is an art that is not experienced by powerful people. Logically, power can lead to justice as it directly affects judgment. Power can also be a cause of many injustices as it directly influences the direction of judgment. Equity can also be a cause of justice or injustice depending on the approach taken towards the attainment justice. However, rhetoric is an art that uses persuasion to portray one factor as superior to the other. In this case, one side of the argumentum is justified to be true while the other is proclaimed false depending on the intensity of the persuasion. Pluto uses this angle to display the nature of rhetoric in the Gorgias. Concept of Cookery In Gorgias, Socrates discusses what he considers as false art. This includes beautification and cookery. In his view, cookery is the art that presents a latter which ignores the good and is not pleasant. True art considers an end that is good thus the nature of the art is beneficial to those who practice its concepts. Cookery is a representation of real. He compares cookery and the art of science which presents information as it is in reality (Wardy, 2005). Socrates gives Gorgias an example from of reality in medicine perspective that ‘those who reveal to the sick what medicine to take will restore their health’. The statement presents a latter which considers good and is pleasant. The statement is also practical in the real world. In Gorgias, the art of cookery is presented by Callicles perception of natural justice as the latter target is not pleasant. Power is affiliated to bad attributes in the current society thus cannot be a source of natural justice. Mood of in Gorgias and Phaedrus In Phaedrus, Socrates is more relaxed as compared to Gorgias where he is very bitter. This is because the dialogue uses a different approach of the art of rhetoric which involves the use of flattery. This approach does not create much tension in the dialogue as it does not trigger the emotions of the participants in their presentation of personal views. The hypocritical nature of Socrates makes the atmosphere of the dialogue less tense as he fails to take a stand towards one direction in the argument. As a result of this, Socrates becomes more relaxed because he is able to agree and disagree in the same context. Conclusion The excerpts from Gorgias and Phaedrus explain the art of rhetoric as a style of writing. The approaches of rhetoric tend to investigate the effectiveness of language in organizing and maintaining social groups, initiating change and generating knowledge. The art of rhetoric can be considered as an essential style in writing since it carries many features required in this field. References Plato. (2008). Phaedrus: Boston. MobileReference Wardy R. (2005). The Birth of Rhetoric: Gorgias, Plato and their Successors: New York. Routledge Read More