Teaching Plato in Translation
by Susan Gorman, Boston University
Original text © 2004 Susan Gorman
The Apology
Eloquence and the Introduction
As a warm-up for discussion, I have students focus on a specific short paragraph. With a short text to analyze, they generally feel more comfortable and able to participate. Then, once we get discussion going, we move on to broader topics.
To begin discussion of the Apology, I have a student read aloud the first two paragraphs.
Main Questions:
- What does Plato hope to accomplish through this introduction?
- How does this introduction support his points?
What I Raise In Discussion:
Many key ideas are raised in this opening of the text. Firstly, the narrative frame is introduced. In the rest of Plato's texts that we discuss, there are frames that go around the main discussion. These frames can elaborate upon the issues brought up in Socrates' discussions with his followers. Students may tend to gloss over them, thinking that they are not as important as the meat of the philosophical discussion. Do not let them do this. Examine the frame and figure out its literary purpose. This frame in the Apology is especially important. We, the reading audience, and the audience of Socrates' friends within the text are in Socrates' jail cell, awaiting his execution. The imminence of death pervades the atmosphere of this text. Connections between a philosophical discussion on the immortality of the soul and waiting for an executioner's summons are immediately apparent. However, not all of Plato's dialogues contain such clear links between content and frame. This text, therefore, provides a straightforward starting point to discuss such connections.
Secondly, Socrates distinguishes between those who speak well and those who speak the truth. Claiming that he does not speak well, he tells his audience (and the audience of readers) that he will instead tell the truth. The language may not be overwrought (at least that is what he claims here, although your students may have difficulty understanding the philosophical discussions), but instead it is straightforward. What is interesting about these claims at the very beginning of the Apology is that, of course, Socrates does speak well. Further, if Socrates did not, Plato gives himself the opportunity to polish up the language that he has his Socrates utilize. So, what is the point? What is gained by the (deceptively humble) admission of a lack of oratory skill? Ask your students this question. Make an analogy to someone who claims, "I don't know if I'm saying this correctly, but..." and then goes on to give exceedingly sharp, clean statements. What does the strategy of humility gain for Socrates within Plato's text?
