Plato’s apology of Socrates
Plato’s apology of Socrates is one of the greatest literary works that have managed to link philosophy and literature through pointing of philosophers traits. The Apology which Socrates presented, trying to prove his innocence after being accused of corrupting the minds of Athenian youths and Atheism, the application of the power of persuasion is evident. This is seen through the use of rhetorical devices pathos, logos and ethos, which have been applied throughout the text. Firstly, the application of ethos which entails appealing to the audience on ethical grounds aiming to persuade them on integrity of the moral character of the orator is evident at the beginning of the speech, whereby he appeals to the jury by denoting that he was more than seventy years of age and the first time to have appeared in court of law. At this point, he tries to outlay that he has lived for a long time and without committing a crime; in other words, he has lived a respectful life. Also, ethos is seen in the story of Oracle of Delphi, which he claims believed that he was the wisest man in the world and goes further in attempting to validate these claims. By this, he intends to change the jury’s conviction that he was a wise man, not a regular citizen. Further, he applies ethos to lower the character of his accusers by denoting that they were persuasive speakers and liars.
The questioning of Meletus, one of his accusers, is an application of logos as he tries to use correlation to prove that he is innocent of the crimes that he had been accused of. This is seen as he questions Meletus on the human phenomenon and spiritual phenomenon. The application of logically correct statements shows he believes in gods but not in spirits, while also challenging the judges to be more logical as there is no evidence linking him with the accusations. The application of pathos is seen through the use of repetition of “O Athenians” throughout the speech which personalizes and grabs the attention of the accusers, while also reminding them that he is one of them. Also, the discussion of his age is generating emotions as he reproves his accusers on how they can accuse such an older man with such allegations.