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Forms Of Protest

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Recommended: The influence of Socrates on Western civilization

Living within the age of the 21st century, it is almost impossible to open a newspaper and not find an article about some type justice issue violation. There are so many problems within our society that can be solved, but only if they are addressed in the correct manner. The most common means of addressing an issue is through protest. The three basic forms of protest are nonviolent direct action, persuasion, and "By any means necessary" direct action. From these different forms of protest the next debated topic becomes, what is the most effective means of protest? In this paper I will demonstrate that "By any means necessary" direct action is the most effective means of protest by examining all of the forms and arguments in a comparative fashion. …show more content…

This philosophy was popularized by Socrates. Socrates is a man from Greece and is historically known as the father of western philosophy. The world knows of him through the writings of his students Xenophon and Plato. His teachings focused on, "how to live a good and virtuous life. The claim attributed to him by Plato that "an unexamined life is not worth living"… he inspired his followers to think for themselves instead of following the dictates of society and the accepted superstitions concerning the gods" (Mark 1). Do to Socrates' carefree lifestyle of no conformity, he was often accused of breaking laws and customs. Similarly, The Apology and Crito, speaks of Socrates experience with these accusations and how he believes persuasion is the most effective means of protest. The Apology is a dialogue written by Plato in 399 BC. The Apology features a speech presented by Socrates during his trial with the government. In this trial Socrates is accused of corrupting the youth, rhetoric, and not recognizing the gods of the state. In The Apology, Socrates does everything, but apologize. He defends his case by mean of persuasion in presenting facts and reasoning. Sadly, by the end of the trial, the Athenian Council is not convinced and sentences Socrates to …show more content…

The phrase "By any means necessary" was coined by Malcom X. He is known as being a public voice for the Nation of Islam and black nationalism. Malcom X, "challenged the mainstream civil rights movement and the nonviolent pursuit of integration championed by Martin Luther King Jr. He urged followers to defend themselves against white aggression" (history.com 1). The concept of by any means necessary is to, "Be peaceful, be courteous, obey the law, respect everyone; but if someone puts his hand on you, send him to the cemetery" (X 1). Moreover, this concept is deeply explained in his speech, The Ballot or

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In Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail”, King uses multiple devices of persuasive rhetoric in order to fight injustice. King, a reverend, was a large advocate for civil rights in midst of the great movement calling for equality among all men and women. His letter is widely renowned for King’s proclamation that “in any nonviolent campaign there are four basic steps: collection of facts to determine whether injustice exists, negotiation, self-purification, and direct action” (par. 6). His usage of tone and carefully placed anaphora aid King in this persuasive essay by further providing insight and evidence that support King’s four points. From Critical Thinking to Argument defines tone as “attitude towards self, topic, and

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The version of Socrates presented in both The Apology, Crito, and The Republic could very well be two different versions of Socrates as presented by Plato. However, both versions of Socrates have one thing in common: they both value the importance of philosophy and they both defend philosophy as something that is important to humanity. The Apology is Socrates defending not only himself, but also philosophy as an area of study that could be useful to the city of Athens. Socrates is trying to defend himself and his study and he tries to distance himself from the sophists in that they charge for money.

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In Plato’s Apology, Socrates finishes the trial stating once again that he has done nothing wrong. If his accusers believe Socrates sons care more about money or virtue, the accusers should treat his sons the same way he treated them. Socrates thinks that if his sons are treated like he treated others, that it would benefit them. This fits into the Apology because he has made many arguments as to why he isn’t wrong. Although he has now been sentenced to death, he still makes one last statement to show that he believes he has always been in the right.

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With the Apology, and the Crito, Socrates comes to delve into his many teachings and finds himself put to death with the words of wisdom that have been passed down generation after generation. Socrates for many in this present day is a man of many words and great teachings, but anyone but Socrates thought differently, in Athens people thought of him as an annoyance rather than an integral part of society. As Socrates stood in front of the counsel of judges, he stood for what he thought was right and never changed opinion of himself or of his words. That’s why Socrates is still talked about in classrooms everywhere today.

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“By any means necessary,” were the words said by an African American leader who was a renowned figure in the Nation of Islam. He also vocalized concepts of racial pride and Black Nationalism in the ‘50s and ‘60s. This man is Malcolm X. This quote meant for blacks to free themselves from the constant battle of racism they faced daily, even if it meant violence. Another man once said, “Let not light see my black and deep desires.

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Socrates was a greek philosopher who found himself in trouble with his fellow citizens and court for standing his grounds on his new found beliefs from his studies about philosophical virtue, justice, and truth. In “Apology” written by Plato, Socrates defended himself in trial, not with the goal of escaping the death sentence, but with the goal of doing the right thing and standing for his beliefs. With this mindset, Socrates had no intention of kissing up to the Athenians to save his life. Many will argue that Socrates’ speech was not very effective because he did not fight for his life, he just accepted the death sentence that he was punished with. In his speech he said, “But now it’s time to leave, time for me to die and for you to live.”

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People's justification to engage in civil disobedience rests on the unresponsiveness that their engagement to oppose an unjust law receives. People who yearn for a change in a policy might sometimes find themselves in a dead end because their “attempts to have the laws repealed have been ignored and legal protests and demonstrations have had no success” (Rawls 373). What Rawls says is that civil disobedience is a last option to oppose an unjust law; therefore, providing civil disobedients with a justification for their cause. Civil disobedience is the spark of light that people encountered at the dead end and they hope that this spark of light will illuminate to show that an unjust law should not exist at all. Martin Luther King, Jr, in his “Letter from

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The importance of “The Apology” and Socrates is that he served as a symbol towards the fundamental question of the “why” in life. Socrates argues that in a society like Athens where the ability to ask these types of questions are denied, the overall happiness of its citizens will eventually perish. The reason being that material objects can only satisfy the soul for so long. This is why Socrates felt that it was his duty to remind the leaders of Athens of the importance of their humility. He chose to seek wisdom within himself

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In Apology, Socrates faces possible execution as he stands trial in front of his fellow Athenian men. This jury of men must decide whether Socrates has acted impiously against the gods and if he has corrupted the youth of Athens. Socrates claims in his defense that he wants to live a private life, away from public affairs and teachings in Athens. He instead wants to focus on self-examination and learning truths from those in Athens through inquiry. Socrates argues that "a [man] who really fights for justice must lead a private, not a public, life if [he] is to survive for even a short time" (32a).

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Socrates’s official new charge “asserts that Socrates does injustice by corrupting the young, and by not believing in the gods in whom the city believes, but in other daimonia that are novel” (24b, p. 73). By looking deeper into the dialogue of The Apology and Euthyphro, one can see how passionately Socrates strives to express to the Athenian people his innocence in teaching the youth and worshiping of the gods. Socrates maintains his innocence in teaching the youth for three reasons. Primarily, there is no proof or evidence from past examples in which Socrates has taught the youth because no one has come out and said so. Socrates brings up a valid point that his so-called ‘teachings’ haven’t changed over time and therefore if he is accused

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