My Immortal Soul Essay Example for Free

My Immortal Soul Essay Plato has roused many readers with the work of a great philosopher by the name of Socrates. Through Plato, Socrates lived on generations after his time. A topic of Socrates that many will continue to discuss is the idea of â€Å"an immortal soul†. Although there are various works and dialogues about this topic it is found to be best explained in The Phaedo. It is fair to say that the mind may wonder when one dies what exactly happens to the beloved soul, the giver of life often thought of as the very essence of life does it live on beyond the body, or does it die with it? Does the soul have knowledge of the past if it really does live on? In Plato’s The Phaedo, Plato recounts Socrates final days before he is put to death. Socrates has been imprisoned and sentenced to death for corrupting the youth of Athens and not following the rights of Athenian religion.[1] Socrates death brings him and his fellow philosophers Cebes, Simmions, Phaedo, and Plato into a perplex dialogue about this notion of an afterlife and what does one have to look forward to after death. Death is defined as the separation of the body from the soul. In The Phaedo death has two notions a common one which is the basic idea that the soul dies and the physical, idea that the soul separates from the body after death. â€Å"The soul is most like that which is divine, immortal intelligible, uniform, indissoluble, and ever self-consistent and invariable, whereas body is most like that which human, mortal is, multiform, unintelligible, dissoluble, and never self-consistent.† (Phaedo)[2] According to Socrates, knowledge is not something one came to understand but it was actually imprinted on the soul. Knowledge to Socrates was an unchanging eternal truth, something that could not be acquired through experience and time. Socrates friends believe that after death the soul disperses into the air like a breath. On the contrary Socrates believes that the soul is in fact immortal and if one wants to become free of pain they way to do so is to exempt themselves from the physical pleasures of the world. In this dialogue Socrates and the philosophers explore several arguments for this idea of an immortal soul. These arguments were to illustrate and verify that death is not the dying of body and soul collectively, but when the body dies the soul continues to live on. Socrates offers readers four main arguments: The Cyclical Argument, which is the idea that forms are fixed and external. The soul is the sole purpose of life in this argument, and therefore cannot die and it is also to be seen as virtually never-ending. Next is The Theory of Recollection, which insists that at birth everyone has knowledge that the soul experienced in another life. Meaning that the soul would have had to be existent before birth to bear this said knowledge. The Form of Life Argument confers that the soul bears a resemblance to that which is imperceptible and godly because it is abstract. The body bears a resemblance to the perceptible and the corporeal because it is objective. The Affinity Argument maybe the simplest of all. It reiterates Socrates thoughts of the body and soul, in saying that when the body dies and decomposes our soul will continue to exist in another world.[3] Since the soul is immortal it has been recycled many times, and has also experienced everything there is to experience, for Socrates and Plato this idea of recollection is much deeper than remembering something once forgotten. Socrates views knowledge as something that cannot be learned but the soul recalls it as it is being recycled. Grasping the understanding that things come to be beings by being composed of something pre-existing and when ceased these parts will continue to exist. Focusing on The Theory of Recollection, this is the claim that knowledge is innate, and cannot be learned. â€Å"What you said about the soul. They think that after it has left the body it no longer exists anywhere, but that it is destroyed and dissolved on the day the man dies.†(Cebes)[4] Socrates’ point for this argument is that our soul with holds this knowledge and we are born with it. Although we do not remember things before we are born it is said that certain experiences can nevertheless re awaken certain aspects of that memory. For example in The Meno, Socrates raises a mathematical problem to Menos slave boy, who does not have any prior training in mathematics. The boy thinks he knows the answer but Socrates makes him see that his initial hypothesis of the answer is wrong. By purely asking questions, Socrates gets the slave boy to state the right answer. Socrates insists that he has not told the boy the answer, but through questioning the slave boy, Socrates aided him to recollect the slave boy’s own knowledge of mathematics.[5] Furthermore Socrates also makes another example of recollection by stating if one were to come in contact with a picture or an item of a beloved then it would be simple to recall said person to the mind. This is the idea of how recollection works. If we examine this example and change certain aspects of it, it does not become very clear either. If a picture of a beloved one was shown to a stranger it is safe to say that the stranger would not be able to recall any thoughts, memories or details of the person in the photograph because they do not have any prior knowledge of said person. In order for the stranger to do so they would have had to been in acquaintance with that person in the photograph at one time or another. This act of resemblance is easier for someone who already knows the person. Plato also uses an example of a vehicle stating that before a vehicle is mobile there were parts that were made to turn it into a vehicle such as the engine, steering wheel, and etcetera. He continues to make the point that even after the vehicle breaks down that these pieces will still remain to create the next vehicle. According to Plato ordinary objects participate in this recollection of platonic forms themselves; these things remind of us platonic forms because the soul once encountered it. He persists that the soul must have ex isted because of this. All of which are ways to reiterate that this idea that knowledge is imprinted on the soul may have validity to it. In essence there was time where only the soul existed and it soon found a home in a body of another, making it now a mortal being(birth). Reincarnation is not only a rebirth of the soul but the neutralization of the knowledge one attained before birth as well. Then there is a period where our a priori knowledge seems to disappear only to reappear when it is recalled. It is claimed that we lose our knowledge at birth; then by the use of our senses in connection with particular objects we recover the knowledge we had before. However, this relationship between the perception of sensible objects and our capacity of finding knowledge can produce a series of confusions concerning whether it is possible to recall all prior knowledge. The problem in this argument and certain aspects of this notion of an immortal soul is that even if it were proven that we were made up something before birth, and something will remain after death, it is not for certain that it is the soul. Through scientific study it is understood that the body is also made of atoms it is also known that atoms existed before the body and will continue long after the body. The atoms that make up the body will in fact be recycled as well just as Socrates has the concept that the soul lives on. Plato and Socrates were correct on the idea that certain parts were in pre-existence does come to make one existent and will exist after death. Although even with this idea one cannot be certain that the soul is one of the parts of the body that is solely immortal. There is not adequate information given by Plato or Socrates to make this argument suffice. We must raise an inquiry of why is that in order to think of perfection we must have already had to have seen it? Aside from philosophical views, in everyday life we encounter imperfections and it is safe to say that the mind is capable of wondering what something of beauty, perfection, or a perfect circle appears to be. The mind is also able to think about these ideas even if the soul has never encountered it. If these arguments prove anything it proves that The Theory of Recollection and The Cyclical Argument both attest that the soul existed before but the arguments do not prove that the soul will continue to exist after this life. Works Cited 1. Cahn, M Steven. Classics of Western Philosophy. Hackett Publishing Company, Inc 2006 2. Morgan, K, 2000, Myth and Philosophy from the pre-Socratics to Plato, Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 3. Partenie, Catalin, Platos Myths, The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Fall 2009 Edition), Edward N. Zalta (ed.), URL = . (April 11th2010) [1] Cahn- Plato’s, The Phaedo [2] Quote from the philosopher Phaedo [3] Socrates theories discussed by Plato [4] Phaedo 70a [5] Plato’s The Meno

Historical Analysis Of One Of Emily Dickinsons Works :: essays research papers

Emily Dickinson was a reclusive person, with an emotional, passionate, intense life filled with her genius for writing poetry. Although criticized for her unconventional style of writing, including her rough rhythm and imperfect grammar and rhymes, she continued to write in her own unique way. Many aspects of her life, such as her relationships with various people, remain a mystery and are not well known.Emily Dickinson almost always stayed near her home; in fact she hardly ever strayed from her birthplace of Amherst, Massachusetts. She enjoyed spending time at home in her garden. She was deeply affected by her relationships with certain people, specifically men.One of her profound relationships was with poetry critic, Thomas Wentworth Higginson. She had contacted him by mail in 1862, enclosing a few poems. He responded with suggestions on her writing style, but Dickinson chose to ignore his suggestions. Dickinson and Higginson corresponded for the next twenty-two years. Dickinson had other relationships with men that affected her life dramatically. Her family, specifically her father and brother, were an important influence. In addition, a very large influence and source of inspiration for her was the Reverend Charles Wadsworth. She met him in Philadelphia in the 1850's. The relationship between them was a very mysterious one. He was married and had a family. He left for California in 1862. In that very year, Emily Dickinson wrote an astounding three hundred and sixty six poems. Many of them shared the themes of love, death, nature, immortality, and beauty. She typically portrayed death as a monarch, leader, lord, or lover. Her moods changed and varied of utter despair to extreme ecstasy. These moods were shown in almost all her poems. <font size="1">Mine-by the Right of the White Election!Mine-by the Royal Seal!Mine-by the Sign in the Scarlet prison-Bars-cannot conceal!Mine-here-in Vision-and in Veto!Mine by the Grave's Repeal-Titled-Confirmed-Delirious Charter!Mine-long as Ages steal!~ Emily Dickinson, 1862In this poem, Emily Dickinson is saying that everything tangible can be taken away from her, but her will to live, and her choice to die, are hers, and nobody can take that away from her. In that theme, she also expresses that she is also the only one who can control her thoughts, another thing that nobody can take away. She expresses these ideas when she says, "Mine" or "Bars-cannot conceal". As she usually did, Emily Dickinson is using a leader to portray death, and declaring that death is hers and her decision.

Kafka on the Shore Essay

Commentary on Kafka On The Shore Childhood is an important part in each and every one of our lives. It has a huge impact on our character, personality and even sociability as we grow up. Some of us who come from good, stable family backgrounds would have pleasant memories from our childhood while some others who faced the cruelty of life at a young age would hate to even think of their childhood. In this excerpt from Kafka on The Shore by Haruki Murakami, the author writes about a 15-year old Kafka’s childhood. It shows the kind of relationship the boy shared with his father and his personality. I will be writing about how language is used in this excerpt to tell us about the boy and his childhood. The author uses imagery in this excerpt. For example he says ‘My sister’s looking off to one side so half her face is in shadow’. This gives a mysterious feel to the sister and tells us that she probably was a significant figure to the boy. Furthermore he writes, ‘hers a floral-print one-piece, mine a baggy old blue trunks’. The author describes the sister such that she seems better dressed and better looking than Kafka. It suggests that he looks up to his sister and thinks highly of her. It also shows the love that he has for his sister as he decides to take that picture along with him. He also mentions that he is ‘staring straight ahead, undaunted’ in the picture. He then asks himself ‘how could I have looked so happy’ referring to the same picture. By considering him to be happy in the picture; it shows the extent of unhappiness he has with his family and life at the moment. Kafka started planning for his run away from home since his junior high years. He took steps in order to prepare for it by practicing judo and training in the gym from that time itself. This shows how clear he was about his decision to run away from home. He knew exactly what he wanted to do and was very certain about it and also worked towards it. Thus Kafka is an emotionally strong person. Despite having family problems at such a young age, he did not go into depression but rather took action to fight against it. In the ninth paragraph, Kafka says that he barely talks to anyone, ‘other than the bare minimum required to get by at school-I barely talk to anyone’. This shows his preference to be in solitude. It could be due to the fact that he grew up alone with his father and didn’t spend much time with his father either. He also says that he didn’t join any school teams. This is to avoid attention from others and to keep a low-profile. His preference to have a low profile could be due to low self-esteem and a lack of confidence. The excerpt tells us that he takes an old gold lighter when he leaves home because ‘I like the design and feel of it’. This shows that he takes comfort and even reassurance in an object, which he can trust no matter what as it couldn’t hurt him emotionally. It reflects the insecurity in the boy. Kafka also says, ‘I’ve built a wall around me, never letting anybody inside and trying not to venture out myself’. This further is proof to show his preference to be left alone and by not letting anyone become close to him also the insecurity that he has. He is afraid that if he lets anyone through his wall, he would only get hurt and be let down by them. Since young he grew up alone dealing with the separation of his mother and father. This could have lead to his insecurity along with all the other hardships he went through. In conclusion, from the excerpt u can tell that Kafka is a matured 15-year old that has gone through emotional hardships due to the lack of attention from his dad and separated family. He is insecure and prefers to be left alone, like how he grew up alone without a proper family. You can also conclude that he and his father do not get along well with each other.

John F. Kennedy Gave the Order for the Bay of Pigs Invasion

When John F. Kennedy, President of the United States of America, gave the orders to invade Cuba and overthrow Castro, America was expecting a victory. The American population expected Cuba to be destroyed. They thought Cuba could not stand up to the United States. What they didn’t expect was that Cuba would put up a fight. The Bay of Pigs invasion was a deciding factor in the Cold War that gave Cuba and the Soviet Union strength, and decreased morale and confidence in the Americans. The Bay of Pigs invasion took place during the Cold War, which was not an actual war, but it consisted of tensions between the USSR (United Soviet Socialist Republic) and the United States and both their allies. The Cold War began in the late 1940’s and ended in the early 1990’s. Harry S. Truman, Dwight D. Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy, Lyndon B. Johnson, and Richard Nixon were several important United States Presidents during the time of the Cold War. Joseph Stalin, Nikita Khrushchev, and Leonid Brezhnev were several important Soviet leaders at the time. Ernesto â€Å"Che† Guevara and Fidel Castro were also some of the more important leading figures in Cuba. On the first of January in 1959, Fidel Castro took over the presidency of Cuba, using his â€Å"guerilla army† (â€Å"Bay of Pigs Invasion†) to overthrow General Fulgencio Batista, an â€Å"American-backed president† (â€Å"Bay of Pigs Invasion†). A dishonest and tyrannical dictator, Batista was disliked by his people, yet he was a friend to the United States. He didShow MoreRelatedKennedy Doctrine1168 Words   |  5 PagesThe Cold War and U.S. Diplomacy James Cantrell POL 300- International Problems May 16, 2013 Professor Mark A. Stallo, Ph.D. During John F. Kennedy’s presidency the United States was seriously concerned with stopping the spread of communism throughout the world and there where hot spots that sparked the Kennedy administrations attention. 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