Literature is a form of art that not only depicts the phenomena of the objective reality but also allows the authors to express certain hidden or underlying ideas. The latter can concern psychology, daily life, and even morality and law. The two literary works analyzed in this paper present examples of the pieces of writing that skillfully deal with the topics of morality and law. The Apology by Plato is the account of Socrates’ defense in the court of law, while the Plea for Captain John Brown by Henry David Thoreau is the essay defending the captain who rebelled against slavery. Both works display similarities and differences in their literary composition and underlying ideas, and this paper will focus on the comparative analysis of the above-mentioned writings.
Thus, the Apology by Plato can be considered a historical document that depicts, from the first person singular, the process of Socrates’ defense in the court of law after the Greek philosopher was accused of trying to persuade people in his unbelievable ideas. The work presents the account of the defense as if written by Socrates himself and this fact adds to the credibility of ideas expressed in it. Thus, Socrates defends himself saying that he never meant to protest against the social values and what he actually wants is to learn the world because “the unexamined life is not worth living for men” (Plato, 2009). Drawing from this, the defense of Socrates in the Apology is based on the considerations of humanity and thirst for education. The person willing to know more than others is tried and executed as a result.
In some aspects, the Plea for Captain John Brown by Henry David Thoreau is similar to Plato’s work. Thoreau (2008) presents his work as the expression of his personal opinion, although confronted by the majority of contemporary society, on the deed of the captain of the US Army. The latter, John Brown, dared to rebel against the then state of things and tried to free thousands of slaves doomed to die working for their white masters. However, after the failure of Brown’s attempt the society rejected his bravery and called him an insane person deserving to be hung for treason. What Thoreau asks is “Who is it whose safety requires that Captain Brown be hung?” (Thoreau, 2009), understanding that there are forces at the top of the social hierarchy that wants slavery to exist as their very wellbeing is based on slavery.
Thus, in both works considered the underlying legal and moral themes can be observed. Beginning from the legal issues touched by Plato and Thoreau, the clear focus on the drawbacks of the legislation contemporary to the authors can be observed. In the Apology, the very conflict of the work is based on the fact that the Athenian legislation allows a person to be convicted for his/her mere views on the world. Plato and Socrates protest against it but it is beyond their power to change the law on the spot. In Thoreau’s work, these are laws and public opinion that are under scrutiny. Thoreau tries to convince his compatriots that Brown’s protest against slavery is a natural wish to give freedom to all people, but the rich slave owners dominate early 19th century America and Thoreau’s attempts prove to be vain.
As for the underlying moral issues observed in both works, Plato focuses on humanity, dignity, and thirst for knowledge as the basic human qualities that the people that try to convict and execute Socrates lack. Plato, through Socrates’ words, shows how mean-spirited these people are and how obvious are the selfish goals they pursue by executing Socrates. Human pride wins over dignity and honesty, and the people of Athens readily execute Socrates as the person who knows more than they do. Thoreau also appeals to the human dignity in his work as if asking whether it is human to hang John Brown whose views are progressive and humane in their nature. Being only writers, neither Plato nor Thoreau is able to change the state of things and public mind, so what they can do is express their disagreement and criticize the society of their epochs.
So, both works under analysis touch upon the same topics of the drawbacks of law and of human morality as such. Plato depicts the events of the 4th century B. C., while Thoreau writes about the early 19th century A. D., and the only difference observed is the setting of events and the country. The very nature of people stays the same and they are ready to execute a person whose views, although correct and progressive, differ from theirs. Socrates promoted knowledge that became an integral part of human life several centuries later and people understood the absurdity of Socrates’ trial. Captain John Brown fought against slavery, and when the latter was abolished his actions became the role model for the freedom-loving Americans. Thus, only time teaches people and allows them realize their mistakes and avoid them in the future. Plato and Thoreau manage to prove this by their works.
Works Cited
- Plato. “Apology.” Classics. 2009. INternte Classics Archives. 2009. Web.
- Thoreau, Henry David. A Plea for Captain John Brown. Intl Business Pubns USA, 2009.