Introduction
Throughout the history of religion and philosophy, ideas about the soul have dominated the various views and thoughts about life on earth. In western philosophy and religion, the central belief about the soul resides in a living being but departs from a dying individual and travels to another spiritual world beyond the earth. Moreover, the soul pre-exists in its earthly incarnation and is immaterial. These views appear in Plato’s writings and Disney Pixar’s film Soul.
Plato, in his noble rhetoric, views the soul as the spirit or force that gives life to the body. The soul comes from the great beyond into the body of a person before birth but departs the dying body and travels far away beyond human knowledge. In Pixar’s film, there are two realms of the soul- human activity and the soul. Life is yet to begin in the soul realm, before its end, and beyond. Using scenarios and characters that represent real-life situations, Pixar’s film Soul helps the viewers develop a good understanding of Plato’s noble rhetoric about the soul by simply defining the nature of the soul as pre-existing, body-soul dualism, afterlife, and immortality.
Plato’s Account of the Soul
Plato believes that the function of the soul in the conception of noble rhetoric is the ability of the orator to understand other people and execute the art of rhetoric. The rhetorical method consists of determining the nature of the soul in rhetoric, which is the only way to understand the body (Yunis 106). As Socrates says, one cannot understand the nature of something without studying it as a whole. Therefore, determining the heart of the soul means exploring the whole world.
The orator determines when to speak or hold back, appeal for pity, and exaggerate in a speech. That is the only way to know that they have mastered the art of rhetoric (Herrick 147). It is doing what the souls desire without any prior knowledge. It is being able to stand before a person and recognize their character, which assists in securing a conviction about specific issues (The School of Life 0:57-1:07). It is also easy to know a person’s character by listening to their opinions about a particular subject and contribution.
Plato uses the concept of charioteers to represent intellect, reason, and truth. He figuratively uses the charioteers to show the two outcomes of soul recognition. The chariot represents the souls, while the charioteer is the one who steers the chariot or the soul (The School of Life 1:09-1:28). One horse has a noble character, while the other is the opposite. The excellent horse represents the rational and moral impulse of a character’s nature. The other represents a particular soul’s irrational passions, appetites, and desires. The work of the charioteer is to guide the soul toward the truth.
The Pixar’s Account of the Soul
Pixar’s film Soul is about the three dimensions of the soul- Great Before, the earth, and the Great beyond. According to Plato, the body is just the carrier of the soul. However, the soul is what gives the body life and character. When Joe’s soul leaves his body, he lies unconscious. When 22’s soul inhabits Joe’s body, she gives it a different character or at least one who speaks something apart from jazz with the barber, Dez.
Unlike the immortal soul, the body can experience harm and decay. The charioteers steer the soul in the right direction. In this case, the collaboration between the counselors, Jerry, Joe, and Moonwind, assists in steering 22 in the right direction. She finds her spark somewhere in between the earth and the great before. When she is forced back to the great early, she becomes a lost soul. The film directs the viewers to the notion that people get their spark from the minor things in life, such as watching the stars, walking, and eating pizza. Even though Joe took it as a regular old living, 22 shows her otherwise.
When Joe falls into the manhole of a sewer, the viewers see his soul leave the body and start its journey to the great beyond. This confirms that death separates the body and soul, as Joe’s body lies in the sewer while his soul wanders between life and death. Plato points out that death marks the soul’s liberation from its natural and authentic existence (White 230). The existence of the Great Before confirms that souls pre-exist before birth, with a purpose, personality, and character. The presence of the great beyond shows that souls do not die.
The soul is formed to signify the soul’s willingness to deal with society’s expectations alongside individual dreams. It represents the individuals stuck in a trance where they cannot find their true purpose in life. The movie goes beyond personal ambition and achievements. It emphasizes living in the moment and enjoying life. It is about those who think a purpose has a daily job, a monthly salary, or a considerable achievement recognizable to the whole world. It is formed to inform, persuade and awaken people from a state of trance for them to start living.
Joe is a nobleman who tries to make ends meet as he lives his dream in music. According to her mother, plans do not pay bills or provide food, which is true. Regardless, it is beautiful how he is willing to trade that for chasing his dreams. It is closely connected to the idea of the ancient Greek concept of Philautia, or self-love and devotion to one’s desires (Bucibo, 3:55-5:27). Joe is not planning to take a full-time job at the school. The good in the movie is portrayed by how Joe helped 22 to find her spark. He was ready to sacrifice his position on earth for 22 and proceed to the “Great Beyond.”
How the Film Soul Helps to Understand Plato’s Noble Rhetoric
In the film, several persuades the viewer to think about the soul, its nature, and its concept as it relates to human life. To many people, understanding the noble rhetoric about the soul by Platos could be difficult because it is presented in a philosophical approach. However, Pixar’s film uses real-life characters and scenarios to offer concrete examples that show the nature of the soul, as Plato suggests, which helps achieve soul suasion among the audience.
The film uses real-life scenarios and characters to picture better Plato’s account of how lost souls are led to enlightenment. Joe and 22 are presented as good examples of those souls. Plato’s analogy of the charioteers is perfectly explained in the film. Joe’s soul strongly resists going to the ‘Great Beyond’ and directs him to the ‘Great Before’. This is because of his desire to go back to earth and live his life. However, later, he returns to find his purpose and his spark. Just like the charioteer steers the wrong horse go the right direction when 22 becomes a lost soul in a trance, Joe goes to find her. He uses the objects she collected while on earth to lead her to the right direction. When the horse loses its wings and falls to the ground, it symbolizes the lost souls who could not find their purpose in life.
Secondly, the film provides strong evidence that the soul is immortal. In this case, it is essential to note that the soul is eternal and indestructible, as shown in the film’s scenes when 22 was a lost soul. The visuals showed Joe penetrating a dark substance that resembled evil and self-judgment to get to her soul. It means that not even evil can destroy the soul. The film shows that the soul is where the desires are aligned with the moral compass and enlightenment. With the art of rhetoric, one can understand the language of other souls.
Conclusion
Even though it is impossible to convince or influence everyone about the nature of the soul using Plato’s noble rhetoric, the film attempts to achieve soul suasion using some practical, real-world, and simple terms. In this case, the viewer can see how the soul behaves before an individual’s life, like Joe and 22, how it comes into the human body to form life, and how it departs and goes to the Great Beyond. Plato tried to explain this nature in writing but could not convince many people as there were no practical approaches. Instead, the filmmakers in Pixar’s Soul achieve this objective by allowing the viewers to enter into the secret world of the spirit where it is possible to see the soul, which is not feasible for an immortal human-like 22 and Joe.
Therefore, the film opens to the viewer the concealed journey of the soul from far beyond to the immortal body and then to the Great Beyond. A realistic representation of the viewers’ daily lives is demonstrated in the lives of the human characters. In essence, Pixar’s film helps the viewers understand Plato’s noble rhetoric about the soul by simply and clearly representing the nature of the soul as pre-existing, body-soul dualism, afterlife, and immortality.
Works Cited
“Student Philosopher: Plato’s Ladder of Love.” YouTube, uploaded by The School of Life, 2015. Web.
“The Eight Types of Love According to the Ancient Greek.” YouTube, uploaded by Khabo Bucibo. 2020. Web.
Herrick, James, A. The History and Theory of Rhetoric: An Introduction. Routledge, 2006.
White, David A. Rhetoric and Reality in Plato’s “Phaedrus”. SUNY Press, 1993.
Yunis, Harvey. “Eros in Plato’s “Phaedrus” and the “Shape of Greek Rhetoric”.” Arion: A Journal of Humanities and the Classics vol. 13, no.1, 2005, pp. 101-126.