Stanislavskis method of acting

Stanislavskis method of acting Konstantin Stanislavski, (born Konstantin Alekseyev, and sometimes spelt Constantin Stanislavsky), was 14 years old when he first set foot on the stage that his parents owned in 1877. His love of the theatre blossomed throughout his life, leading him to become one of the worlds most influential theatre practitioners to date. His work in the field of theatrical rehearsal techniques made him a household name for drama students worldwide. He published many books and guides designed to give drama students an insight into realism, including An Actor Prepares and Building a Character, which outline various famous rehearsal methods designed to allow an actor to fully relate to their character, to the point that they are not just pretending to be them, but actually living their lives. He argued that the actor should Love the art in yourself, not yourself in the art [1], looking for the emotion within themselves as opposed to the words in the script. Stanislavskis pioneering vision for the theatre was that characters should be believable, and the storyline should focus on the emotion portrayed, engaging the audience through means such as empathy. He argued that anything put forward on the stage should be an accurate account of real life, a thought which derived from his distaste for the melodramatic theatre he had grown up with. However, Stanislavski is one of several famous theatre practitioners, all with a completely different concept of what theatre should be. For example, Bertolt Brecht put forward the theory of Epic Theatre, which taught that the audience should always be alienated from the action onstage, unable to identify with the characters, but rather being left with questions to ask themselves. He believed the audience couldnt possibly empathise with the characters onstage because there were so many individual differences in society itself- society cannot share a common communication system so long as it is split into warring factions (Brecht, 1949, paragraph 55[2]). Brecht wanted the audience to leave the theatre debating their morals. Another prestigious theatrical practitioner is Antonin Artaud, who argued that any performance should deeply affect the audience. In order to achieve this, he used non-naturalistic lighting and sound to create a disturbing atmosphere. Artaud wished his audience to leave the theatre having changed within themselves. With three such different aims from each practitioner, it is difficult to be sure whether any of them had a particularly valid point. All three theories are widely respected, but each contrasts and challenges the next, meaning that, in order to believe in one of them, you must rule out the others as valid. These conflicting theories became the beginning of the main ideas behind this project. I wanted to know whether there was a solid way to prove whether Stanislavskis theories are affective to the audience in terms of creating a more realistic performance than one with normal rehearsal, or indeed rehearsal methods devised by other practitioners. To be able to determine this, I needed to conduct deeper research into Stanislavskis system. The system itself is deep and intricately detailed, with many different aspects as to what Stanislavski considered a good performance. However, some points are evidently more significant to him than others. According to the online Encyclopaedia Britannia [3], the main features are Given Circumstances and the Magic If, and Emotional Memory. Units and Objectives is also a major feature of the system, so these are the three aspects I chose to refine my research to in order to establish a better understanding of Stanislavskis method of acting. Given Circumstances and the Magic If Stanislavski said that what is important to me is not the truth outside myself, but the truth within myself [4], meaning that anything put forward on the stage must be true. He recognised this idea was a potential issue because all acting is, essentially, a lie. He therefore said that all actors should be as true to themselves as they can while playing a part. The idea behind Given Circumstances is that actors accept that, with the script of a play, they are given a set of circumstances which they must adhere to in order to create the storyline. Given circumstances can relate to either the character or the play itself, and they include things like characters age, gender, social class, and the plays time period, setting and social/historical/political implications. In order for an actor to give a true performance, Stanislavski put a massive emphasis on the importance of research into the given time period or situation so that the performer would truly understand their role. He taught that the research needs to be completed until an actor can fully flesh out his character, and answer any questions given to them about their characters parentage, childhood, and life events, even if these arent mentioned in the script. Once the Given Circumstances had been realised, Stanislavski suggested that the actors utilised a linked aspect of his theory, called the Magic If, in order to deal with them. The Magic If is a technique where the actor asks himself given the circumstances already decided by the playwright, if I was this character, and I was in this situation, how would I react?. In his book An Actor Prepares, Stanislavski talked about the professor using the example of pretending to be a tree. Say to yourself: I am I; but if I were an old oak tree, set in certain surrounding conditions, what would I do? and decide where you are in whatever place affects you most (Stanislavski, 1937, p65[5]). Stanislavski asked that his students allow their imaginations to flourish th rough techniques such as Given Circumstances and the Magic If, to construct deeper, more realistic performances. Emotional Memory Another technique which was born from Stanislavskis belief that acting must be real is Emotional Memory, sometimes known as Affective Memory. Shelley Winters, an example of a famous actress with ultimate belief in the Stanislavski System, said that as an actor you must be willing to act with your scars [6], or in laymans terms, be willing to allow your inner emotions and past experiences to show through. This is essentially the main terms of Emotional Memory, which requires the actor to draw on previous personal experiences which resulted in a similar emotion to which their character is experiencing. Once the actor has identified the experience, they are encouraged to allow the emotion they felt once again take over their mind and body, reinstating the context and mind-set until the emotion is real. The emotion must then seamlessly be applied to the script or character, as Stanislavski felt this would make the performance more believable because the emotion is true to the actor. Pete r Oyston, founding Dean of Drama at the Victorian College of the Arts and regular teacher/director at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art in London, created a rehearsal method specifically designed to enhance the feelings from memories. He published this, and other methods referring to Stanislavskian techniques, in a DVD documentary called How to use the Stanislavski System (2004). The Emotional Memory section can be viewed on YouTube [7], and teaches the student to remember a time when they personally felt an emotion which shadows or parallels that required from the text. They are encouraged to talk about the situation they are remembering out loud, until the emotion takes over their minds and bodies. Then, they must seamlessly transfer their speech from their own recollections to the script given to them, transferring the emotions at the same time. Units and Objectives One of the most prominent aspects of Stanislavskis method is his idea that any character in any play has a Super-Objective throughout the action; an aim or driving force which sustains throughout the play. Stanislavski taught that this Super-Objective must stay in each actors mind throughout their rehearsal and performance, and that even though it may not be stated, or even obvious, they must take it upon themselves to research and discover it. Once this has been accomplished, he felt that the script could then be broken down into smaller Objectives, which would change several times throughout the piece as the plot deepened. Each Objective must be a verb, in order to be an active objective. He asked actors to split their script into Units and Objectives. Most pieces of drama are split by the playwright into a series of scenes and acts, allowing the action to move in time or setting, but Stanislavski found that an objective could run through and overlap into different scenes, or chang e very suddenly in the middle of an act. He therefore introduced the concept of Units, which are another way of dividing up a play- each unit should contain one objective. The diagram above outlines the intricate detail of the aspects of Units, Objectives, and Super-Objectives. The Throughline of Action is the aim in a characters mind throughout the entirety of the play, which culminates in the Super-Objective. Meanwhile, each character has several different Objectives which are split between the Units the actors devised for the script. These Objectives can take the character to many different places, but their Super-Objective will always remain the same. Furthermore, the Objectives themselves are equally as detailed. Stanislavski said that each Objective could be broken down into the Aim, the Obstacle and the Action. The aim is what the character is trying to achieve in that particular unit. The obstacle is something which stops or restricts them from fulfilling their aim, and the action is the steps the character takes in order to avoid or overcome the obstacle. Stanislavski accepted that it is impossible for a play to achieve a smooth finish where objectives are concerned because often, the action takes place off stage. The characters come and go, and the time changes, so we as an audience cannot witness the whole story. Stanislavski said that in order to overcome this, actors must always be consciously aware of their Super-Objective. A familiar example of this aspect of the Stanislavskian Theory is Shakespeares story of Romeo and Juliet. Romeos Super-Objective is to experience true love. He begins the play with the objective of marrying Rosaline, and this continues to be his objective until the Unit shifts at the Capulet party. Here, Romeos objective becomes to find out more about Juliet, and later becomes to marry her. Towards the end of the party, however, Romeo speaks with Juliets nurse, who tells him that her mother is the Lady of the house -that Juliet is a Capulet(Shakespeare, 1973, p. 910 [8]). This provides the obstacle, since Romeos family, the Montagues, have an ancient feud with the Capulets. Romeo then takes on a new action, which is to overcome the feud between the families, even if it means the couple have to lie about it. Romeo doesnt manage to fully achieve his Super-Objective, because he never experiences the simplicity of love he was looking for- both he and Juliet have to die in order to truly be together. Of all the aspects of Stanislavskis method, these three prove to be the most popular among modern day performers. Having researched the key aspects of Stanislavskis system, I devised a way to be able to assess the effectiveness of them on a live performance by young actors, as this would allow me to establish whether the method does in fact help to produce a more believable performance. I decided to conduct an experiment into the effectiveness of Stanislavskis system. I decided to utilise my contacts at a local youth drama group, which is made up of young actors and actresses aged between 11 and 17 years old. In order for the experiment to be a fair test, I determined to split them equally into two groups, and give each group the same scenario to work with. I planned to leave group one, the control group, to rehearse to their own methods, while conducting group twos rehearsal processes myself, giving them tasks similar to those set by Stanislavski to his own pupils. After the groups had had the same period of time to rehearse, I wanted to invite an audience to watch their performances. The audie nce were to be given a questionnaire after the performances, asking which groups interpretation of the scenario they found more convincing and realistic. I intended to film both sets of rehearsal processes in order to put together a short documentary. The results of the audience questionnaire were intended to ascertain whether Stanislavskis rehearsal methods have a real influence on making modern day performance more realistic. In order for this experiment to work, I firstly had to create an idea. Originally, I devised a script which revolved around the issue of teenage pregnancy, which is a growing concern in todays society. The script included four gender specific characters, and I intended to have both groups perform the same piece; one using Stanislavskis techniques, and the others using generic rehearsal processes. Having written the short play, and talked briefly to the children at the theatre, it became apparent that there was more interest in the workshop than I had expected. Another problem with using a script would have been that the audience would have watched the same piece twice, and would be comparing the actors individual performances as opposed to the believability of the pieces. Since it would have been unfair of me to cast the roles, I instead decided to take a different approach in order to include everyone. I devised a scenario, again based around a teenage pregnancy, that each group wou ld be able to use as the core of their piece of drama. They would then devise the rest of their plays alone. This meant that each group could incorporate a flexible amount of participants, and ensured two unique, original performances. With my idea in mind, I next needed to devise some Stanislavski-based rehearsal techniques for my group to use during their preparation for the production. Keeping the themes of Given Circumstances and the Magic If, Emotional Memory, and Units and Objectives in mind, I devised three rehearsal techniques specifically tailored to Stanislavskis ideals. With these techniques devised, I had to actually carry out the rehearsal and performances. In order to do this, I would need a space, two groups of actors, a party of responsible adults with CRB checks and an audience. I contacted the chairman of the theatre and booked myself a studio performance room for Saturday the 3rd of April. I then sent out letters to the actors involved with the Nonentities Youth Theatre. The letters outlined the project and the experimental side of the day, offered the chance to look at the technical side of theatre, and asked for a response. I received 18 positive responses back, which was many more than the ori ginal 12 participants I had in mind, making the scenario idea far more usable. I then had to split the actors into two different groups, a control group, who would direct themselves, and the experimental group, who I would direct using Stanislavskis methods. The groups needed to be equally weighted with talent, as it was important to make this experiment as fair as possible by not allowing acting ability to throw it. I therefore split the actors into groups myself, aiming to balance the ages in each group while placing responsible actors I could trust to work independently in the control group, and actors open to co-operation and willing to listen in the Stanislavski group. The Independent Variable of this study was whether Stanislavskis methods were applied to rehearsals, and the Dependant Variable was whether the performance was more believable based on the rehearsal method used. My hypothesis was: The techniques used in rehearsal will have an affect on the performance given. I experienced my first problem of the day when the actors arrived in the morning. Shortly before the workshop was to take place, a letter had been sent to all members of the youth theatre outlining the need for a new leader and the cancellation of sessions until another letter was sent out. It became apparent that many of the actors who had wished to be a part of the workshop had assumed that it, too, was cancelled, so the final number of actors I had to work with was just 10. Although I had to adjust the group list, the smaller number of participants made the day as a whole more intimate, and the group sizes more manageable, so I feel it was a beneficial circumstance. Once everybody had signed in, I conducted a brief warm-up, asking all members to think of the way different characters moved and spoke in real life, asking them to act believably, not just as caricatures. I then split up the actors into groups, and chose the two girls who I felt would be most capable of acting the par t of the pregnant teenager. I asked both groups to create a piece of drama focussing around the pregnancy that would last between 10 and 15 minutes, and I gave each group a list of criteria that they must adhere to, including aspects such as using the younger members in the younger roles, including a number of monologues from different characters, and that they must write down the decisions made in early rehearsal. I told the control group that they were allowed to use music, and dramatic techniques such as physical theatre and freeze frames, while the Stanislavski group had to endeavour to make their characters and circumstances applicable to real life, and were told not to use out-of-place techniques like freeze framing. The video was set to record as the groups split up into two different rooms, and I allowed the control group to keep to themselves for the majority of the day, while I worked with the Stanislavski group, asking them to use my previously-prepared rehearsal techniqu es. The first technique I gave them was designed to support Given Circumstances and the Magic If. I asked each group to use the first stages of rehearsal to create mind-maps around the pieces of drama. Whilst the control groups map outlined the storyline, the Stanislavski group were asked to spend an hour and a half fleshing out their characters, and the relationships and links between them. They gave each character a name and an age, they wrote about their beliefs and opinions, and decided upon how their characters met. Each actor developed a detailed history for their character, pulling from personal experience and their imaginations to create steady backgrounds. These are aspects relating to Given Circumstances and the Magic If because they invite the participants to firstly realise the Circumstances the script gives them, and secondly to flesh out their characterisation by putting their characters in different situations through use of the Magic If. The second technique I devised related to Emotion Memory. I used this technique when working with the actress playing the pregnant girl. We applied it to the scene in which she is told that the test is positive. I asked her to think about a time when she felt lost, and perhaps didnt have anybody she could talk to about it because nobody had been in that position before her. She talked of a time when her parents were going through a messy divorce, and she felt cut of from the both of them. She spoke openly and freely, and answered my questions honestly. As time went by, she was drawn further and further into her memory and the emotions that were present at that time, so that when I finally asked her to begin talking from her characters perspective, her acting became real. She didnt need to fake the tears, because she was filled with the emotion her character was filled with. The third technique was designed to compliment Units and Objectives. Once the actors had created their storyline, I asked them to divide it up into scenes, so that it was as close to a normal scripted piece of drama as possible. We talked about each of their characters, and what their Super-Objectives would be. The actors decided upon everyones objectives as a group, which brought a deeper level of understanding to the piece. They decided that the fathers Super-Objective would be to protect his children, while Rosie, the pregnant daughter, aimed to face her future head on. I then asked each actor to divide up the play into their own Units, focussing on the shifts in emotion. This process proved difficult for the younger members of the group, so the group as a whole helped them to identify their Units. There proved a great variety in the amount of Units in the piece for each character; while the pregnant girl had almost one per scene, the father had only two. Furthermore, the switch b etween Units for him came suddenly in the middle of his monologue, which was right at the end of the piece- before then his character had wanted the same thing throughout. I asked the group to physically improvise the scenes they had written about, and to stop the action when they encountered their obstacles. Once they had all found their obstacles, they were asked to continue acting while finding a way to overcome this obstacle- their action. I then asked them if they had noticed the other actors actions in the scene, so that everybody was aware of the decisions their group was making.This in-depth workshop class on Units and Super-Objectives made the young actors aware and knowledgeable in the field, while also allowing them to know their characters inside out by knowing what they want, and how they might go about achieving it. A couple of hours before the performances were scheduled to begin, I took notes on the rehearsal processes of both groups. The control group had included an omniscient narrator who could stop the action and introduce new characters. The narrator sat in the middle of the piece throughout the majority of the action, until the final scene where he became an involved character. A narrator is generally used to create a sense of dramatic irony, where the audience gain knowledge that the characters dont yet know. However, this type of narration is rarely set within the piece itself, more often a voice over or such like. It is also unrealistic that the narrator, who is generally removed from and neutral to the action, suddenly become real life and jump into the scene. The group also used a split-screen technique to enable them to show two different apartments at the same time, which is effective to the audience but unrealistic, as while action is playing out in one space, the characters in t he other must be frozen. This creation of freeze-framing is difficult to hold for long periods of time, and does not occur in a genuine situation. Another technique they used was audience-participation, where one member of their cast sat in the audience until the final moments of the play, where she rose, walked across the stage, took out her mobile and called the police. I concluded that the control group had included various aspects of performance which were designed to make the action more interesting to the audience, and add the element of surprise, but were not designed to look or feel realistic. They had spent only half an hour mind-mapping their decisions, and talked about their other decisions while physically rehearsing. The Stanislavski group spent an hour and a half developing their characters, and another hour developing their storyline, so they ended up with four A3 sheets of paper detailing their entire performance. They used only one location, the teenagers bedroom, so that there was never a set change needed, because it would interrupt the storyline and distract the audience. The groups monologues were delivered to a person, as opposed to the audience, so that the barrier between the audience and the characters stayed strong. Had the actors been talking to the audience, their speeches would have seemed less realistic. After five hours of rehearsal, it was time for the final performances. Each actor had been asked to invite some family members or friends, and members of the theatre came along to participate too. Each audience also included the actors from the other group, making the final audience figure 19 members. I watched the performances, but didnt participate in the questionnaire, as I would have been biased toward the Stanislavski group. I introduced the pieces, and talked about the work the actors had undertaken over the day. The audience werent told which group was the control group, and which group was the Stanislavski group, until both performances had finished, meaning that they couldnt be biased in favour of Stanislavski either. I also asked them to be open minded, and not answer the questionnaire in favour of the production their child was associated with, telling them they were judging my direction, not the individual actors talent. The audience watched the control group first, and w ere given time to fill out their questionnaires while we set up the stage for the Stanislavski group. After both performances had finished, I thanked everybody for taking part and collected in the questionnaires. Having extrapolated my results, it became apparent that there was a general feeling that the Stanislavski production was more believable. When asked was the main storyline believable, 66% of the audience thought that the control groups piece was a dramatised and exaggerated version of real life, while 95% thought that the Stanislavski groups piece could credibly happen in real life. Having worked extensively with the pregnant character from the Stanislavski group, I was pleased that 42% of the audience thought that she portrayed the pregnancy flawlessly, while a further 42% felt that she portrayed it very well, while in the control group, these percentages combined only reached 44%. I asked the audience to rate how believable they felt the overall performances were, and 56% rated the control groups performance at an 8/10 or higher, while 94% rated the Stanislavski performance at an 8/10 or higher. Overall, it is evident that the Stanislavski groups performance was more widely believe d. It is important to note that the effectiveness of the performances given may not be entirely down to the methods of rehearsal used. Although I tried to make the experiment as fair as possible by attempting to make the rehearsal methods the only variable, other extraneous variables may have had an affect on the final results. For example, since there were fewer participants than planned, I had to shuffle the groups a little. This meant that the control group had two of the younger members in their piece, while the Stanislavski group had four older members. The younger members of the theatre are less experienced and therefore dont have as many creative ideas to bring to the mix. It is also apparent that almost half of the audience were family members of the younger actors, meaning that they are liable to vote in favour of their childs piece as they are proud to see them on stage. Although I asked the audience to keep an open mind, they may have been bias towards their family or friends , and this is a factor which could have affected the final results. At the beginning of my project, I asked myself What is Stanislavskis Method of acting, and how far has it influenced modern day performance? Having undertaken a considerable amout of research on Stanislavski and his methods, it became easier for me to define them, and to easily distinguish the difference between his teachings, and those of other practitioners. I found that Stanislavskis method of acting is largely based around the actors own interpretation of the character, aiming to keep the emotion real. I found that Stanislavski wanted the audience to connect with both the storyline and the characters, and he achieved this connection by keeping th acting real, thus allowing the audience to connect empathetically. Having created an experiment to see whether Stanislavski did indeed influence modern day performance, I found that the audience were effected by the group that used the Stanislavskian rehearsal techniques, so much so that one person wrote on the bottom of their questionna ire that their performance actually brought tears to my eyes. While researching, I came across a website [9] where Jeni Whittaker (1999) argues that Stanislavski is rightly called the father of modern theatre, his System of acting became the backbone of twentieth century theatre craft. Nearly all other practitioners use him as a starting point, either to build from or to react against. This substantiates my initial hypothesis that Stanislavski has a major influence on modern day theatre. In conclusion, I feel that Stanislavski has an extended influence on modern day theatre. Audiences of today wish not to be challenged or alienated, but to see characters they can relate to on the stage, and the majority of theatre today follows this teaching, whether the director realises he is adhering to Stanislavskis theory or otherwise. Furthermore, when watching two similar pieces of drama, it became apparent that the audience are more drawn towards that which used Stanislavskis rehearsal techn iques because the characters and storyline were portrayed in a true to life manner. I found that Stanislavski is not only used in theatre, as many famous screen actors choose his methods when getting into character. I feel that the world is exposed to Stanislavskis teachings more than it realises, and therefore the influence of Stanislavski on modern day acting is significantly higher than I believed when I began the project. References: Source unknown, Stanislavski. Brecht (1949). A Short Organum for the Theatre, paragraph 55. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica (2010). Stanislavsky method. Encyclopà ¦dia Britannica Online; Retrieved February 22, 2010, from: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/563178/Stanislavsky-method Source unknown, Stanislavski. Stanislavski (1937). An Actor Prepares, (reprinted 1988) United Kingdom: Methuen Drama LTD. Harry Governick for TheatrGROUP. (1992). An Interview with Shelly Winters; Retrieved February 22, 2010, from http://www.theatrgroup.com/Shelley Peter Oyston, How to use the Stanislavski System DVD(2004). Retrieved (via YouTube) April 12, 2010, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zmhggaEuJj8 Shakespeare (1973). Romeo and Juliet, from The Complete Works of Shakespeare- The Alexander Text. London and Glasgow: Collins. Jeni Whittaker for DramaWorks. Stanislavski through Practice (1999) Retrieved April 13, 2010, from http://www.dramaworks.co.uk/stanislavski.html

Interpreting The Descent of Odin :: Descent of Odin Essays

Interpreting The Descent of Odin  Ã‚   There are several different ways to interpret a poem. Each word can either be a metaphor for something else or the words can mean exactly what they say. Either way there can really never be a completely wrong interpretation of a certain poem because everyone is going to see things in their own way. For example, an object or a phrase could have a double meaning. A conversation that seems somewhat insignificant could be very important to the meaning and the tone of the entire poem. This is the case in â€Å"The Descent of Odin† by Thomas Gray. The poem has several different hidden meanings and messages that might not be visible to the untrained reader. The poem has several interesting aspects to it. The first is the very obvious, over active id of Odin. He is trying to retrieve information from the Prophetess when all she wants is to be left alone. In the beginning he is very demanding about what he wants. He will not let her rest until he finds out all of the information he wants. â€Å"Yet a while my call obey; Prophetess, awake, and say,† (Gray, pg. 43). Odin’s child-like characteristics are very obvious. Finally after whining enough, he was able to obtain all of the information he needed, his superego takes over and represses the id from carrying on and tormenting Prophetess. He is able to let his superego take over, unlike Prophetess who is very selfish and is not in control of her own free will. Prophetess was also guilty of doing a little bit of whining herself. Instead of helping Odin right away, she complained about the fact that he had disturbed her. â€Å"What call unknown, what charms presume to break the quiet of the tomb? Who thus afflicts my troubled sprite, and drags me from the realms of night?† (Gray, pg. 41-42) She is annoyed that someone dared to wake her. Her selfish little id is rearing its ugly little head and causing her to complain and be grumpy. She is supposed to help people when they ask about the things that Odin asked about, hence the name Prophetess. Instead of being completely selfless, like she should be, she decides that being stubborn and rude is the way to treat people. Both characters are guilty of giving into their ids, but Prophetess is much more unwilling to let her superego take over to subdue her id.

Religion Versus Science in The Scopes Monkey Trial :: American America History

Religion Versus Science in The Scopes Monkey Trial   Ã‚  Ã‚   The stage was set in Dayton, Tennessee.   The leading actor in this show was a twenty five-year-old science teacher named John T. Scopes. Scopes was under the direction of advancing America.   The playbill read The Scopes â€Å"Monkey† Trial.   In 1925 John T. Scopes was encouraged to challenge the Butler Law.   This law had been passed by a small town in Dayton, Tennessee to prohibit teaching contra to those in the Bible. Teaching from an evolutionary text, Scopes broke the law and gained the attention of the National media.   The concentration of the media on the Scopes Trial effectively presented the contrasting ideas of a religious town and an evolving country.   Ã‚  Ã‚   The town in Dayton, Tennessee was both religious and stable.   People in this town were seen holding signs marked with the command to â€Å"Read Your Bible† (Ginger 93). The inhabitants here had adopted the teachings of the Bible in order to feel secure within a time of change.   â€Å"In rural areas, particularly in the South and Midwest, Americans turned to their faith for comfort and stability† (Scopes 12).   The town would hold on to what they knew.   People in Dayton had no desire to travel forward with the roaring twenties.   William Jennings Bryan was the leading defender of the Butler Law as well as heading the prosecution. Bryan was determined to defend as literally true every word of the Bible.   In the deepest sense, he had to defend it; he needed reassurance and certainty, and since childhood had learned to rely on the Bible as the source of reassurance and certainty.   (Ginger 41).   Bryan would be the leader to a people who held on to religion and the past.   Ã‚  Ã‚   In contrast to this small town were the advancing views of America.   The twenties continued to roar towards modernism.   â€Å"Breakthroughs in technology, the increase in material wealth, and the beginning of an empire seemingly heralded the upward march of civilization, with America on the forefront† (Dumenil 6).   In all directions, it was clear that America was moving forward.   Transportation was a prime example of this advancement.   Innovator Henry Ford introduced his â€Å" Ford Miracle† to the public (Dumenil 6).   Economies and the social values also began to advance.   â€Å"Dubious get-rich-quick schemes and fads†¦contributed to a tone of feverish frivolity† (Dumenil 7).   People began to lead fast paced lives with the desire to become rich, quickly.

Machiavelli and Bush

In school, we came to know about Niccolo Machiavelli through his extremely popular statement, â€Å"The end justifies the means† (Machiavelli n.p.). Due to the unsavory reputation that has hounded Niccolo Machiavelli, the terminology Machiavellian is now utilized to describe a leadership style that is shrewd/cunning, deceiving/to be regarded with suspicion, as well as, ruthless/cold-blooded; a kind of leadership which is actually instituted upon â€Å"power politics† (Machiavelli n.p.). Political Action is an End Itself Furthermore, for some individuals who have read Machiavelli’s thoughts and ideas, they consider him as a â€Å"negative person†, sometimes he is even addressed as â€Å"somebody who is upholding evil and sin† (Machiavelli n.p.). In fact, the church considers him as immoral, unethical, and even evil (Machiavelli n.p.). This is because politics for Machiavelli should be taken as something which should not be blended with topics of religion, morality, as well as, ethics since politics he says is instituted upon its own value system (Machiavelli n.p.). For him, to evaluate political actions basing on religion or ethical standards is actually unwarranted (Machiavelli n.p.). Moreover, Machiavelli states that the end of the state is the acquirement/getting hold of, preservation, as well as, development/growth of authority/political power (Machiavelli n.p.). Comparing it to the other critical thinkers of the Machiavellian world, Machiavelli just do not consider this as â€Å"a means to an end† but an end in itself (Machiavelli n.p.). What he is saying is that if an act that’s motivated by politics leads to acquirement/getting hold of, preservation, as well as, development/growth of authority/political power then it is reasonable, understandable, and acceptable as well (Machiavelli n.p.). Similarities of Machiavelli and Bush This is where President Bush connects with Niccolo Machiavelli, President Bush believes that by annihilating the ruler, for instance, Osama Bin Laden and Saddam Hussein, he will be able to strengthen his hold and power and to bring about unity in the state and since that is the case, like Machiavelli, he believes that his action is justifiable (Thompson n.p). In addition to that, President Bush like Machiavelli feels that since they are the type of rulers who planned to get the better of, and to safeguard the state, then they will be eternally judged to be praiseworthy and be commended by everyone (Machiavelli n.p.). Last but not least, since Machiavelli believes that a ruler has to be cruel and ruthless if he has to; Bush patterned his attitude on that as well (Thompson n.p). He declared a war against Iraq which annihilated two hundred Americans working for the U.S. Armed Forces (Thompson n.p). Furthermore, his declaration also caused the death of countless Iraqi civilians, of which several are women and children (Thompson n.p). Added to that is the fact that such a war costs one hundred billion dollars, which if spent back home then will surely benefit more who are starving and are suffering from poverty (Thompson n.p). All of the above-mentioned entails a great deal of cruelty which should not at all occur in the first place (Machiavelli n.p.).   However, because, President Bush thinks that all these political actions he took are bound to cause the state to unite, then declaring a war even if it would cause countless deaths is still right and should not be negated or objected upon   (Machiavelli n.p.). Simply put, both President Bush and Machiavelli are similar basically on how they rule; to them, cruelty is justified as long as it will unite their state in the end (Machiavelli n.p.). Works Cited Machiavelli, Niccolo. The Prince. 1505. n.a. 16 April 2008. http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince.txt Thompson, Robert. n.d. n.a. 16 April 2008.                  

Autistic Disturbances of Affective Contact

Leo Kanner was the first who discovered Autism as a distinct case in the 1940s and brought out a report narrating the disorder which he stated as â€Å"Autistic disturbances of affective contact'. (Keane, 2004) Presently Autism falls third among the list of childhood disorders, after mental handicap and language difficulties. (Zager, 2005) Autism is an intricate disorder of mental development which is defined in terms of behavior. Autism spectrum disorder – ASD is a broad expression which covers a diverse mix of children having such manifestations and numerous biological etiologies. Hollander, 2003) Diagnosis of ASD can be unfailingly done when the child attains the age of 3, and in certain instances much previously by the age of 18 months. Researchers recommend that several children ultimately may be conclusively detected while attaining 1 year or much less than that. (Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders)) Collectively, children detected as having ASD can be distinguished by dearth of proficiency in vocal and non-vocal communications at an early age, socio-communicative function, and monotonous behaviors. Hollander, 2003) It is the parents who are the first witnesses of these queer behaviors in their children. In certain instances, differences could be discovered congenitally, as being indifferent to humans or concentrating on a particular thing attentively for extended periods of time. The initial signals of an ASD can also be seen in children who appear to have a normal development. If a charming, blathering child, at once turns mum, reserved, self-abusive, or aloof to social advances, matters are not right. The manifestation of any of the cautioning signals of ASD constitutes sufficient worry to get the child examined by a professional expert in dealing with the disorder. (Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders)) The National Institute of Mental Health – NIML holds that the accurate incidence of Autism is not known. Estimations range from 1 among 500 to 1 among 1,000 in this nation, and the number of autism affected persons is spiraling. Even though there are differences on the issue of the rise in the number of children seen as possessing the indications of autism is because of the rise of the disorder itself, improved investigative tests, greater inclusive classification procedures, wrong diagnosis, or some mishmash of these, there is no disagreement on the reality that considerable number of people are affected by Autism in this nation. (Steuernagel, 2005) As of now, cure of Autism is nowhere in sight. Treatment or interventions are formulated to cure particular symptoms in every individual. The treatment procedures that are best studied comprise educational, behavioral and biomedical interventions. Even though these interventions do not have any cure for autism, they sometimes cause considerable enhancement. A lot of approaches stress on extremely planned and frequently intensive skill oriented training which is customized to the child on a case to case basis. (Autism Interventions) Given the right intervention, a child will be able to surmount a broad variety of developmental difficulties. Rigorous, properly devised, and interventions administered in time hold promise for bettering the prospects and the value of life, in the case of a lot of children who are believed to be in danger for cognitive, social, or emotional damage. (Zager, 2005) In certain instances, useful intervention is able to better the plight earlier believed to be almost beyond treatment, like autism. Properly administered programs have possibilities to cheer up the future of a child and the outcome a development disorder puts on the family. The outcome of this can bring a child more liberty, help that child to be taken into the community, and present an increasingly fruitful and satisfying life. Regrettably, a lot of pediatric doctors are unable to detect a developmental disorder, like autism at an age when it is high time to get quicker intervention services. From birth till 3 years happen to be a crucial period in the development of a child, hence if detected late has increased chances to put the odds for success in jeopardy. (Zager, 2005) Interventions for autism has progressed much since the disorder was stated by Kanner in the 1940s. Then Autism was believed to be intimately associated with schizophrenia and insufficient parenting was seen as the main factor responsible for the disorder. Psychoanalysis was frequently chosen as the treatment mode, however large-scale consumption of drugs were found and also electroconvulsive treatments were prescribed for application in schizophrenia cases. (Bovk; Goode, 2003) A lot of medications have been administered to alleviate autistic indications and activities having autism. However, presently no pharmacological treatments with proven suggestions are available for autism. Nevertheless, psychotropic drugs have been applied in autistic persons to cure main symptoms, behavioral dyscontrol, cure of simultaneous psychiatric ailments, and management of related clinical states like seizures. Drugs treating depression, especially serotonin -reuptake inhibitors – SRIs, and anticonvulsant drugs constitute the drugs generally applied for autism spectrum behaviors. (Hollander, 2003) The SRIs administered cover fluvoxamine, fluoxetine, paroxetine, venlafaxine, sertraine, and clomipramine. Several of these formulations have been researched in an open-label as also double-blind manner. The consequences of these researches on the whole point out that these drugs works while treating some of the indications of individuals having autism spectrum disorders. Anticonvulsants like valproic acid and carbamazepine are applied especially in people having comorbid seizure disorder, as also those suffering from impulsive violence and emotional imbalance. But, there has not been any placebo-controlled trials reported till today which assess the effectiveness of these drugs. Besides, the uncharacteristic antipsychotics have been found to be extremely effective adjunctive cure for autistics people, particularly at the time of treating acute indications like physical violence and self-injury. Medical treatment, nevertheless, is at times intricate by their susceptibility to result in putting on weight and several other undesirable causes. (Hollander, 2003) Biomedical intervention for treating autism cases comprise of a broad variety of therapeutic systems for the treatment and according to some suggest curing autism among children, adolescents and maybe adults. The source for this type of intervention is a carefully chosen food habit which permits for regular absorption of nutrients; however several associated treatment procedures are also widespread. Biomedical interventions normally begin with a limiting diet like the diet free from gluten and casein. (Biomedical intervention for autism) Normally, foods will be controlled in a specific order, for instance by not giving: Diary products-for both in lactoseare regarded to cause problems; Glutten consisting of grains like oats, barley, rye, spelt, wheat, and so on; Eggs, nuts as well as berries which frequently induce allergic effects among children; Fruits and vegetables that have salicylates, phenols and other stuffs which might trigger a reaction; Every food having artificial colors like the Feingold Diet, and all bi- and poly-saccharides, like lactose, fructose, starch and the like. Parents state mixed success with these diet, and mishmash of them. Several among them have witnessed total cure just by avoiding milk, while others are required to do away with salicylates or phenols to attain a tilting stage; others have seen a practicable, efficient food pattern in the particular Carbohydrate diet. Many however report that no advantages are derived from controlled diet. As the gastrointestinal system is considered to be damaged in autistic children, a lot of parents and medical professionals consider it useful to feed nutritional supplements to their children. (Biomedical intervention for autism) The variety of supplements provided to autistic children undertaking biomedical intervention is broad, however can be classified as: 1. Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamins specifically B-complex, and others in RDA doses. 2. Minerals, especially Calcium, Zinc, Magnesium, and other trace minerals like Molybdenum and so on. 3. Essential Fatty acids available in supplements like Borage Oil, Fish Liver Oil and Flax seed oil. 4. Probiotics – disagreement exists regarding the advantages and the possible damages of some bacteria strains vs others, however majority have the same opinion that acidophilus is needed. 5 Anti-yeast supplements- mixed success has been stated by parents with antifungal medications, however are more excited regarding the natural cures found in Caprylic acid, Garlic, seed extract of grapes and products like Biocidin. It is observed that majority of the children appear to gain from a carefully chosen diet and judicious use of nutritional supplements, increased differences is found in other alleged â€Å"alternative† medical systems. The most usual of these are Craniosacral therapy/Osteopathy, Homoeopathy, applied kinesology and Chelation. (Biomedical intervention for autism) Results of intense research findings opine that autistic children need personalized, individual teaching to deal with the distinctness of their interaction, social behavioral and impairment related to learning. In situations where autistic children are given thorough early intervention which is particularly intended to fulfill the spectrum of their requirements, the pace of the growth of children can be improved and might result in enhanced lasting diagnosis. Suitable interventions meant for children having autism must be initiated as soon as possible to benefit from the â€Å"window of opportunity† which is present at the time when the brain of the child is in the growth stage and is flexible. Stephens, 2002) In case of children who are less than 3 years of age, suitable interventions normally happen at home or a child care centre. (Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders)) The best researched intervention for this disorder at the moment is behavioral treatment. With the passage of time, autism has been acknowledged as an ailment of development, interventions have concentrated on improving development expertise and on means to alleviate behavioral problems. (Bov k; Goode, 2003) Autistic children have been observed to be receptive to a broad range of interventions intended at improving their social rendezvous with others, adults as well as peers. Fruitful policies applying peer-mediated approaches and mentoring by peers have engaged characteristically developing peers. Besides, a lot of researches have proven that social involvement has a direct bearing on other vital behaviors such as language, even when these behaviors are not particularly attended by the teaching program. Therefore, while a realm of intense participation, social behavior is also receptive to intervention. (Rogers, 2001) Acknowledgement of the contribution that language problems specifically is responsible for behavior problem, had given rise to a pointing on the teaching of increased efficient communication skills. (Bovk; Goode, 2003) According to the Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General: thirty years of research proved the effectiveness of applied behavioral procedures in lowering suitable behavior and in enhancing communication, learning, and proper social behavior. The fundamental research performed by Ivar Lovaas and his associates at the University of California, Los Angeles, demanding for a thorough individual child-teacher communications lasting for 40 hours every week, built the base for other educators and researchers in the quest for more efficient initial interventions to assist those having ASD reach their capabilities. The objective of behavioral management is to strengthen wanted behaviors and eliminate the unwanted behaviors. (Autism Spectrum Disorders (Pervasive Developmental Disorders)) Over 550 peer-referred data-based assessments have been released by the research professionals on behavioral treatment, and these assessments have demonstrated that the treatment gives a broad array of advantages. For instance, it assists a majority of the individuals with autism to interact with others, stay occupied in play and recreational pursuits with peers and caregivers, undertake self-care involvements like toileting and wearing dresses, achieve scholarly and vocational proficiencies, and handle unruly conducts like peevishness or characteristic behaviors. Taken from a behavioral standpoint, people with autism are laid with genetic injuries which lower their potential and determination to educate themselves in manners that normally developing children and adults do. Specifically, people with autism develop meager dexterity or keenness to enjoy playing in a creative manner, interacting, idolizing the activities of other people, discovering their environments, paying attention to the directives of their teachers, or engaging themselves in reading books on subjects that are new to them. (Hollander, 2003) Because of this, the most fundamental objective of behavioral treatment is giving learning circumstances which help people with autism to be a winner which will encourage them to keep on learning. Since a lot of interventions developed for persons having autism have found not to be so fruitful or even detrimental, behavioral practitioners consider that it is important to apply interventions whose advantages have been recorded in controlled researches and that are obtained from better principles from a scientific perspective regarding the manner on how to encourage learning. Besides, they regard that the impact of these interventions are required to be evaluated cautiously in case of every individual having autism who gets them. Behavioral evaluation and cure are normally executed by paraprofessionals who perform under the watchful guidance of professional behavior analysts. (Hollander, 2003) Broad based school, home and community requirements order a personalized and wide-ranging evaluation procedure so as to guarantee treatment planning. Fruitful and useful evaluation work need effort and involvement by professionals as well as family members. Improved evaluation procedures, inclusive of more increased application of filtering apparatus, broader accessibility of services, and increasingly informed service providers, individuals who really have idea regarding autism and assisting families with autism, everybody have a share in putting up an encouraging account. School programs are more and more encompassing while being receptive to autism, in that extending much needed services in less restraining settings. Inclusion practices, together with improved transition facilities, permit people having autism to attain at stages which have not been believed to happen until lately. Parents are inclined to be vehemently occupied in assisting their child and keen to learn the manner in which to impart competence and organize settings. (Zager, 2005) In order to appreciate the child's privileges in the public schools of America, it helps to begin with one of the basic regulations ruling the education of children with deficiencies: the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act — P. L. 101-476. IDEA has been enacted as a federal law which assures without any cost and suitable public education meant for each child having deficiencies. This implies that in case one admits his child in a public school, his/her education will be free and must be suitable for his/her age, potential and level of development. IDEA is an improved edition of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act — P. L. 94-142 enacted in 1975. During 1997, IDEA was again sanctioned authority — P. L. 105-17, went ahead in defining rights of children to educational services and stressing the contribution of parents in the educational planning methods for their children. (IDEA and your child's rights) To conclude, a distinct appreciation of intervention effects might presently be impeded by the absence of accuracy in the calibration of results. In order to enhance the accuracy and sensitivity of evaluation of results, it might be helpful to combine research on the type of social commotion of autism with study on intervention. An efficient treatment program will develop in the interests of the child, present an expected schedule, impart responsibilities as a sequence of easy steps, keenly involve the child's interest in extremely systemized activities, and give usual strengthening of behavior.

Should College Athletes Be Paid Essay

Why College Athletes Should Be Paid $53.4 Million the combined salary of the top 15 paid coaches in division 1 college football, $0 the combined salary of all student-athletes. Over the past few decades, college athletics have gained popularity across the United States. Whether it is football, basketball, or baseball, ever since the turn of the century, intercollegiate sports have brought in a surplus of revenue to their respective Universities. A recent study found that the University of Texas’ Athletic Program had the highest revenue of any other University at a little over $120 million. Yet with this large sum of money, NO college athletes are legally compensated for their work. According to NCAA rules, â€Å"You are not eligible for participation in a sport if you have ever: Taken pay or the promise of pay, for competing in that sport†. While it may seem odd and unjust to pay college athletes, the reality is that compensation of such athletes is a necessity not only to keep competition at a steady level in college athletics, but also to encourage students to graduate and get their college degrees. Student athletes should be compensated for their work, as they are the sole reason for the Athletic Program’s surplus in revenue. These athletes are working for the schools and are doing a service to the college that seems to go unnoticed. Colleges are using these athletes to boost their respective reputations and bring in revenue while not compensating these athletes for their work. Everywhere else athletes are paid, so why shouldn’t college students too? Some critics may argue that these student-athletes are amateurs, and if paid then are becoming professional athletes. The minor league for baseball could be considered an amateur sport, although they do receive pay according to the team’s revenue. Also, with all the time practicing and working in the classroom, how many athletes have time to actually get a job? Another argument that supports paying college athletes is that these â€Å"full-ride† scholarships given to the best athletes do not actually cover all their expenses. Many athletes still can’t afford to have their parents come to the stadium and watch the games. With all of the respect and publicity of these athletes, it goes unnoticed that a great deal of the players live very near to the poverty line. Due to this lack of money, black-markets are created. Here, boosters that represent the University give these playersâ€℠¢Ã‚  cars, spending money, or anything they truly want, and in return, these players go to their respective University. There have been many instances of this before, one prominent example is that of Reggie Bush, the running back for the University of Southern California from 2003-2005. Bush was paid by boosters to attend USC, which violated NCAA rules. Bush’s mother was having trouble paying rent for her apartment at the time in Pasadena. Bush felt obligated to take this offer, as there was no other way to make money and pay for his mother’s home. These boosters’ actions are not only are illegal, but create unfairness in competition amongst the NCAA. These universities that violate NCAA rules have an upper edge in recruiting top prospects. Schools are then tempted to violate such rules to even out the playing field. The last and arguably the most important reason to pay college athletes, is that it will ensure that most student-athletes will complete their college degrees. â€Å"Paying student-athletes would provide an incentive to stay in school and complete their degree programs, instead of leaving early for the professional leagues† Which brings me back to the question, â€Å"Should college athletes get paid?† If athletes are paid to play, not only can they cover some of their college expenses that scholarships couldn’t, but also now they will want to finish their education. NCAA prides itself on all student-athletes are students first and athletes second, however, it seems that more popular athletes leave early for the pros. In college basketball, many freshman stars are referred to as â€Å"one and done† players as they complete one year of college and go to the professional leagues early, as they want money and need it as soon as possible. The importance of their education is lost. The University seems to be hypocritical in its actions when it doesn’t pay its athletes, because it seems they support college athletes leaving for the Professional league early. One author suggests that every university pays the same flat rate to each college athlete for three years, and then offer a raise to senior athletes. This bonus will create that incentive for students to receive their degrees. While it may seem odd and unjust to pay college athletes, the reality is that compensation of such athletes is a necessity not only to keep competition at a steady level in college athletics, but also to encourage students to graduate and get their college degrees. The truth of the matter is that many college athletes are already being paid under the  table which creates a black-market that is not only illegal, but is also unfair to universities that abide by NCAA regulations. Universities are exploiting these students and allowing them not to receive any revenue that they clearly earned. College Athletes Should Be Paid! Works Cited â€Å"College Athletics.† Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/College_athletics. Transcript of Informational Hearing: College Athletes. Sacramento, CA, Senate Publications, 2003.

Platos Laches Essays

Platos Laches Essays Platos Laches Essay Platos Laches Essay During his lifetime Socrates’ various interactions with his fellow Athenians left his intentions debatable. Popular belief in Athens seemed to be that, â€Å"he [Socrates] was an evildoer, and a curious person, who searches into things under the earth and in heaven? and makes the worse appear the better cause† (Plato, pg. 5) as stated by the unofficial charges against him in The Apology. After discussions, his interlocutor’s were left confused in a state of aporia, with no conclusion. And so while negative views of Socrates became increasing popular in Athens right up until his death, Socrates was, on the contrary, serving as Athens’s benefactor, opening up their eyes to the truth of world in which they lived in. In Plato’s Laches, Socrates does in fact tear down his interlocutors’ claims but only to prove to them that they don’t know what they claim to know by exposing holes in their fundamental thoughts and to redirect them on a path to finding true knowledge. Through a method of elenchus, Socrates aimed to prove to his interlocutor that the ideas they held about certain topics were in fact false. When a person would come to him with a question, as Laches and Nicias do in Laches, Socrates would first direct the conversation in such a way that the question lying before the men is a foundational one, and not necessarily the original question. In his explanation of this Socrates states, â€Å"So, in a word, whenever a man considers a thing for the sake of another thing, he is taking counsel about that thing for the sake of which he was considering, and not about what he was investigating for the sake of something else† (Plato 185D) and redirects the question of whether or not young boys should learn the art of fighting in armor to how to care for the souls of young men. By doing this Socrates is able to expose the very source of his interlocutors’ belief system and demonstrate that if the basis of the system isn’t true nothing built on it can be true. Socrates goes on to have the men discus virtue, because they are trying to discover what virtue could be added to their sons’ souls to make them better men and because virtues are the basis for the moral ethics by which they live.. He then invites them to define a virtue: courage. When Laches gives a less than sufficient answer, Socrates rephrases his question and asks for a true definition of courage, one that would encompass every sort of courageous act. Eventually Laches gets to a point where he is unsure of how to proceed, saying, â€Å"I am really getting annoyed at being unable to express what I think in this ashion. I still think I know what courage is, but I can’t understand how it has escaped me just now so that I can’t pin it down in words and say what it is† (Plato 194B). By admitting that he is unable to concisely express the definition of something he considered himself knowledgeable about, Laches allowed Socrates’ method to have a refl ective effect on him. The dialogue ends in an aporia, or a state of unknowing, leaving Laches and Nicias still without an answer to whether or not young men should learn the art of fighting in armor and more importantly without what a proper definition of courage. They leave the conversation confused, realizing, that they don’t know what they thought they knew, which is what Socrates had originally intended for them to eventually understand. Coming out of a Socratic dialogue usually left the interlocutor feeling one of two ways. Laches, after conversing with Socrates and Nicias, is aware that he isn’t as informed on the idea of courage as he would have like to think, but still agrees to go Lysimachus’ house the next day to continue the discussion in hopes of revealing an answer. Being made aware of his shortcoming, instilled in him a desire to further explore it. Leaving the Socratic dialogue left Laches wanted more; because it ended in aporia, the only piece of knowledge he got of the conversation was that his definitions were wrong. Instead of giving Laches the answer, and having him just accept it as true, Socrates invited him to search for it, because in searching for an answer to the definition of courage, Laches would gradually begin to question and search for other pieces of knowledge relevant to his life, and it would become an ongoing process. However, other Athenians eventually grew tired of Socrates’ extensive questioning and can be seen in The Apology putting Socrates on trial for it. Instead of taking Socrates’ conversations for what they were worth, they labeled him as argumentative and a man who was corrupting the youth of the city. By breaking down his interlocutors’ various thoughts, ideas, and theses, Socrates was trying to reveal to them that they were not in fact wise and that the knowledge they thought they possessed was not true knowledge. Socrates himself was only considered wiser than his fellow Athenians because he considered his one piece of knowledge to be that he didn’t know anything. By breaking down, piece by piece, the arguments of those he conversed with, he intended for them to realize that their knowledge was relative and therefore meaningless in the grander scheme of things. By recognizing this, only then could they begin living a life in search of finding true meaning. In searching for meaningful things they would have to learn to question things. While he is on trial in The Apology, Socrates tells the jury that, â€Å"The unexamined life is not worth living† (Plato pg. 24) Living life without asking questions, and without inquiry, is not living life at all, and is therefore worthless. As an Athenian himself, Socrates wants to help the fellow men of his city led â€Å"examined† lives and is quick to let them know, if they do away with him, there might never be someone else who does for them what he is attempting to do. In conclusion, Socrates is