The Ring Of Gymes Myth Analysis

After reading this book, I do feel that some of my beliefs did change, however, not entirely because it provided me with information that can assist me

I believe this book has been an important step for me in considering the future

Spare the Rod and spoil the child. This means if you don't punish your children for their wrongdoings then you will not like you children and they might continue you to do wrong. Was that what Hammurabi was thinking when he assembled his code of laws? Hammurabi was a ruler in ancient Mesopotamia. He became ruler of Babylon in 1792 BCE. It was an unsafe time and Hammurabi conquered many nearby city-states so no one would conquer Babylon instead. When he did this, he assembled a code of 282 laws. The laws were carved on giant stones called steles. The question is, were these laws just? This means were the laws far to the accused, the victim, and society. If you look at the three categories of --- family, property, and personal injury -- it is clear that Hammurabi's code was just.

Socrates attempts to formulate a definition for, “moderation,” to investigate how this virtue comes into play with souls. Initially, Socrates elucidates how moderation is often perceived as “mastery of certain kinds of pleasures and1 desires,” (430e) and ridicules the word, “self-control” as he exposes how, controller of the weak and strong are both the same individual, meaning that there is nothing to control other than oneself. Plato’s mockery shifts to discussion, as he examines how a “master of himself” is one whose “better part” is stronger and in control, while a “self-defeated” individual is one whose bad component overpowers (431a). Just as Thrasymachus argues in Book I, that justice is, “the advantage of the stronger,” (338b) and whether people who are actually ruling are those

Plato?s view of Justice can be seen in his model of The Tripartite Soul. In this model Plato outlines 3 sectors of his ideal society. This theoretical society is composed of Guardians, Auxiliaries, and Producers. The Guardians were the upper class citizens who had the authority to pass judgment. Guardians were rational and wise, and could participate and become involved in politics. The Auxiliaries were positioned as courageous citizens who helped preserve the spirit and emotion of a society by ?protecting and serving? much like a modern day public works department or police and fire squad. In the lowest tier of Plato?s ideal society were the Producers, whose job it was to create. The Producers were to use temperance in their lives, for they were classified as appetitive souls who could easily succumb to bodily desires. The Producers were to practice asceticism, which is the eradication of bodily desires.

To achieve this, he also believes that we must remove the family and remove privilege. To have justice we must raise all children the same, find what they are good at and have them do that specific job for the rest of their lives. He states that to have societal justice we must first have individual justice. Plato’s explains the three-part structure of the soul and their resemblance to the parts of society and their virtues. First is the appetite part of the soul, the yearning for things but knowing they must come with moderation, these resembles to producers of the society; the craftsmen, the farmers, the artisans.

     While reading this book I found myself making notes on how I disagree with certain topics but I didn’t realize until I was about half way through that there were many good points made. Some of the good points I did notice can be found in every chapter

They are educated through their strict curriculum, and due to the virtues that they learn, they are able to rule in a just manner (Plato 515a). The purpose of life for Plato is to create a just state. Through a broad education, and a democratic government, justice can be pursued. Justice is defined as the harmony that results when everyone is actively engaged in fulfilling his role and does not meddle with that of others (Plato 434e). When each person follows their role in life, stability can be achieved in the state.

Plato aims to give an account of the ethical life. Themes for example knowledge, the well-ordered life, and wisdom are connected into the discussion of ethical life, however, the principle of justice and the organization of the good life is the central topic of Plato's theories. Today we associate justice with the successful implementation and execution of political law. To the Ancient Greek's justice was used to describe the proper and correct method of living. Justice is harmony and was believed it could be achieved through learning. Plato first established that justice is good, and part of the good life in Book I. Plato listens to other philosophers theories and argues that justice is an excellence of character. The role that justice plays is to improve human nature. In addition to other things, justice is a form of goodness that cannot contribute in any activity that attempts to harm one's character.

Socrates attempts to formulate a definition of the word, “moderation,” to investigate how the virtue of moderation comes into play with the human soul. Socrate’s elucidates how moderation is often perceived as “the mastery of certain kinds of pleasures and desires,” and explore how the controller of the weak and strong are both the same person. Consequently Socrates ridicules the word, “self-control.” Just as Thrasymachus argues in Book I that justice is, “the advantage of the stronger,” and whether the people who are actually ruling are those best suited to rule, Plato’s argument also seems to revolve around this concept, as the reader questions whether there is a part of the soul which is naturally suited to rule. To further consider this notion, Socrates discusses how a “master of

the world was young.” (Tolkien, 871) Nowhere in the whole of The Lord of the Rings is Orome the Great ever described. Furthermore, the Battle of the Valar is another story never told in Rings. But the reader can interiorize such statements and apply them to promote the truth of the mythos encompassing Rings. It gives the content a feeling of a past, of gods, and creation which thus adds to the character of Theoden, making him appear more prominent than a standard man. The reader may be unconscious of the story behind Orome or the Valar, however by reading these announcements, the reader is compelled to use his/her creative ability, to take part in the imaginative journey of mythical creation. There is a profound level of mysticism implanted

In his philosophical text, The Republic, Plato argues that justice can only be realized by the moderation of the soul, which he claims reflects as the moderation of the city. He engages in a debate, via the persona of Socrates, with Ademantus and Gaucon on the benefit, or lack thereof, for the man who leads a just life. I shall argue that this analogy reflecting the governing of forces in the soul and in city serves as a sufficient device in proving that justice is beneficial to those who believe in, and practice it. I shall further argue that Plato establishes that the metaphorical bridge between the city and soul analogy and reality is the leader, and that in the city governed by justice the philosopher is king.

Moderation is key. Plato talks of moderation as nature harmony between good and bad influences. He states that while bravery and wisdom can be found here and there, that moderation encompasses all. The last line of 432 A is that moderation is found in a community as well as in the individual. Plato starts out his argument, paragraph 431, discussing the humor of self-control, how one can be both the weak and the controller. He goes on to discuss how one has mastery of himself or fails himself, depending on how weak the influences of good are. It is this that sparks his thoughts on the surplus of desires to be found in the hearts of men. The influence of the few over the many is seen in paragraph 431 D,When plato says the those of high structure

“Justice is the art that gives each man what is good for his soul”. This statement is implies that justice is goodness and doing what’s right. This also implies that being a good person and doing good actions will in turn benefit the people by improving their Lives. Justice is good because it sets a standard of goodness that people in society would have to uphold and follow. Therefore this would lead to an environment of positivity and goodness for individuals. The Mariam-Webster dictionary gives the world one definition that states “Justice is the maintenance and administration of what is just especially by the impartial adjustment of confliction claims”. However According to book one of The Republic by Plato, Justice is conveyed as a very complex topic that cannot be defined by a single definition. The topic of justice is discussed and broken down by Socrates, who asks the question “what is justice?” , he seeks out a definition from the company around him and through different given definitions of Justice, Socrates proves that there is no one definition for justice because there are many contradictions and exceptions that have to be considered in certain situations. In this essay I will discuss how justice relates to goodness and how it can be “the art that gives each man what is good for his soul” by using the Socrates’ discussion on the various definitions of justice from book one in The Republic by Plato.

Plato’s view of justice ties in with his view of a perfect world. In Plato’s ideal world, the society would be a wise one, wise in