Cassius’ Persuasiveness In the play, The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare, there is a conflict between those loyal to Caesar and those against him. Cassius, a conspirator against Julius Caesar, tries to persuade his friend Brutus to join the treacherous plot against Caesar. The witty Cassius employs various appeals to Brutus while searching for his weak spot. Although Brutus has many rebuttals, Cassius successfully finds a way to convince Brutus. Flattery, appeal to honor and to heritage are all tactics used by Cassius to lure Brutus into the conspiracy.
Euthyphro’s Third Definition of Piety In Euthyphro, Socrates probes the question “What is Piety?” I have always understood piety to be a religious term and never fully grasped the entirety of it. Socrates and Euthyphro’s discussion leads me to believe Euthyphro is trying to justify the fact that he is prosecuting his father for murder. He arrogantly protests that he knows what is to be pious. His first declaration of what he believes piety is his actions. He is being pious because he is prosecuting the wrongdoer, regardless if it is a relative.
Leanne McCallum 200803953 In “Descartes’ Evil Genius”, O.K. Bouwsma attempts to argue that Cartesian scepticism is incoherent; he does this by constructing his argument through the telling of stories to explain what Descartes was trying to argue, and where he thinks Descartes was wrong. Descartes had three main arguments that he uses to refute the reliability of our senses; firstly the argument from the fallibility of the senses, secondly, the argument from dreams, and lastly, the Evil Genius argument. Bouwsma analysed the ordinary use of language to show the linguistic problems with this philosophical question. He has two “adventures” in which he explains how the sceptical challenge is incoherent.
It's safe to say that Antony makes the most of his opportunity. Antony's performance on the pulpit should come as no surprise. It is obvious from his Act III, sc. i meeting with the conspirators that he means something different in nearly everything he says. He even subtly mocks the senators with his lines "My credit now stands on such slippery ground/That one of two bad ways you must conceit me/Either a coward or a flatterer."
The capacity for society to revert back into accepting atrocities is why Wiesel’s formulates his speech to caution the audience. When Wiesel states that, “these failures have cast a dark shadow over humanity” (Wiesel 533), he is implying that these moments of darkness in history have been justified in people’s minds. Humanity’s illusion is that this was just brief periods in the past that will not happen again. That is the confusion that Wiesel hopes to discard through his speech by informing the audience through multiple examples of indifference. He induces a state of depression to make the audience receptive to his persuasion through pathos.
The character of Edmund in Shakespeare’s King Lear a complex antagonist whose quest for power, and the treatment he deserves from society fuels the subplot. Cunning, deceitful, and a villain, Edmund will do whatever it takes to achieve his objectives, even if it means betraying the people who love him most. Edmund plays a key role in setting the stage for the disaster waiting to unfold, which is the subplot. Initially, the audience sympathizes with Edmund’s character; society treats him poorly, and his own father publicly embarrasses him. In Act 1 Scene 1, when Kent asks Gloucester if Edmund is his Gloucester’s son, he replies “his breeding hath been at my charge” (1.1.9) yet Gloucester “blushed to acknowledge [Edmund]” (1.1.10).
However much we may want others to be transparent, it is impossible because everyone wears a veil. In this case the veil is a symbol for hidden guilt. There is a reality of personal evil and the veil stands in for man’s hypocrisy. Mr. Hooper says, “if I cover it for secret sin, what mortal might not do the same?” Mr. Hooper believed that everyone had secret sin and should thus wear a veil. Mr. Hooper may be said to be a moral prophet who shows by example the reality of men.
Through manipulation, blame, and self-justification, Humbert Humbert attempts to provide his readers and jury with an understanding of his passion for and obsession with Lolita, and the knowledge that he is aware of his wrong-doings, while still attempting to express what he believes to be his rationality throughout his narration. As readers, we are challenged to gain insight into Humbert’s personality through his devious techniques of narration and his attempts of rationalization as well as a sense that Lolita is much more complicated than Humbert Humbert lets on. From the beginning of the novel, the reader is confronted with Humbert Humbert’s unreliability and his willingness to manipulate the reader by altering the “facts.” John Ray Jr. describes the narrator as wearing a mask (his pseudonym, “Humbert Humbert”) “through which two hypnotic eyes seem to glow,” (Nabokov 3) illustrating Humbert’s deceptive means of storytelling. The reader is also presented with Humbert’s current state in legal captivity
According to Duncan, the Thane of Cawdor was a man who had earned his Highnesses deepest respect. He is found out to have betrayed information to an opposing force, which lead to his execution. This event leads the king to state "There's no art/ To find the mind's construction in the face:/ He was a gentleman on whom I built/ An absolute trust"(Act IV, Scene I, ln 13-14). This quote sets up the whole theme for the play: you can not tell what a man is really thinking, only by looking at his outer appearance. Deception through false prophesies is also seen within this play.
Other may take advantage of one’s naivety and innocence and take the opportunity to negatively influence them for their own satisfaction. Through Dorian Gray’s relationship with Lord Henry (Harry); he is manipulated into adopting a Hedonistic view of life. Lord Henry seizes the opportunity to lure Dorian into his dark and vain views of relationships. Harry shares his values with Dorian in the opening chapters “The aim of life is self-development. The duty one owes to one self.” The use of repetition of ‘one’ in the quote highlights Harry’s egocentric nature and individual mentality of self-pleasing.