FREE ESSAY ON PLATO VS SHELLEY

PLATO VS SHELLEY

Many works of literature provide responses to much debated topics. Opinions are brought
forth by means of rhetorical devices and supported by some type of accepted truth. In two
such pieces, The Republic by Plato and "A Defense of Poetry" by Shelley, Plato expresses
a belief about poetry that Shelley disagrees with and responds to. Through rhetorical
devices such as metaphors and symbolism and the use of deductive logic and Socratic
writing, Plato provides a strong, very supported argument while Shelley's long sentence
structure, analogies and metaphors are weak in comparison.
The way in which Plato uses deductive logic to express his opinion allows him to fully
develop his ideas without making assertions that are incredible. Plato begins with the
idea of the ultimate "maker of the bed", which he refers to as G-d which is easily
accepted by the majority of an audience. Plato believed that there is only one who "makes
the essence of the bed," (44) the single idea and therefore that is the truth. From there
he goes to the carpenter. "There is another (bed) which is the work of the carpenter."
(44) And finally Plato defines his thesis through metaphor. He uses a metaphor that
compares the work of a poet to a mirror. "Turning a mirror round and round - you would
soon enough make the sun and the heavens, and the earth and yourself, and other animals
and plants, and all other things of which we were just speaking, in the mirror…but
they would be appearances only." (44) The way in which the writing is interactive with
two people creates contradictions, which challenge Plato's beliefs, yet they are still
proven throughout. "Why not? For the duller eye may often see a thing sooner than the
keener.
"Very true, but in your presence, even if I had any further notion, I could not muster
courage to utter it." (43) While this Socratic writing helps Plato to make his argument
even more concrete, Shelley uses essay form to portray his ideas somewhat in response to
beliefs like those of Plato.
Shelley's writing differs in form from Plato's in that Shelley's is more straight forward
and seems almost as if it were meant to be preached. "Reason is to the imagination as the
instrument to the agent, as the body to the spirit, as the shadow to the substance."
(429) The analogy that Shelley uses portrays that reason is the basis of the imagination,
implying that poetry holds truth, yet it is an idealized truth, which is determined by
Plato in The Republic to be essentially false. Shelley uses a similar metaphor of a
mirror, as did Plato. "Poetry is a mirror which makes beautiful that which is distorted."
(431) While Shelley is trying to defend poetry, he is still representing is as an image,
just as Plato had. Plato uses this mirror symbol more successfully in that he makes the
assertion that that in which is imitated, as is a mirror image, is far from the truth.
Shelley only states that the image (poetry) is more beautiful than the truth, which is
distorted.
Plato and Shelley both portray their ideas of poetry through rhetorical devices but
Plato's argument is much more solid. Because of his Socratic writing form and effective
use of metaphors, Plato's devices persuasively outweigh Shelley's form, analogies and
metaphors.