iPad > 14 Documents Plato's Apology Essay & How effectively does Socrates persuade his audience in the ending of his speech? (41d3-the end) Socrates’ main argument, in my opinion, is that living one's life according to truth and justice are the most important principles to live by. In his line of reasoning, living according to the truth also means acknowledgement that the value of human wisdom is very little, and so to fear death is to assume knowledge that humans cannot have. To me, Socrates’ closing speech is very effective, as he provides a compelling argument that is persuasive to his audience. Socrates opens this section persuasively by displaying his lack of fear in the face of his execution, with a striking statement in which he equates death to freedom. "Quote 1", meaning “to die and to be free’, refers to Socrates’ stand against pleading for mercy in law courts, and implies that he preferred to not have had to demean himself or compromise his principles, as ‘opposed to doing anything unsuitable for a free man. This underlines Socrates' belief that escaping wickedness is much more important, and much more difficult, than avoiding death. Moreover, by saying "Quote 2", meaning “it was better for me", Socrates strengthens his argument, through use of a comparative, as he presents death as more favourable to life. Here, he is reiterating the idea that while one may be treated unjustly in this life, after death one can ‘only be judged justly in the underworld, or pass into an endless sleep. In this way, he portrays death in a positive light, which is persuasive as it emphasises his argument that death should not be feared, and thus that one's life must be lived in pursuit of truth and justice. Socrates effectively explains why he believes that death is to his advantage, by alluding to his d and so to a greater wisdom than that of a human. From "Quote 3" which means “at no point did the divine voice prevent me", it can be inferred that as the n didn't halt Socrates at all during his defence, his speech and its' consequences could only be to his benefit. This shows the weakness of human logic as compared to godly wisdom; men, thinking death to be terrible, wouldn't believe that execution could be advantageous to Socrates, whereas according to godly wisdom it was so. This provides a convincing argument as to why human wisdom is without any value, which further persuades Socrates’ audience. The change of tone in Socrates’ speech in gaining the prophetic power which Greeks believed men acquired upon their death, is powerful as it drives home the idea that justice will eventually be meted out to all. 447 words