UGFH1000

Reflective Journal #1
The Symposium
Submit via Blackboard after running it through Veriguide (Assignment No.: 1)

Choose ONE of the following question groups below and write a short essay of NO MORE THAN 600
words in English or 900 characters in Chinese in response to it. Use the template on Blackboard to make
sure you adopt the right format. Each question below is elaborated in a number of shorter questions that
aim to help you think through the question and formulate your response. You do not need to answer every
one of them, but try to strike a balance between referring to the text and giving your own analysis and
response.

When Plato wrote the Symposium (around 385-378BCE), his teacher Socrates had already been
condemned to death (399BCE) for (a) corrupting the young minds and (b) creating new gods (a
sign of disrespect for the Athenian gods and tradition). According to the portrayal of Socrates in the
Symposium, do you think these accusations are valid? Focus on EITHER (a) or (b), using the
corresponding questions as guidance:

(a) Does Socrates corrupt young minds?

Consider his influence on Alcibiades, who complains about Socrates (see 215b-222c) but also
praises Socrates as a model of “restraint and strength of mind” (219d). If you like, you may also
consider Socrates’ influence on two other “big fans”: Apollodorus, who “got into the habit of
keeping up with what he [Socrates] says and does every day” (172c), and Aristodemus,“one of
Socrates’ keenest admirers” who “never wears shoes” (173b).
OR
(b) Does Socrates create a new Eros?
What is the image of Eros—usually taken to be the god of love—presented by Socrates (and by
Diotima, as recalled by Socrates)? How is this Eros different from the Eros perceived by the
speakers before Socrates (you may focus on one or two of them, as you like)?

Citing from the Symposium

State the line number when making a quotation from the Symposium, following the Stephanus Numbers
(e.g., 215b-c, 223d, as appear below). Such references are given in the margins of most published books
of Platonic dialogues.
E.g.(1) Indirect Quotation
Alcibiades praises Socrates with similes, comparing him to such mythical figures as Silenus and
Marsyas (215b-c).
E.g.(2) Direct Quotation
The Symposium ends with Socrates leaving the party in sobriety: “He went to the Lyceum, had a bath,
spent the rest of the day as he normally would, and then, towards evening, went home to bed” (223d).

At the end of the reflective journal, give a list of “Work(s) Cited,” e.g.,

Work Cited
Plato. The Symposium. In Symposium and the Death of Socrates. Tr. Tom Griffith. Ware, Hertfordshire:
Wordsworth, 1997. 2-58. In In Dialogue with Humanity. Rev. 3rd ed. Vol. 1. Hong Kong: Office of
General Education, Chinese University of Hong Kong, 203. 91-144.

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