Socrates

Socrates was a renowned Greek philosopher who lived in ancient Greece. He contributed much to the field of ethics, creating the Socratic method of discussion. The Socratic method was much like a real debate would be today. However, there was no arguing, but rather asking and answering of questions, to stimulate critical thinking and to bring out ideas embedded in the seemingly mundane. He also contributed much about epistemology (thinking about the limitations of knowledge) and logic. The influence of his ideas and theories also provided the foundation for much of Western knowledge that followed afterwards. I would like to discuss one of Socrates' more prominent quotes below. "One who is injured ought not to return the injury, for on no account can it be right to do an injustice; and it is not right to return an injury, or to do evil to any man, however much we have suffered from him." - Socrates. I think this applies very well to "To Kill a Mockingbird", in the context of the book. I feel that the main cause of the conflict between Negroes and whites began with the manifestation of retaliation. Althought the whites displayed this form of hatred the most prominently, it was seen in the Negroes as well. For example, a Negro woman tried to stop Scout and Jem from entering the Negro church, on the grounds that they were white children. This displays that some Negroes still hated the whites for their oppression. I feel that if the Negroes had forgiven the whites their wrongdoings, the conflict would have immediately died down. However, I do not think all whites hated the Negroes. Atticus Finch was one person who did not consider Negroes inferior to whites. Another was Mr. Link Deas. I think that the main reason the blacks did not physically retaliate was because of people like Atticus who treated them kindly and fairly. I feel that the whole conflict could have been resolved sooner if both parties had been willing to forgive the other for their trangressions. In fact, it was only years later that people like Martin Luther King and Nelson Mandela were able to look at things objectively and with a compassionate and caring heart. Martin Luther King endure hate mail, death threats and derogatory insults while Nelson Mandela was thrown in prison for 23 years. Despite all these wrongdoings against them, they did not hate the whites and forgave the whites unconditionally.