The Makings of a Martyr (Revised)

Revised Question2

There are very few true martyrs that have ever walked the face of this earth. It is hard to specify who was one and who was not as some are more obvious then others and some come down to merely personal opinion. In my mind Socrates is a martyr, a true martyr, even if he never meant to be one.

Socrates did not beg or plead for his life by appealing to people’s sympathetic side nor did he whimper when hearing he is to be put to death. These are qualities that make up a martyr. If he were to collapse into a shriveling mouse of man it would be hard to say he sacrificed his life for the greater good but was more for forced into it. “I would not plead before you as you would have liked to hear me plead, or appeal to you with weeping an wailing, or say and do other things which I maintain unworthy of me.” (Plato, 46). His speech gives Socrates a brave appearance, and even if he were truly to be scared of death he does not show it. Is not that what bravery is though, to be scared of something but to do it without showing emotion? He appears to truly be unshaken by the verdict that shall claim his life, for it appears he is willing to die for what he said and believes in. If this where just a show for the trial then he would have escaped with Crito but refused too give into to most fundamental of all human instincts, the preservation of the self and die for his beliefs.

It is my belief that every martyr must also have a cause or something to stand for such as Martin Luther King or Gandhi. Socrates may not have been a spokesperson for a specific cause and that is why people may say he is not a martyr but in many ways he is standing up for his belief in a true republic . He has clearly done nothing close to a crime punishable by death and the show trial was more of a pre-determined execution. This makes him a political activist weather he calls himself so or not. Socrates expresses his attachment to his cause and makes it appeal to others in his speech, “My good friend, you are a citizen of Athens, a city which is very great and very famous for it’s wisdom and power, are you not ashamed of caring so much for the making of money, and for fame and prestige…” (36). The government and people close to it are only abusing their power when they put Socrates to death for “corrupting the youth.” No true republic has ever put a man to death for corrupting the youth, in fact that is one of the necessities of a totalitarian government.

Socrates is surrounded by men that worship his every word as most inspirational men do and they are not there for money or power but only to better themselves through Socrates's wisdom. “A hero is born among a hundred, a wise man is found among a thousand, but an accomplished one might not be found even among a hundred thousand men.” (Plato quote, on Socrates).  Socrates obtains the necessary charisma and uniqueness that would make men want to follow him or even die for him. He never shows even his closest of friends that he is scared of death even if he is. It is human nature to fear death but it is bravery not to show it. Socrates died for his beliefs, sticking to his argument that he had committed no crime and fought against a corrupt justice system.  


Work cited:

"Plato." BrainyQuote.com. Xplore Inc, 2011. 17 October. 2011. http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/p/plato162751.html