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Read the excerpt from Pericles’ famous speech. Are the qualities he praises characteristics of democracy? Do
you see those characteristics in American democracy? Why or why not?
Is rhetoric an art that seeks to teach people to be good and just, or is rhetoric simply a tool, in itself neither
good nor bad, to use to persuade others to do what you want? Are tyrants like Adolf Hitler “good rhetoricians,”
or are they misusing rhetoric? Explain your answer.
What is the significance of the Myth of the Cave? Do you see examples in today’s society of people living in
Plato’s metaphorical cave? Who are they, and why do you think they are like Plato’s cave dwellers?
Sample Solution
What do you think: Is it more important to be just or to appear just? Why?