Shea post 2

Shealyn Fuller

Post 2

Plato

COMPOSED UPON WESTMINSTER BRIDGE, SEPT. 3, 1802

Earth has not anything to show more fair:

Dull would he be of soul who could pass by

A sight so touching in its majesty:

This City now doth, like a garment, wear

The beauty of the morning; silent, bare,

Ships, towers, domes, theatres, and temples lie

Open unto the fields, and to the sky;

All bright and glittering in the smokeless air.

Never did the sun more beautifully steep

In his first splendour, valley, rock, or hill;

Ne’er saw I, never felt, a calm so deep!

The river glideth at his own sweet will:

Dear God! The very houses seem asleep;

And all that mighty heart is lying still!

-William Wordsworth

I would argue that this poem by William Wordsworth excels not only as a romantic poem in its ability to provoke “emotion recollected in tranquility”, but as a work of art whose content constructively impacts the state. Its strict adherence to iambic pentameter and general rhyme scheme reflect the structure and order of the city which is so admired throughout the poem. There is an extended sentiment that organized society surpasses nature in its embodiment of goodness that is supported by the first line “Earth has not anything to show more fair” and the 5^th line “The city not doth, like a garment, wear the beauty of the morning”. By capitalizing “The City” and granting it control over sunlight and atmosphere, such that it may “wear” them as it pleases, Wordsworth implies that a structured state becomes, of itself, more powerful than basic nature that is has conquered. These suggestions, along with the elevated language that brings them to life, inspire the idealistic image of a tall, proud, and gleaming achievement of mankind within the reader. It is my opinion that these emotions – pride and accomplishment - are most important to the provocation of forward motion in this state because they are widely pedaled as primary American values.

Plato might allow this poem to slide by his state’s many artistic restrictions for some of the reasons mentioned above, as well as some others. True, Wordsworth certainly fits Plato’s (or Socrates’s) label for artists as “A creator of appearances” (Chapter X, 2). The first section of the poem could be passed off as nothing but a city’s physical description as it appeared to Wordsworth. This does not offer truth, according to Plato, only an imitation. So why is it valuable?

I believe that Plato would agree that my impression of “The City” as a force beyond that of nature is one with a positive influence on the state. If included as members of the state, or of society, the people will come to feel that power by mere association. However, as it is presented in the poem, there is no way to maintain that power if one is apart from the state. This concept of unity towards a common goal is in accordance with the dialogue of Chapters 2 and 3 of Plato’s Republic, throughout which there is frequent mention of what must be done for “the public good”. This unity of purpose is also emphasized by the author’s choice of morning as the time. The city, the state, is at its greatest “majesty” when all its members are together in the common act of sleeping.

This is a photograph taken during the early 1900’s in America, a period referred to as the “Progressive” period. Following the industrial revolution, progressivism focused on social and economic reform for the benefit of the working man and the protection of democracy from political corruption. This photograph was likely taken by a “Muckraker”, one who strives to expose societal flaws for the purpose of having them investigated and repaired. I am conflicted about whether or not this image supports forward movement by the state. It had been my opinion that thorough examination of social problems, and action towards the elimination of those problems, was the best policy a government could follow. Now though, I think that this image’s position as either stirring or restrictive depends on one’s own interpretation of “movement forward” in relation to a state. Dwelling on the imperfect present hardly seems actively productive. Simultaneously though, how is progress possible without reflection on the issues that must be addressed? And how can these issues be adequately addressed if empathy for those who suffer is prohibited? Ultimately I find it impossible to agree that this image really does work to bring the nation forward, at least not directly.

Plato, however, would not have such a quarrel in reaching his decision to ban this image from the eyes of his state. It is made quite clear that Plato’s republic will be one of logic and rationality rather than emotion and empathy. “That we should order our affairs in the way which reason deems them best; not like children who have had a fall, keeping hold of the part struck and wasting time setting up a howl” (Chapter X, 10) is the desired sentiment of Plato’s ideal state. Movement forward would be inhibited by those things, like this picture, that “delight in giving way to sympathy” (Chapter X, 11). His society, which would be well aware of the necessity of controlled passions and virtue (Chapter , 12), would have no need for emotional reminders like this picture and would instead be able to better themselves with logic and reason alone.