Analysis: Diotima’s Speech
Socrates quotes Diotima as saying that Love (the alleged divinity) is neither mortal nor eternal, lovely nor ugly. This is a titular claim that characterizes the speech, fitting the first requirement of the Toulmin model. The further direction of the speech mostly evolves around this claim, trying to support, destroy or interrogate it. The warrant comes in the form of a subsequent elaboration: love is tough and resourceful, but also frugal. Love has more in common with the unhappy lover than with the beautiful beloved, Diotima says, in his restless, ambitious, yearning quality, which makes a ground for such comparison. As a result, his contribution to mankind stems from the way he inspires people to seek such traits rather than from his own beauty and kindness.
She goes on to say that on a deeper level, the desire to seek out virtue and beauty is an attempt to ensure immortality for oneself. Socrates extrapolated from Diotima’s statement that Love was ugly and terrible. Diotima chastises him, and they agree that just because something isn’t attractive doesn’t mean it’s ugly. These statements can be categorized as backings to a warrant above. Someone can be neither wise nor ignorant since he understands things (Plato, 211), but he doesn’t grasp the causes behind them, and the possibility of it is on itself a ground for this speech. A person’s correct assessment positions them in the middle of knowledge and ignorance, and this comparison combines qualifier and rebuttal elements. A person, like Love, can be neither beautiful nor ugly, but somewhere in the between, concludes the claim.
Speech
Love is the most powerful emotion in our dualistic thinking, and it produces a pleasant experience that affects the world profoundly. Love transforms people, improves health, enriches the universe, broadens vistas, deepens emotions, illuminates friendships, and expands possibilities. Love is a wonderful thing, and you should try it because it will transform you and reveal things you never knew about yourself. Because love is such a lovely thing, it draws people together and improves the world because of the health advantages and beneficial consequences of being in a happy relationship. While some may believe love to be a fantasy, everyone deserves to dream about it if they so desire.
It is rumored partners who held hands for 10 minutes before hugging for 20 seconds had better responses to subsequent stress tests than those who had not had any physical contact. As a result of this discovery, it is clear that love promotes greater health. Clearly, this background study paves the way for you to fall in love with the person of your choosing. Instead of focusing on things that cause you to drift apart, it is more advantageous to focus on something that brings you together and keeps you together. Look at people around you today and shower them with love to the best of your ability. Look in them for the things that drive them.
Love may sometimes lead to hatred, but the opposite is not true. To put it another way, hate cannot lead to love. When love brings us together, it becomes powerful and useful to our existence. With the new and perhaps harmful problems arriving, as a result, love has the potential to severely affect a person’s life and shorten it. Poor health and emotional imbalance are the results of missed chances. Love and hatred live on a razor’s edge. And worldwide literature knows of cases in which crimes were concerned. When love and animosity coexist, it indicates that when one is in love, the other is in hostility. If the former does not respond, the latter will get stronger.
Work Cited
Plato, The Symposium, (2021), pp. 210-212.