What movies epitomize the "Six Questions of Socrates"?

Question

I am teaching a writing class and I would like to add some films to it. I am using the text "Six Questions of Socrates," and I am hoping to find some films that relate to the following questions: what is virtue? what is moderation? what is justice? what is good? what is courage? what is piety? Any suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

Answer 1

I'm sure there are many movies that illustrate these various values. Here are several illustrations:

One interesting example could be the "Deathwish" series (old Charles Bronson flicks from the 70's/80's).

In these movies Charles Bronson plays a man who is portrayed in the beginning of the films as a good man, kind, caring and decent. A family man. A regular guy with a good job, wife and kids, etc. Then in each of the movies, something bad (tragic) happens to one or more of his family members (rape, murder, etc) and for whatever reason the legal system is unable to convict the bad guy(s) and Bronson sets out on his own to seek justice for his family.

At first he is timid and afraid to stand up. It requires a great deal of personal courage for him to face his family's attackers. As the movie progresses, we see Bronson growing ever bolder to the point where he is seeking out "bad guys" and even engineering situations so that a crime will occur and he can "bestow justice" on the perpetrators.

The dark irony is of course that he himself becomes the perpetrator in turn. Throughout the course of the Deathwish movies, we see a good, virtuous moderate man transformed into the antithesis of himself as he becomes the thing he seeks to vanquish. The movies show us how his character changes as he sets out for virtuous justice down that seductive path to vengeance and beyond to become his own form of vigilante predator.

I'm sure this wasn't one of the movies that you were perhaps thinking of but it does have all the elements, and their counterparts and make for easy to understand and relate-to examples.


Another very good example which is more recent is the "V for Vendetta" movie. In it we a once freedom-loving society that has been transformed into a soul-crushing and sinister totalitarian state in its endevour to escape from a its fearful period of violent unrest and social upheaval. It allows its freedom and individuality to be replaced, govered, monitored and controlled by faceless, shadowy people who assure safety and security through total dominion over the populace.

Then we witness as one man, born in the midst of this dark realm, rises up to take back the night and liberate the people and give them back their freedoms. In the beginning, 'V' seems superhuman in his feats and daring-do. Later we discover that he is just a man who, in the absence of formal education and training, has taken it upon himself to educate himself in the various scholastic and martial arts and learn the subversive skills necessary to carry out his mission. We learn about a man who has dedicated himself to this single-minded purpose amd engages in whatever means are necessary to achieve his end.

I think most people watching the movie will ultimately agree by the end that 'V' is acting as a virtuous man with great individual courage and piety. His objectives are good, right and aim to undo a great wrong. Though his methods certainly could not be called moderate, in the end he chooses to moderate himself in the ultimate fashion. By the end of the movie his ends are achieved and his purposes met. And he dispenses some crafty justice on the people who purpetrated and purpetuated the immoral ruling system. And throughout the movie, though his methods of justice are extreme, they seem to stop just shy of being vengeful.

In this movie the audience is led by the hand down a path of thoughtful contemplation about the concepts of truth, justice, vengeance, civil society, goodness, evil, and virtue and piety. All of the concepts are there very clearly focused. And the movie is great to watch and very entertaining to boot.

So there you go-- some movie picks to consider. Hope this helps!

Answer 2

1) A Night at the Roxbury 2) Napolean Dynamite 3) Hedwig and the Angry Inch