A Resonponse to "Gorgias"

Though this is a highly well written persuasive argument, its classic level of language and different sentence structures, for effect, make it difficult to read. One spends more time trying to figure out what is actually being said than thinking about the points and analysis of what is being said. In today’s time, it would be illogical to present this to people and expect them to understand completely what is being conveyed. Chapter 7 in the Envision in Depth textbook opens with the idea of decorum. This work was clearly not meant for the average person of our time. The intended audience is from a different time, where speaking in this manner was more common. I had a difficult time reading it, and I am a well educated college student and know a little about Greek history. Ultimately it was effective in its purpose of arguing to prove Helen’s point but it was not efficient in its delivery for this era, and being engineering major, I strive for efficiency.
The argument made in this text is that Helen has been represented as a horrible person in history, guilty of deceit and treason, and that this is just a misconception. The arguments for Helen’s actions include falling in love, the power of persuasive speech, being taken in an unwilling manner, or being forced by the gods. Helen was a beautiful woman, who was said to be the daughter of Zeus. Many men desired for her love, and this brought great men together to achieve great goals. It was not her fault she was thrown into this position.
One of the arguments was that humans were forced to do the gods bidding. The gods are stronger, smarter, and superior to humans, allowing them to rule over humans. So the blame should be placed on Fate and the gods and not the person that was forced by the gods to do their bidding.
The next argument was that Helen was taken away from her homeland, friends, and family should not have the blame placed on her, but on the person who took her, Paris. This point is assuming that Paris forced her to leave, which would have been considered rape and kidnapping, or he used rhetoric and persuasion to lure her away. The idea is that Helen was a victim and should be pitied for her loss
The idea of persuasion leads to the next argument in which the power of persuasion is to intense for humans to resist. Speech, particularly persuasion is very powerful and it is a tool used by Helen’s taker. Because humans cannot see into the future or easily recall the past, they take opinion, formed by persuasion, into their decisions and make it part of them. Persuasion can be bending facts and lies; this would lead humans to make “slippery and insecure” decisions. A powerful line in the argument was “The effect of speech upon the condition of the soul is comparable to the power of drugs on the nature of bodies.” Some drugs are good and can be used to help people; others are bad and can harm people, just as persuasion can do the same. Furthermore the idea that persuasion can have a type of witchcraft in it, and that it was used in persuading Helen to leave her home is addressed. It was not Helen’s fault that persuasion made her believe what was said and the justification for the actions she took.

The argument that followed this last one on the persuasion of speech, was about the persuasion of sight. The sense of sight has a powerful effect on humans and spurs them to make decisions based on what they see. Visions that are pleasing can urge the mind for desire and love. Thus, it was not Helen’s fault but human nature’s fault. Love is a power of the god’s; a lesser being could not refuse such a persuasive power.
Whether Helen’s actions were caused by falling in love, the power of persuasive speech, being taken in an unwilling manner, or being forced by the gods, it was undoubtedly not her fault. Greater forces than her own were at work, and she was no match for them.