Platos Republic is an attempt to create a Utopian civilization in which no citizen will ever wrong another. One of the key components of his utopia is an extreme censorship of poetry, particularly of the stories of Homer and Hesiod.
n this section, introduce the problem. Explain Platos rules regarding poetic censorship. What does he want to censor and why? What needs to be removed from poetry and why? What kind of poetry is acceptable? What are his rules for good poetry?
In this section, choose a passage from the Iliad that we have read in class and rewrite it using Platos rules for good poetry. This section should include the original passage as a reference.
A conclusion that contains 3 differing reflections, that reflects on Platos rules, how they transform poetry. Each reflection should answer the following questions:
Is Plato right to censor poetry? Are his reasons good/valid reasons?
Will eliminating the aspects of poetry that Plato wants to eliminate help to create his perfect society? Why/why not?
Do we perhaps want/need poetry to show us the things that Plato wants to eliminate? Why/why not?
