Introductory Paragraphs Clearly state the point of your paper, i.e, thesis statement. Avoid grandiose claims that cannot be substantiated. Only include information that is necessary to the point at hand. Provide some contextual information.

Example A “good man cannot be harmed in life or in death” (41d). Socrates states this after being sentenced to death at his trial in the dialogue of Plato’s Apology. In the Apology, Socrates was accused of corrupting the youth and creating new gods. After the Athenian jury found him guilty of these charges, Socrates responded with an argument of how he would not be harmed by this significant decision. Within this analysis we will discuss what a good man is, why Socrates stated this, what he meant, and why we believe he is right.

Through the course of human history, only a handful of individuals dedicated themselves to living the life of truth, justice, and moral goodness. The likes of MLK Jr., Mother Thersea, and Mahatma Gandhi have struggled against the unconquerable will of the masses and the overwhelming forces of politics to combat that which they believed to be unjust. By failing to compromise their beliefs, they’ve risen amongst a sea of adversities to reach a level of morality and righteousness. Plato’s Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, and Meno relates the life of Socrates, a well-known philosopher who lived in Athens...

… over two thousand years ago. Through a rigorous life of questioning the ultimate issues of life, he has succeeded in branding his name in the annals of great thinkers. Yet, by the same token, he suffered profound discrimination from the masses and government officials by practicing his beliefs. They believed that his teachings promoted a corruption of the city’s youth, and the creation of false gods. His life ended in prosecution and execution. He once said, “a good man cannot be harmed in life or in death.” This quote exemplifies his ultimate belief that by living the good life, he will have fulfilled the desires of his heart and conscience. As a group we feel that Socrates lived a life that we truly good.

Quotation Usage Use quotations only to support or explain important points of the paper. Make sure the quotation is genuinely supporting or explaining the point you are trying to make. Read the sentences just prior to (and just after) the quote in isolation and ask whether the quotation works.

Examples... Socrates further illustrates how a good man cannot be harmed in life when he explains to the jury why he cannot be hurt by their sentence. Socrates says, “I do not think it is permitted that a better man be harmed by a worse; certainly he might kill me, or perhaps banish me or disfranchise me, which he and others think to be a great harm but I do not think so.” He believes, in other words, that a good man cannot be harmed in ways that matter to his soul.

The body is the place in which our soul dwells. They are fused together only in the physical world to keep us constantly yearning to obtain the Ultimate Truth. The body and the soul are separate and to harm one is not directly harming the other. “Only the body and its desires cause civil war, civil discord, and battles, for all wars are due to the desire to acquire wealth, and it is the body and care of it, to which we are enslaved.”

Embed the Quote Socrates says that a “good man cannot be harmed in life or in death.” A “good man,” Socrates says, “cannot be harmed in life or in death.” Socrates spoke at his trial of being a good man. “A good man cannot be harmed in life or in death.”