appear before the jury, will not appeal to their pity by having his family brought before them. However, he does describe his family in some detail -- including his sons. Here, he seems to be appealing to pity in a very subtle way. Speaking about his children, he asks the jury "punish them...if they seem to care about riches or anything, more than about virtue; or if they...are something when they are really nothing." Once again, he seems to be instructing or teaching the jury about his beliefs. Socrates uses reason, once again, to convince himself that death is not an evil. "...the state of death is one of two things: either a dead man wholly ceases to be and loses all consciousness or, as we are told, it is a change and a migration of the soul to another place." Socrates goes on to say that, since neither of those two states of being can be bad, death shouldn't be feared. His philosophy of reason allows him to look at death in a way that he does not have to be afraid of it. Socrates believes in holding on to his principle regardless of the consequences, even if they involve death. Concern for him self is not nearly as important as the pursuit of the good, the true, and the just. As a result, it is far better to suffer injustice than, through ignorance, to cause it. Justice seems to be the prevalent theme, since this dialogue deals with the injustice against Socrates. One inconsistency is that in Crito he seemed universally opposed to violating the law, while in the Apology there seem to be exceptions to this belief. For example, he opposed the government actions (the law of the State) on two occasions. The speech that Socrates gives reflects the indignation he feels over injustice that he has received. However, a theme of courage in the face of death seems to be emphasized. Also, the point about staying true to oneself and beliefs, and the search for truth by way of reason is a policy we should all adopt. ...
