The Arab Spring Was The Most Significant Modern Uprising

The Arab Spring was the most significant modern uprising in the Middle East, a series of rebellions led by people tired of what had been the status quo. This domino effect was set into motion by Mohamed Bouazizi, a fruit vendor, who lit himself on fire, rather than continue living under the oppressive Tunisian Government. It is only with his death did he believe that his ideas would be heard. To him, his death was more effective than any speech could ever be, that in and of itself, his death became a final act of rebellion against an unjust system. While they did not self-immolate, Socrates and Melville’s Bartleby embody this phenomenon. Melville, using Bartleby, and Socrates implemented death as a tool for political rebellion to create a†¦show more content†¦32). As one can tell from this quote, Socrates does not see death as something to outright fear or obsess over. Instead, Socrates focuses on a recurring idea in his various dialogues; an idea in which a just life is considered a virtue valued above all things, and the ensurance of justice comes above all, even his own life. Socrates goes as far as to say that nothing bad can happen to a good man, implying that he himself is a good man. Socrates stands before the jury, and when faced with the choice between giving up philosophy and being exiled from Athens, or drinking a goblet of hemlock and dying, he chooses death. No doubt, the jury, influenced by Meletus, assumed that they could intimidate Socrates with the threat of death. An intimidation meant to force him to end his practice of invoking ignorance and orating on the virtues of the soul. With his refusal to surrender the practices on which he had built his life, Socrates whether knowingly or not, was committing an act of political rebellion. The act of rebellion makes a significant difference in the message of Socrates. Had Socrates simply given up philosophy when bade to by Athens, it would have rendered his entire life meaningless. The time he spent traversing Athens cross-examining people about the way they were living their lives would have meant nothing, because in the end he would haveShow MoreRelatedConditions Leading the the Uprising the Syria Essay814 Words   |  4 Pagesframe the uprising with generic economic arguments about poverty, and destitution with regional compares to the case of Syria. Arguments about an oppressive autho ritarian doesn’t explain why the uprising happened now, why not before? Few studies, however, have paid attention to the cultural basis of this regime and to cultural forms of resistance against it. 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