In One Thousand and One Nights this is most apparent in the King's desire to know the answers of each of Shahrazad's riddling stories. High value is also placed on those of Shahrazad's characters who can outwit the others. Socrates mentions again and again that he is not wise, but is searching for someone who is. He explains his frustration on examining one man who "was not really wise, although he was thought wise by many, and still wiser by himself" (783). Obviously, the man Socrates interviewed thought very highly of himself and was not truly interested in becoming wise due to inflated ego. This is relevant to a number of current day examples, including writers, teachers, and other famous people who are respected but are not really all that wise. Many of us nevertheless read books by "experts" and seek out wisdom from those who are more experienced than us when we face problems.
While these stories at first glance hold unreal glimpses into the past, their focus and ideals still apply today. Those who lived during the time of Socrates and those...
Education and cleverness are still important today, as the world is still competitive and difficult to maneuver. The amount of money spent on education in the United States clearly reflects just how important education and knowledge are today. Similarly the ideal of wisdom apparent in Socrates' Apology and One Thousand and One Nights still applies. People continue to search for wisdom, though there are still more people claiming to have it that actually do. Through inspection of the literature and comparison to today, it is apparent that the ideals of education, cleverness, and wisdom in these two texts still apply today.
Works Cited
Plato. The Apology of Socrates. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Beginnings to a.D. 100. 2nd ed. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: Norton, 2002. 780-799.
The Thousand and One Nights. The Norton Anthology of World Literature: 100 to 1500. 2nd ed. Ed. Sarah Lawall. New York: Norton, 2002.…
