What is an apology? (An Analysis of Plato's Apology with a Personal Comparison) What is your definition of an apology? These days we view an apology as an expression of our grief, but is that the true definition of the word? Long ago, around 399 BCE, the word apology had a very different meaning than it does today. Then the word apology was defined as an explanation of why one thought one was right, it was not an expression of sorrow or an acknowledgment of an offense, but rather a clarification of one's his point of view. In the history of literature, we have an important and striking example of this ancient definition of apologies: it is the work of the philosopher Plato entitled Apology. Plato's apology was Fear is something that all individuals must combat, just like the debate on the high road, it is something that everyone will have faced at least once in their life. We are all afraid of something, whether it is a psychological or physical object, the fear is there. How to fight our fears? Do we just not think about them or do we suppress the things that scare us? According to Socrates, one should never be afraid of anything. Just like the last characteristic we talked about, we learned this lesson about fear, through careful observation of the example of Socrates. During the trial of Plato's Apology, we saw what it meant for Socrates to fearlessly resist the false persecutions of his accusers. Even until the end, he stood valiantly to prove what he believed in. How can they have this lasting fearlessness? The answer is simple, because we already talked about it in the last two paragraphs, we must always stand up for what we believe and take the high road no matter what. By connecting the dots now, I hope you can understand why these three characteristics are important. As I examined Socrates' discussions during the trial, I began to determine which ones relate to my own life, personally. Ultimately, the most important lesson I learned from Plato's Apologies is that we should never be