what I found interesting is the fight between the strep Siades and the Pheidippides. they both represent opposite point of views, streps are the older generation of Athens that wants to keep tradition going while the pheids are the younger generation that wants to get away from the older generation of Athens and make Athens in their own version. they were basically fighting for who controls Athens and what direction Athens would go in the future, the more tradition way that they are used to or a more advanced approach and these concerns Aristophanes because they feel like the values of Athens is falling apart.

I think he's trying to highlight the danger that Socrates' new teachings pose in the community, like a son believing he has the authority to physically reprimand his father.

The final section of "Clouds" pleads with the reader about the coming change of Athens, the young people of Athens becoming unwelcoming to the "old ways", a son becoming violent against his own father, the fall of traditional values of Athens, which is the main concern for Aristophanes. When the son, Pheidippides, suddenly becomes violent against his father, Strepsiade, the true opinion of the author comes to light. The traditional values of Aristophanes are being put to the test of the new ideology, which he does not agree with.

This violent ending suggests Aristophanes is deeply worried that Athens is destroying itself by abandoning traditional values like respect for family, religion, and truth. The Thinkery represents not just Socrates personally, but a whole cultural trend: people are using cleverness and argument to undermine basic decency. By showing Strepsiades’s complete collapse into anger and destruction, Aristophanes seems to be warning that if Athens keeps valuing empty cleverness over real virtue, it will tear itself apart.

What stood out to me the most in the final section of "Clouds" is the conflict between Strepsiades and Pheidippides. Strepsiades is angry at his son for becoming more violent toward his father after learning about sophistry in this final section. Strepsiades knows that what Pheidippides is studying at the Thinkery isn't going to help him get out of paying his debts, which is why he decides to burn down the Thinkery because he thought that it would help Pheidippides to stop being careless instead, it made him want to punish his father for beating him up when he was a boy. I think this is what Aristophanes feels about how sophistry affects the younger generations of Athens by making them act violently toward their parents, and this leads older generations to want to stop students from learning about sophistry, which is why Strepsiades decides to rid Athens of Socrates' teaching. I want to know how introducing new thinking ideas to a young generation of Athenians can affect Athens itself.

The two final sections depicts the horror of education and knowledge being misused. Strepsiades is enraged that his son has become violent towards him as a result of learning sophistry at the final section, however it is definitely a kind of punishment. As Strepsiades only focuses on his own debts, he sent his son to Thinkery to enforce him to learn a skill of sophistry, which is ridiculous way to pay off his debts. The action eventually make his son fall, and he finally realizes his own mistake. The author would try to convey a scathing critique of Socratic thinking.

What struck me most was the conflict between Strepsiades and Pheidippides seen in the section on clouds 5 and 6. I think the author was trying to tell us that this conflict is a matter of past vs. present, existing ideas vs. innovative ideas, an existing point of view vs. a new point of view. The past would be represented by Strepsiades, and the present, as Pheidippides, of course, in Athens, represents the old generation vs. the new. Furthermore, the author gives us a representation of Socrates' impact on society, where young people were deciding whether to stay in the past or embrace a new path, betraying tradition. And what I wonder is what the consequences of this divided society are?

I think these last two sections of Clouds were the most important because it seems like Aristophanes finally conveyed his disdain for Socrates and the sophist way. The previous sections felt like a subtle jab at the sophist beliefs but now it clear and in your face. This was clearly shown with the burning of the thinkery by Strepsiades who previously was so eager to learn from the thinkery. I think the sections reveal that Aristophanes was concerned with the sophist ideas because it would have ruined what had made Athens great. I think Aristophanes is against change and believes the current Athenian way of life is the way to go. I would like to know what it’s like to actually see the play because it’s one thing to read it and try to imagine it but having the visual would help understand. I also would like to know if there was any opposition at the time from Socrates or his followers?

The part of section 6 that stood out to me was the part where Pheid beats up his father after listening to him trying to get out of paying his debts. Why it stood out to me was Phied explaining him beating his father is the same as his father beating him when he was a child to discipline him. I also noticed no one helped Strep even when he asked for help as if to say this is his own fault. Pheid doesn't see his father as a man anymore and that's why he felt he had to step in. It's interesting to see how Pheid who was depicted as reckless and inconsiderate is now mature and rational. He takes initiative and he is the one to bring his father back from his depths of "delusion". I did wonder if Pheid's actions just go unnoticed. "Socrates" and Strep are punished for their actions but Pheid isnt even though he ruined his father's life by racking up those debts. Why is that?

I believe that Aristophanes was talking about how fake Socrates was failing Athens. He believed that Socrates was creating reckless, arrogant, unintelligent young men that are unable to think for themselves. We see this with Strep and his son, their characters develop in this story with regards to these themes. Strep thinks he looks clever and smart when really he comes off as cowardly and dependent. Strep represents the type of men that ancient Athenians wouldn't want their sons to become. He is spineless, dangerous, coward man that if left alone with Socrates would bring about the end of the empire.

I would like to know how Aristophanes believed Socrates affected women. Clouds is about how he affected the men but does it look like for the women? I would also like to know how Philosophy was viewed in general in Ancient Athens. Were there any women philosophers? Were there any philosophers that were respected? or was philosophy on general looked down upon.

The moment that stood out to me most was when Strepsiades burns down Socrates’ school. It surprised me how quickly he went from being excited about philosophy to completely turning against it. I think Aristophanes was warning people in Athens about where new ideas, like sophistry and certain types of philosophy, might lead if they replace traditional values. It’s like he’s saying, “Be careful what you teach and learn.” I’d like to know more about how people at the time reacted to this play. Did they see it as just comedy, or did they take the message seriously?

In these sections we get introduced to Socrates’ “Thinkery”. Strepsiades is eager to gain knowledge so he enrolls. He was first considered an outsider so he was skeptical of the Thinkery in the beginning. His first lesson was learning how to argue for the unjust. He learns that you can make any argument seem valid. At first he was struggling to understand the teachings. But then he started to apply the teachings into his life with Pheidippides.

What stood out to me the most was the fight between Strepsiades and Pheidippides. Given what these two characters represent, Strep. being the conservative older generation Athens, while Pheid. being the younger generation Athens. I think the physical brawl between them may have been a manifestation of how the playwright Aristophanes viewed the two social groups at the time. The tension of the older generation carrying the old Athens on their backs, fighting to keep traditionalism, whilst the younger generation having to choose between branching away from tradition or keeping it. It could also be a warning, of the fate between the relationship of young Athens and old Athens. That the youth will be eventually so misguided and corrupt all due to "Socrates" teachings, that they turn on father, mentor and what traditional Athens stands for: the gods and their way of life. In a way, it seems that Aristophanes is unintentionally calling out the real Socrates, for blasphemy against the gods. In questioning the gods "Socrates" has made himself one-- at least through Aristophanes framing of the play, when we see "Socrates" first appearance in Clouds, descending from a basket. This doesn't go unpunished at the end of the play. Essentially, Aristophanes "Clouds" ends with a call to arms. That the real Socrates must be punished to prevent the corruption of youth.

I imagine, given what "Clouds" and the motif of clouds represent throughout the play, a fleeting thing, Aristophanes perhaps would've thought Socrates teachings would've simply gone away after his death. But that's not the case. We credit Socrates for a lot of modern day philosophical thinking, and inspiration his work continues to move philosophers and critical thinkers today. Following the finally of the play, I wonder how the youth felt about Socrates- and how his death impacted them.