It is clear in "Crito" that Plato is holding Socrates up on a pedestal. There is a reason that Plato does this. He is trying to teach the reader a lesson on human values, with Socrates as the epitome of a model citizen. The question of what Plato is trying to teach is where I will begin my inquiry. What truth about life does Plato want his audience to discover, and how does he go about teaching them?
             One thing that we must note is that the "Crito" is written completely in dialogue format between Socrates and his pupil Crito. Dialogue, which is the main module of the Socratic Method, is an alternative to the lecture format. Socrates and Plato both believe in dialogue as a better method of teaching, and there is a reason for this.
             Plato uses the dialogue format so he can install a character, Crito, who has values that are common to the average moral citizen of the time. These values become apparent when Crito attempts to persuade Socrates to escape. Crito reasons that if Socrates were to stay in the prison and accept his fate, he would be "letting down [his] sons," his pupils, and his friend (100). This shows that Crito values friendship, love, and kin above all else, all of which are values any decent citizen can relate to. In essence, Crito is the one who the reader relates to. He is the one who asks the same questions that Plato would expect the audience to have as to why Socrates does not wish to escape his death, so we learn through the inquiries of Crito.
             This process of learning is well rehearsed in the dialogue as Crito seems very confident on the outset. He chastises Socrates saying that he is "ashamed (112)" that Socrates will simply fall victim to the flawed judicial system and not retaliate against an injustice. By making Crito seem confident, we are able to fully experience the change of point of view from the average citizen to that of Socrates' later on in ...