The Symposium is literally a "drinking party," and in this party an encomia is given to the god of Love. What does Diotima teach Socrates about Love? And how does her answer connect into Appearance and Reality?

My response was: 

The occasion of "The Symposium" by Plato is a drinking party that celebrates a successful production of a friend of Socrates by the name of Agathon's play where some of those in attendance are toasting or making speeches in honor of the God of Love. Diotoma who is Socrates teacher and a wisewoman, leads "him through the series of questions and answers that were to become his staple and a staple in Greek philosophy, the Socratic dialogue or dialect" (p. 4). From Diotoma, Socrates learns about love affairs and that Love was neither beautiful or good - that it (or he) is not solely one thing or the other (good or bad, ugly or beautiful). In talking to Diotoma, Socrates also learns about the pursuit of the desirable and the beautiful. Diotima's answer connects into appearance and reality by having a deeper meaning to what is being said  that what it actually appears to be. I had a bit of a hard time trying to understand what exactly the message was here - most likely because it did seem to contain underlying meaning(s) throughout this piece of work.