The use of caves in mythology to depict darkness and abandonment has branded it as a symbol of chaos. From this perception other associations are made which connect the cave to prejudices, malevolent spirits, burial sites, sadness, resurrection and intimacy. It is a world to which only few venture, and yet its mysticism has attracted the interest of philosophers, religious figures and thinkers throughout history. These myths are exemplified in Homer’s "Odyssey," where the two worlds of mortals and immortals unite in the eternal cave.
To Plato, the cave represents the confusion between reality and falsehood. Individuals chained deep within the recesses of the cave mistake their shadows for physical existence. These
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It becomes a system both unstable and lawless, and survival as a guest in such a cave is only accomplished through the complete submission to the sovereign. In Odysseus’ encounter with the Cyclops, it is his disregard for Polyphemos’ authority that costs him the lives of several companions, and ultimately a ten year delay on his return home.
The land of the Cyclops epitomizes darkness, chaos, and abandonment; where the only law exists past the entrance of the cave. From the island’s shore a "high wall of...boulders"2 can be seen encircling each cave. Clearly impossible of being accomplished by mortals, massive walls of similar description found standing after the Persian Wars were also thought by ancient Greeks to be the work of the Cyclops. Unfamiliar to this system of power, Odysseus disregards these laws and enters the cave without an invitation. For this reason, Polyphemos implicates his own punishment onto the trespassers, and kills six men. In order to escape the wrath of the Cyclops, Odysseus eventually blinds him, an offense which falls under the jurisdiction of Poseidon, and for which he ultimately pays throughout his wanderings.
The uncontrollable winds next direct Odysseus through a narrow strait outlined by rocks and cliffs through which he must pass to return home.
On these cliffs which stand opposite each other lurk Scylla and
Charybdis, one side "reach[ing] up
The Allegory of the Cave, also know as The Analogy of the Cave, Plato's Cave or Parable of the Cave is presented by the Greek philosopher Plato in his work “The Republic “ as a theory concerning the perceptions of human kind and compares the effects of education to the lack of education on our observations. The passage is written as dialogue between Plato’s brother Glaucon and his teacher Socrates.
One of the most compelling and interesting episode in the Odyssey is the conflict with the Cyclopes, Polyphemus, son of Poseidon. Odysseus after escaping from the lotus eater’s island arrives to an island inhabited by the cyclopes, with every necessity growing from the ground such as wheat and vines of grapes. He and a small expedition group go into the island, and then into one of the Cyclopes cave. He then faces the Cyclopes, Polyphemus, who eat his companions. The way in which Odysseus, although making an effort to go back home, cannot resist going to new places. This is a very human feeling whether coming from hunters needing to explore areas in order to stalk big animals, or the curiosity that may be unique to man, humans cannot resist the unknown, even if it is scary. As humans have discovered more and more about our environment, the scope of the unknown has diminished on earth, yet there is a reason that space is the final frontier. Odysseus also suffers from the custom found in Greek culture, which is that as a guest in a stranger’s home, they may receive gifts or some hospitality. In this way, the ancient author explores the idea of what would happen to a Greek person in a situation where hospitality rather than being the norm, is actively subverted. In this way, the Odysseus, who is the common Greek, has a right to fix this wrong, which he does by blinding the beast
The critical idea is that the prisoners in the cave have no idea on the reality, and all they see is a shadow representation of it. The foundation of the allegory lies on Plato’s view and belief that there is unseen truths and reality lying underneath the apparent surface of things, and only the most determined and enlightened individuals can grasp. The individuals who grasp these invisible truths deserve to be rulers and leaders of the ordinary people. Being used to the confinement of the cave, the prisoners are quick to resist enlighten in the similar manner students resist education at first.
In the story The Allegory of the Cave, Plato describes the perception of reality. He explains how to interpret ideas or objects in different perspectives. The story he tells about the cave could have influenced different modern day ideas. Some ideal examples might include religion, abuse, and imprisonment. Plato’s cave theory applies to all of these ideas and can show many different perspectives.
In “Allegory of a Cave”, Plato has the reader imagine a cave in which people are confined to only being able to look at the walls. In this cave, they can see shadows which are the extent to their knowledge of the outside world. He explains how to them this is their world and what they see and hear is all that they can know, so he then explains how if one man were to escape he will be able to truly see how great the world actually is. Moreover, as he returns to the cave everyone else calls him a liar convinced that their reality is real. This allegory shows how there is a battle between what is truth and what is fantasy and one has to be able to learn how to decipher between them. When considering Miranda from “Sexy” it can be said that as a
Plato’s Allegory of the cave is one of his best-known works, an excerpt of “The Republic” whose inclusion has been fully earned through the inclusion of different percepts of philosophy such as epistemology, individualism, ethics, human nature, etc. In the allegory, Plato describes human beings as prisoners in a dark cave confined to a singular position by the use of chains. This ensures that what the prisoners perceive to be reality is only what they physically see and in the allegory, that is the puppet shadows that are forecasted on the wall which the prisoners face. In this allegory, Plato strives to show that, what is perceived as reality could be the exact opposite and therefore not everything is what it seems to be. The prisoners are chained and are unable to turn their heads to see what lies behind them. However, it is well described that behind the prisoners there is a fire and behind the fire, there are puppeteers who are able to move about while holding puppets that cast shadows on the walls that the human beings are able to see without ever seeing the puppets themselves. More so, the prisoners are neither able to hear the real voices of the puppeteers, instead what they hear are the echoes of their sounds. Plato’s allegory presents a metaphor which questions the way people believe and perceive what reality really is in their sensual form.
The “Allegory of the Cave” is a famous piece of writing from Greek philosopher Plato. Plato is considered to be an essential figure in the initial development of philosophy. The “Allegory of the Cave” is best known for it’s in depth explanation of education and enlightenment in our society. Plato's “Allegory of the Cave” is one of the best-known and historically referenced allegories when discussing the impact of education and reality. The 'cave' represents the state of most human beings; the journey through the cave leads us to our final stage of enlightenment. Plato presents this work as a dialogue between Glaucon and mentor Socrates. Throughout the writing, Plato expresses that we all start “being trapped in the cave” as we perceive a false reality of the world. As we progress in seeking answers, we are released from
The rigorous and troublesome times of the eighteenth century brought forth much darkness and suffering, but from this oppression came contentment and light. From the opening paragraph, light and dark are contrasted in A Tale of Two Cities, with the use of direct opposites to portray the times. The Allegory of the Cave by Plato also goes along with this theme. It is a symbolic depiction of prisoners held in a cave without a true perception of reality. They are brought up looking at only the shadows of what really exists until finally one is released and travels out of the cave into the radiant world above. The theme of light vs. dark is portrayed as metaphors, as the characters Sydney Carton, and the prisoner in Plato’s Allegory, as well
Truth is an abstract concept by which mankind bases all knowledge. It is information that we believe to be indisputably and undeniably accurate. Yet how can we ever prove such information to be true? What about the “truths” that cannot be measured? To insist that something is objectively true is to maintain that it is always true outside of one’s beliefs or perception. However, our experiences, perceptions, and emotions all differ from those of others, and yet we still know them to be a definite truth. That is because in reality, all of the apparent truths that we know, or believe to know, are completely subjective.
The significance of studying and discussing Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave helps the reader to understand that what Plato is saying in the chapter happens in the society today. Also, it helps us as readers to understand the purpose of this writing piece. The purpose of writing this piece is to show the roles the people can take in the real word. Those roles could be a prisoner, a puppet master, or a philosopher. Plato also wanted to show that what people see from their eyes is not always true. It can deceive them. Plato uses symbolism to prove this point.
Also, inside the cave are people who are held captive with chains tied to their neck and feet, which makes their movement extremely difficult and virtually impossible. At the same time, Plato also talks about the world that lies outside the cave. However, between these two
Plato suggests in his Allegory of the Cave that life is entirely made of illusions and form. The story depicts a group of prisoners, who have spent a majority of their life chained within a cave and forget what the outside world looks like. Behind them, dim fire-light flickers across the cave and the shadows of passersby projects onto the walls. This leads the prisoners to believe life only consists of flat shapes; without depth. Eventually one prisoner escapes and catches a glimpse of the outside world for the first time in years.
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave is a story that seeks to highlight the transformative power of education and the process of pursuing the truth on society. It shows how Plato saw reality and people’s relationship to perception and truth. In the myth, there is a cave with a long passageway leading into a main chamber. Within the cave are people seated and chained to their positions, forced to look only at the cave wall. Behind them is a fire and other beings who manipulate objects in order to cast shadows on the wall for the prisoners.
The allegory of the cave appears at the beginning of Book VII of Plato’s The Republic, which in itself is principally a study of justice, government and leadership. In The Republic, Plato describes a cave containing individuals confined to the cave floor, bound by shackles. They are unable to move their heads and stare incessantly at the cave wall directly in front of them. The prisoners cannot see one another. Behind the prisoners burns a fire projecting images of objects, animals and individuals carrying
In the story the “Allegory of the Cave”, written by Greek philosopher Plato; provides the most insightful stories that explains the nature of reality. During the era of the Greek philosopher Plato, the Allegory of the cave was written to compare, “the effect of education and the lack of it on our nature. This was written as a discussion between Plato’s brother Glaucon and his consultant Socrates. However, Plato utilizes a series of rhetorical strategies throughout his story. He provides us with symbolism, polysyndeton, and deductive reasoning.