The Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

Words: 843
Pages: 4
Open Document
The Lesson was written by Toni Cade Bambara in 1972, while Plato’s The Allegory of the Cave is from somewhere between 380 and 360B.C. Yet despite being from two entirely different eras there are a lot of similarities within the two stories.
In Bambara’s work, the main character and narrator, Sylvia, is not unlike the recently-freed prisoners in Plato’s cave who have yet to experience the outside world. Sylvia states early on that she’d “much rather go to the pool or to the show where it's cool” than go downtown with Miss Moore, but is forced into a taxi to visit Fifth Avenue anyway. Upon seeing the toy store Sylvia acts very much like Plato’s prisoners stepping into the sunlight for the first time: baffled. Plato’s tale describes the prisoners …show more content…
Rosie Giraffe points at a toy and Sylvia sees it as “a chunk of glass cracked with something heavy, and different-color inks dripped into the splits” for $480. Then a toy sailboat for more than a thousand dollars, which leaves Sylvia flabbergasted, saying that one could almost certainly purchase a genuine yacht for the same price. The other children discuss it amongst themselves, saying that there “must be rich people [who] shop here,” and for that amount of money the toy should last forever. The initial shock leaves Sylvia intimidated, even ashamed, and unwilling to open the door of the building. Meanwhile, most of Plato’s prisoners turn away from the light, rubbing their eyes, and go back inside the …show more content…
For the thirty-five dollars the clown cost, her whole family could visit their grandfather out in the countryside or pay their monthly housing and piano rent. Miss Moore mentions several times that the economy in the country is unjust—that the children don’t necessarily have to remain where they are simply because they were born there, and that they can grow up to demand fairness in their wages. Miss Moore herself is an example of this, as an older woman that went to college and left with a degree, and came back down to the slums where Sylvia and the rest reside. She takes it upon herself to educate the children as a means of “giving back” to the younger generation. This only annoys Sylvia, however, who wants little to do with the thought of changing the way she lives, again like Plato’s prisoners choosing to stay in the cave instead of venturing outside. Only Sugar seems to catch onto the notion of the democracy, or lack thereof, but is quieted when Sylvia steps on her foot so Miss Moore will not give another lesson.
Similarly, Plato’s tale talks of a prisoner living outside the cave, in the light, and going back into the shadows of the cave. He would feel ridiculous not only for doing so at all, but also for trying to readjust to the darkness therein. The other prisoners would have little to no idea of what he might
Show More

Related Documents: The Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” is a great piece of writing that serves as something very obvious; a dramatic comparison of what is reality and what we perceive to be reality. Although this is the case, some components of “Allegory of the Cave” cannot be identified as easy as the extended metaphor presented throughout the reading. One component that needs extra analyzing to identify is the allegory of the story, or its philosophical messages. Another component not easily identified is the frictional…

Words 1427 - Pages 6

Allegory Of The Cave Analysis

In “The Allegory of the Cave” there are many different abstract elements that serve as a double meaning. The overall message of the allegory is to spread the truth. Whether the cave is false knowledge about a belief, or something that is person(ADD) , it is incredibly easy to not come back to the cave of false knowledge, and share with others the knowledge you’ve gained. Plato’s philosophy urges readers to figure out their cave, be enlightened by the truth, and then come back to that cave in order…

Words 460 - Pages 2

The Allegory Cave Analysis

normal there are always hidden problems that if not realized can drastically fix your way of thinking. Two of these problems I will examined is advertisement and the use of social media as well as how it relates to Plato’s “The Allegory Cave.” In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave” the prisoners are all chained in one position looking only at the wall with light shining behind them that cast image on the wall in front of them. These shadow of puppeteers became their reality until one day one prisoner…

Words 446 - Pages 2

Analysis Of Socrates Allegory Of The Cave

thinker is it requires people to gain knowledge and consider all possibilities. This is well demonstrated in “Allegory of the Cave”. When Socrates says; “And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?”(1). Glaucon, responds with an immediate, certain answer. Socrates, who presents him with the story about this allegory, is trying to turn his student into a critical thinker by giving him new information to try to give him different…

Words 1486 - Pages 6

Analysis Of Plato's The Allegory Of The Cave

In Plato’s writing, The Allegory of the Cave, he supplied his readers a conversational piece, between his very own edifier, Socrates, and another student by the name of, Glaucon. The piece was predicated on the human nature of people that once broken down you can visually perceive his full allegorical meaning as well as his literal, and when discovering these construals it sheds a whole new enlightenment on the rudimentary human nature of people in the world. One very particular area that hit home…

Words 366 - Pages 2

Analysis Of The Allegory Of The Cave By Plato

In the article “The Allegory of the Cave,” the author Plato emphasizes the importance and necessity to achieve a higher understanding, rather than remaining in ignorance. The story starts as a conversation between his brother and mentor. The mentor, Socrates, begins to describe a group of people who have lived their entire lives chained to a wall facing the back end of a cave. The prisoners are bound by chains on their necks which makes them unable to look around the cave. Behind the prisoners is…

Words 480 - Pages 2

Allegory Of The Cave Passage Analysis

passage Allegory of the Cave prisoners are kept in an underground den, locked up in this den is the only world the prisoners have known. In the passage a prisoner has been released and experiences the outside world for the first time. “Behold! Human beings in an underground den. Here they have been from childhood… Now, let us see what would naturally happen if one of these prisoners were released… He will see the stars and the moon and the glorious spangled heavens.¨ (Allegory of the Cave Passage)…

Words 434 - Pages 2

Allegory Of The Cave By Dr. Seuss: A Literary Analysis

stick with familiarity and comfort. When it comes to trying new things, people are reluctant as they don't know what the outcome will be. In Plato's, "Allegory of the Cave. " and "Green Eggs and Ham" by Dr. Seuss, these two author both point out the flaws in humans, calling out people for being stubborn. However, while these authors both use an allegory for people's unwillingness to try new things, they send completely different messages. Both Plato and Dr. Seuss remark on the stubborn behavior of people…

Words 650 - Pages 3

Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

Plato’s story, Allegory of the Cave. Plato’s allegory revolves around one of three prisoners chained in a cave since childhood, whose reality is made up of only shadows. The prisoner is let out of the cave and forced to experience the real world and realizes the truth within the outside world. Another work that can be compared to Plato’s, Allegory of the Cave is Peter Weir’s film, The Truman Show. The Truman Show is essentially a modern, pop-culture version of…

Words 1327 - Pages 6

Lisa Lisa Essay examples

Lisa Spedaliere Mr. Joplin English 2 21 February 2013 Analysis of “Allegory of the Cave” In Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” Plato talks about a group of prisoners who have never seen light because they have been chained down in a cave since childhood. Down in the cave there is a fire lit behind the prisoners with a raised walkway that people walk across with objects to project shadows on the wall in front of the prisoners. The prisoners are being tricked into believing that there is no existence…

Words 1478 - Pages 6