Symbolism in Allegory of the Cave Essay Example

📌Category: Allegory of the Cave, Books, Plato, Writers
📌Words: 585
📌Pages: 3
📌Published: 10 June 2022

Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle are considered to be some of the greatest philosophers. One of those philosophers, Plato, made a story about how stubborn people can be about their beliefs when they have been taught one way their whole life. In the “Allegory of the Cave”, Plato uses symbolism to show the main theme which is that 

Human insight can't obtain true knowledge. The symbols from the allegory in my own life are the shadows, the darkness, the light.

The first symbol evident in my life are the "shadows”. Plato says "to them, the truth would be nothing but the shadows of the images” (Plato 1). This quote explains that the prisoners can only identify the shadows projected in front of them. The prisoners cannot see what is actually being used to make these shadows. So, all they know are these shadows. The truth and reality to them would be the shadows. This relates to my life one time, I believed that democrats were always right. I believed this because Obama was a democrat so I always sided with them. I’ve now realized that occasionally democrats are wrong and sometimes republicans are wrong. I've also learned that I don't truly like politics. 

Additionally, The next symbol apparent in my life is the "darkness”. About the darkness, Plato says “Imagine once more, such a one coming suddenly out of the sun to be replaced in his old situation” (Plato 3). This quote explains that if a prisoner were to escape from the chains and leave the cave, he would be overwhelmed by the light, as a consequence,  his eyes would still be full of darkness. Basically, he probably wouldn't believe what he saw. This relates to my life because of a time when I was ignorant about doing my homework. My parents used to tell me about doing my work, whether that be homework or chores, before playing games. I would never listen, but soon I realized that I would fall behind on my work or end up doing homework late at night. 

Conclusively, the last symbol overt in my life is the “light”. About the light, Plato says “At first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and turn his neck round and walk and look towards the light, he will suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and he will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state had seen from the shadows” (Plato 1). This quote explains how the prisoners would react if they were released. Plato says that they'll suffer sharp pains from the light. He says the prisoners will be unable to see what they used to believe. This relates to my life because I once believed that everyone that I talked to at school was positive mentally. It was hard for me to read along with comforting sad people. Specifically when it comes to depression or even bullying . As I got older, I realized that a large amount of people aren’t happy and just act like they are in public. To this day, sadness in general is still a difficult thought for me

There are a great number of symbols in the “Allegory of the Cave.” The symbols I most relate to are the shadows, the darkness, as well as the light. After reading the “Allegory of the Cave”, I now understand where Plato was coming from. I agree with Plato and think that a substantial amount of us are in the “darkness” and need to be enlightened. I also think that the enlightened are frequently not trusted by us “prisoners.” As I develop, I will try to open myself more to different opinions. I won’t let the authority of someone alter my opinions or beliefs.

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