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Thomas Bailey

22 September 2014
English 120 Project 1
Julie Bryant

PLATOS CAVE

Plato included the Allegory of the Cave in his book The Republic. The allegory has a
message about education. It shows that when we experience the enlightenment that education
brings that we naturally want to share that information with others. The allegory may also hint at
Platos own experience in learning truth as a student.
In Platos Cave a group of prisoners are chained up by their necks, arms and legs and
they are kept in a dark cave. The only light available for the prisoners is from a fire burning
behind them. All that they can see are shadows cast by people and animals walking across an
elevated bridge. The only sounds heard are muffled and echoed sounds from the animals and
people walking across the bridge. The prisoners have very limited perceptions about life and do
not question their soundings. They only know the life in the cave and its vague shadows and
muffled sounds.
One day one of the prisoners is released to the world outside of the cave. Once his eyes
and ears adjust to the new sights and sounds of life he learns that there is so much more to life,
that can be experienced and discovered beyond the cave. The prisoner wants to share his new
knowledge and reality with his friends who are still in chains inside the cave. The freed prisoner
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believes that if his friends become educated about the reality outside the cave that they will be
motivated to obtain their own freedom.
The message in Platos allegory also demonstrates some of the views of another
philosopher named Socrates. Plato was a student of Socrates and he learned that Socrates
believed true wisdom and knowledge only come to us through our experiences. Socrates wanted
people to get to truth through their own experiences. Plato seems to take Socrates idea that we
learn truth through our experiences one step further by adding that when we are enlightened by
our experiences we feel an urge to help our friends learn the same truth.
Platos freed prisoner learns the truth about the world outside the cave when he is finally
able to see and hear it for himself. He feels good about his new knowledge and he wants to share
the truth about the outside world with his friends. He wants to teach the other prisoners about the
things that he has experienced in reality. As a student of Socrates, Plato learned about the
wisdom and knowledge that Socrates had obtained through experience. He also experienced
Socrates desire to lead his students to their own wisdom and knowledge.
When Plato wrote his Allegory of the Cave he included a message about the nature of
learning and experience and he may have given a hint about his own experience as a student.
Human beings gain knowledge through experience. Platos allegory shows that experiences
which are obscured by limitations, like low light and distorted sound, deprive us of a knowledge
of reality. While unobscured experiences are illuminating and they lead us to a knowledge of the
truth. Also, Plato saw through the example of his teacher Socrates that those who have obtained
knowledge and wisdom generally feel the need to share the things that we have learned with
others.
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A society benefits when it uses shared, collective knowledge and information. It is
economically and intellectually efficient for a society to educate its members in all of its best
ideas and information. Platos freed prisoner, who tried to teach his friends about the world
outside the cave, may represent the role that Socrates played as Platos teacher when he invited
Plato to come out of the dark cave and obtain wisdom and knowledge through real world
experience.

















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Work Cited
Introducing Philosophy, tenth edition, Robert C. Solomon-Kathleen M. Higgins-Clancy
Martin, Intro to Philosophy, What is Philosophy. Published by Oxford University press, Inc.198
Madison Avenue, New York, New York 10016
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/authors/s/socrates.html#9Yhx2SY4wsi9TDbr.99
http://www.brainyquote.com/inquire/copyright.html

















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Part B













Rhetorical Situation and Genre
A. analyze, compose, and reflect on
arguments in a variety of genres, considering
the strategies, claims, evidence, and various
mediums and technologies that are
appropriate to the rhetorical situation

To start the research project on the Allegroy of the cave and the claymation video, I wanted to
determine what the story meant to me, what stood out and make connections from the short story
to my personal life. I chose four pictures relating to philosophy and perception vs. reality. The
I found these images to be related to my essay,
because knowledge related to the message of
reality. You have to experience and feel
something to know its true nature. Sometimes an
appearance of reality is what you take for actual
reality.
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pictures set the tone the of the message im trying to convey. My pictures represent how noting is
how it seems. Also you must do as Socrates did and question everything because then you will
know how little you actually know.

Writing as a Social Act
B. describe the social nature of composing, particularly the role of discourse communities at
the local, national, and international level
Many people interpret the Allegory of the cave and the claymation video in different ways.
When i decided to write my paper i wanted to use facts to back up my research and my
arguments. Most of the people reading my project would be my instructors and
classmates. knowing who was going to read my paper i decided to write at the local level.
Instead of describing the whole short story, my main focus was the connection between
the short story and education.


Writing as a Process
C. use multiple approaches for planning, researching, prewriting, composing, assessing,
revising, editing, proofreading, collaborating, and incorporating feedback in order to
make your compositions stronger in various mediums and using multiple technologies
Before finishing my essay, I looked at feedback which i got from lee and the discussion
boards to improve my paper. Also after getting appreciated feedback I considered other
opinions about the short story and from there i was able to refine my opinion to the essay
question.