According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, an allegory refers to a story, play, poem, picture, or other work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion or politics. The Allegory of the cave describes human condition in both its fallen and risen state. It is one the most influential allegories of all time. The Allegory of the Cave gives Plato’s view on the education of the soul towards enlightenment. The Allegory of the cave is a fictional dialogue between Plato’s teacher, Socrates and Plato’s brother, Glaucon. The Allegory of the cave explores several big ideas: What is reality? What is the meaning of truth? And what is the value of knowledge? The Allegory of the Cave, illustrates three men chained facing a wall; they have been there form birth. They cannot see behind nor beside them. Their only view is the stone wall in before them; behind these men, is a fire. There are people moving along the walkway between the men with their backs turned and the fire. As the people are passing, their shadows, along with objects they carry is reflected on the wall. The men wholeheartedly believe that the shadows being reflected on the wall are the real thing, i.e., the shadows are the actual …show more content…
From the moment their child is born, they teach him/her the values of life. But what are these values? These values are whatever the parents tell their children. Every parent has different ways of raising their children, therefore, every child has their own conception of what life is (the children are in “caves” – they believe what their parents tell them and live by the values which they were brought up by.) Parents paint the pictures for their children. Until these children grow up and realize that life is not always what their parents make of it -- but it is something they will have to experience on their and see that it is quite different -- they will forever be trapped in the