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Compare And Contrast Plato's Allegory Of The Cave

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In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, Plato demonstrates the idea that there can be multiple philosophical realities when deciding how to present ideas. Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X both were very prominent leaders of the American Civil Right movement who represent Plato's representation of different philosophical realities when trying to define a culture movement. Their beliefs may have stemmed from the household environments that they came from and the way that they were brought up. King grew up in a middle class family that was very well educated. Malcolm X was raised in an underprivileged environment that was very hostile and uneducated. Throughout King’s entire ministry, he was always against violence; even when he was personally attacked both physically and verbally. On the other hand, Malcolm X believed in fighting back physically and aggressively. He acted on his beliefs that whatever had to be done to achieve freedom whether violently or nonviolently should be acted upon to implement change. Although King and Malcolm X address different groups of people, they both use similar strategies and have similar …show more content…

In his letter, he strategically counters the popular accusations that his behavior is breaking laws by reminding the audience “We can never forget that everything Hitler did in Germany was legal.” (100) This comparison to Hitler is especially effective because of the timing of his letter and World War II. With the Civil Rights Movement just twenty years after the war, Americans naturally viewed Hitler as the epitome of evil. Even today, Hitler is not an individual that many people would want to be compared to. Therefore, the audience would obviously be horrified for King to compare them to him in any way at all. This comparison to Hitler makes the audience feel guilty that instead of caring about any morally right decisions, they are strictly worried about what is considered to be

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