The Allegory Of The Cave

The Allegory Of The Cave, written by the ancient Greek philosopher, Plato, documents an intriguing philosophical tale he told to his brother, Glaucon, about a group of individuals who have spent their entire life deep within a cave, where the only truths they knew were the stories of shadows projected on the wall in front of them. Suddenly, one by one, as the prisoners were released, they became liberated and engulfed with new knowledge within their changing perception of the world; what was once one thing is now another– more complex– concept. Plato argues that this pursuit of knowledge people wish to acquire is not truly attainable for civilians, as they represent the individuals chained in the depths of the cave, only capable of grasping

For example, "'Last of all he will be able to see the sun, and not mere reflections of him in the water, but he will see him in his own proper place, and not in another, and he will contemplate him as he is.' 'Certainly' 'he will proceed to argue that this is he who gives the season and the years and is the guardian of all that is in the visible world and, in a certain way, the cause of all things which he and his fellows have been accustomed to behold.' 'Clearly.' He said. 'He would see the sun and then reason about him.'" This is one of the most frequent rhetorical choices used throughout the essay, it appears so often, but it is clear to the reader who each of the people is– Plato is the one who directs his theory, and his brother listens with a critical ear. The audience is a reflection of Plato's brother's reactions to his allegory; the audience is also critically listening to what Plato has to say. It is rhetorically effective due to this parallel between Plato's brother and the audience since his brother agrees with his theory. Some people might argue that the essay structure of rotating discussion between Plato and Glaucon is not as effective if Plato were to merely presented his essay alone, in a formally written essay. However, it is this level of discussion that makes his argument more effective than if it were written without the addition of his brother. Lest uses a passage as an example, where his brother asks questions to further understand Plato's reasoning. "... 'Have ascended and seen enough. We must not allow them to do as they do now.' 'what do you mean?' 'I mean that they remain in the upper world, but this must not be allowed; they must be made to descend again among the prisoners in the den and partake of their labors and honors, whether