People live under the earth in a cavelike dwelling. What Socrates means by this is that people are placed in a metaphoric cave at an early age by what they are taught. There are told to look and walk in one direction and they usually miss the bigger picture. The overall message conveyed in the literature was to stay open-minded because even though we may think we know the truth, we really don't. The author communicates this by utilizing symbolism, significant events, and perspective.
To begin, Socrates begins by communicating the idea that people are taught false truths early on. For example, “From the beginning people like this have never managed...to see anything besides the shadows that are [continually] projected on the wall” (Plato). The significance of this quote is that it says “from the beginning”. What Socrates means is that people grow up being taught the same thing and being told that their is one thing to believe in. Specifically, in the allegory, Socrates is speaking to Glaucon about the shadows projected on the wall. He uses the
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For instance, in the allegory Socrates says, “whenever any of them was unchained and was forced to stand up suddenly” (Plato). This quote is significant because it says that the prisoner would have to be forced to stand up and leave the cave. Much like in the real world, you can’t just walk up to someone and challenge a belief that has been rooted in them since their childhood. In order to engender a change of mind, someone would have to be convinced of something greater and better than what they already believe in. It will be difficult for someone who is unaware of something “greater” to believe in it unless they have seen it with their own eyes. Without the prisoner being forced to get up and walk out of the cave he would still be