What Happens When The Prisoner Is Dragged Into The Darkness?

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1) What is the definition of “allegory?" An allegory is defined as a complete story, which involves characters, and events that stand for an abstract idea or an event.
2) What is likely to happen when a prisoner is forced to see how the shadows are actually produced? What happens when the prisoner is dragged into the sunshine? If a prisoner was forced to see the true source of the shadows, he will first experience a physical reaction towards it. Essentially, as his eyes have been accustomed to the darkness of the cave, the light from the fire burning behind him will hurt his eyes, which will force him to look away. Thus, knowing that the fire hurts his eyes, the prisoner will refuse to look at it and will continue to look at the shadows. …show more content…

What does this part of the allegory represent? When the prisoner goes back to persuade the other prisoners of the true nature of reality, the other prisoners denied his newfound reality and believed his discovery had distorted his vision. Therefore, they viewed his behavior as heinous and believed that no one else should think about ascending into the light; they agreed to the capturing and killing of anyone who attempted to walk out into the light. This part of the allegory represents the reaction that people have when their established truths and beliefs are proven wrong. Essentially, when someone attempts to challenge the beliefs of the majority of a society, the majority will abhor those claims, even if they’re true, as they will rather live their lives in comfort, not in truth. It also exhibits the actions people are willing to take in order to maintain their established truths, as they are willing to kill anyone who attempts to question their …show more content…

What do the shadows on the wall represent? According to the allegory, the cave represents the ordinary world of society. Similar to the cave, the ordinary world of society consists of conventional thinking, truths, and beliefs. Therefore, this ordinary world is inhabited with ordinary individuals-prisoners- who don’t take the time to analyze and question their realities. While the cave represents current ordinary societies, the shadows represent a distorted version of the truth. Like the prisoners in the cave, individuals in the ordinary world are exposed to different and distorted versions of the truth that shadow the actual truth.
5) The other prisoners react with disdain and violence toward the enlightened one. Are there parallels in history to this sort of treatment for people with unconventional

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