Today we're going to analyze The Allegory of the Cave by Plato. There are several places that we can begin, but we'll start with [[Purpose and Context]]."What is the text about?"
[[Cavemen and their Surroundings]]
[[Perception and Human Nature]]
[[Socrates and Glaucon's Conversation]]
"Who is the author of this text?"
[[Socrates]]
[[Glaucon]]
[[Plato]]"Where does this text appear?"
[[In a Book]]
[[In a Newspaper]]
[[Was Spoken]]
This one might be a little tricky, and it will take a few minutes to unpack, so we'll combine the question:
"Is the author's opinion clear and does he include other viewpoints?"
[[Clear and Viewpoints]]
[[Clear, but No Viewpoints]]
[[Unclear and Viewpoints]]
[[Unclear, but No Viewpoints]]"How great a role does research/sources play in this text?"
[[A Lot]]
[[A Little]]
[[None]]"What type of proof, if any, is used to defend conclusions or main ideas in the text?"
[[There's No Proof]]
[[There's Some Proof]]
[[There's Tons of Proof]]"Is the text broken up?"
[[Yes, It Is]]
[[No, It's Not]]Since we haven't spoken about it much, I wanted to focus on sentence structure/complexity, figurative language, and rhetorical statements for the Style component.
So, here's the question: "What type of sentence structure is used in this text?"
[[Simple Sentences]]
[[Complex Sentences]]
[[Compound Sentences]]
[[Compound Complex Sentences]]
[[All Types of Sentences]]Nope! You're not even close. Think hard on it and try again.
[[Purpose and Context]] Yes! This text is about Perception and Human Nature.
Plato uses the Allegory of the Cave to discuss many topics and themes, but they can all be boiled down to Perception and Human Nature.
The opening explains that it's about his "major philosophical assumptions" such as "the world revealed by our senses is not the real world, but a poor copy of it."
The Allegory of the Cave also serves as an example of what happened to Socrates. (When he refused to recognize the gods that the Athenian state believed in, he was poisoned to death.)
Plato wants us to think about education and society and how perception and human nature play into it.
Next question: "What type of text is this?"
[[Descriptive and Narrative]]
[[Argumentative and Expository]]
[[Neither]]Yes, it's about their conversation, but there's more to it. Try again!
[[Purpose and Context]] While there is some description in this text, and it contains a bit of narrative, this text is not considered to be in either of these categories. Good guess, but try again.
[[Perception and Human Nature]] You've got it!
This text is argumentative and expository.
As we discussed earlier, Plato is trying to make an argument about human nature and perspectives. He does this by explaining these concepts in his allegory. Great job!
Next question: "What overall purpose does this text serve?"
[[Entertains]]
[[Informs]]
[[Persuades]]All texts have a particular type. Try again.
[[Perception and Human Nature]] While the story may seem entertaining, it is not the main purpose of the text. Try again.
[[Argumentative and Expository]] This text does inform of us Plato and Socrates' past, but it is not the main purpose of the text. Try again.
[[Argumentative and Expository]] Yes! The overall purpose of this text is to persuade! Afterall, it's argumentative. In order to argue a point, we must persuade people to our side of the argument. Great job!
Let's move on to another component!
[[Purpose and Context]]
[[Authors]]
[[Audience]]
[[Topics and Position]]
[[Research/Sources]]
[[Proof/Evidence]]
[[Style]]
[[Organization]]
OR go back to [[Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave]] He's one of the main voices for this piece, but he is not the author. Try again.
[[Authors]] He has a voice in this text, but he is not the author. Try again.
[[Authors]] Correct! Plato is the author.
Next question: "Is any biographical information given about him?"
[[Yes, There's Info]]
[[No, There's No Info]]
[[Not Sure if There is Info]]Right! There's plenty of biographical information about Plato.
We know that he was the son of a wealthy and noble family.
He was alive betwen 427 and 347 BC.
He had a political career, but switched to philosophy.
He oened a school.
Socrates was his mentor.
He was a writer and a teacher.
Next question: "What qualifies him to write on this subject?"
[[He Knew Philosophers]]
[[He Taught Philosophy]]
[[He Isn't Qualified]]Try reading the text again.
[[Plato]] Check the section under the title.
[[Plato]]While he did know philosophers, it is not what makes him qualified to write on the subject.Try again.
[[Yes, There's Info]]Correct! Plato taught philosophy, and is well versed in the subject. This makes him a qualified authority on the topic of human nature.
Next question: "Is Plato present in the text?"
[[Yes, He's Present]]
[[No, He's Not Present]]Plato is definitely qualified to write on this subject. Just think about why.
[[Yes, There's Info]]Are you sure that you've read the text? Think about it again.
[[He Taught Philosophy]] Right!
Plato may have written this text, but it is told in the perspective of Socrates and Glaucon.
He uses them as a means to explain his own points and ideas.
Let's move on to the next component.
[[Purpose and Context]]
[[Authors]]
[[Audience]]
[[Topics and Position]]
[[Research/Sources]]
[[Proof/Evidence]]
[[Organization]]
[[Style]]
OR go back to [[Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave]] Yes! "The Allegory of the Cave" is a small portion of Plato's book //The Republic//.
It's part of Book VII (7).
Next question: "What do you know about the readers?"
[[Nothing]]
[[They Value Knowledge]]
[[A Lot of Things]]It wasn't found in a newspaper. Try again.
[[Audience]] While he may have spoken some of his sentiments, this particular piece wasn't spoken word. Try again.
[[Audience]] If someone has read it, then we must know something about them. Try again.
[[In a Book]] Yes, but this isn't the only thing that we know about them. Try again.
[[In a Book]] Right. We know a lot of things about our audience. Including:
They value knowledge.
They're from many disciplines, but a majority are philosophers.
They're different ages.
They're people interested in the human condition.
They enjoy stories.
Okay. Next question. "What do you know about the readers?"
[[They understand the topic.]]
[[Everything has to be explained.]]
[[A mix of both.]]Double-click this passage to edit it.Double-click this passage to edit it.Correct. It's a mix of both.
Readers of the past may have understood this text after reading it once.
Today, on the other hand, we have to read it several times in order to fully understand what Plato is trying to tell us. And even after reading it several times, we still have to consult notes by those who translated it from its original text.
As with a lot of texts from earlier time periods, whether the audience can understand it or not is up for debate.
Next question: "What does the author expect the readers to do with the information in this text once they've read it?"
[[Forget About It]]
[[Think About and Discuss It]]
[[Just Think About It]]What would the point of writing it be if we just forgot about it? Try again.
[[A mix of both.]]Right! Authors write things because they want people to think about the topic and discuss it. Otherwise we can't learn from it.
Plato wants us to think about how the world is affected by closed-mindedness and discuss ways to fix the issue.
Great job! Let's move on to another component.
[[Purpose and Context]]
[[Authors]]
[[Audience]]
[[Topics and Position]]
[[Research/Sources]]
[[Proof/Evidence]]
[[Organization]]
[[Style]]
OR go back to [[Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave]] Yes, we could just think about it; but, then, nothing would change. Try again.
[[A mix of both.]]This one's a bit tricky, but I would argue that Plato is clear in his opinion and there are few viewpoints.
In the conversation that he poses between Socrates and Glaucon, Glaucon continuously agrees with Socrates. He does not give him an opposing viewpoint once.
However, Plato --using Socrates as his voice-- makes notes of things, such as "certain professors of education must be wrong when they say that they can put knowledge into the sould which was not there before, like sight into blind eyes." This, is an opposing viewpoint. (Even if he is quick to refute it.)
Therefore, the authors opinion and intent is clear and he offers at least one opposing viewpoint.
Let's try another component:
[[Purpose and Context]]
[[Authors]]
[[Audience]]
[[Topics and Position]]
[[Research/Sources]]
[[Proof/Evidence]]
[[Organization]]
[[Style]]
OR go back to [[Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave]] Read it again. There's at least one.
[[Topics and Position]] If you've read through some of the other components, then you know that this is not the correct answer. Try again.
[[Topics and Position]] Try again.
[[Topics and Position]] Remember that we're only talking about this one section. Try again.
[[Research/Sources]] Yes! Since this is a small excerpt of a larger piece, there isn't as much research in it. However, since Plato was a philosopher, it's safe to assume that he put some research into it. Such as how the human body works or how religion influences our thoughts on science and human behavior.
There are no sources either, at least not in the typical sense. This is because it was written during a time period that did not require cited sources like we do now.
Great job unpacking this text! Let's try another component.
[[Purpose and Context]]
[[Authors]]
[[Audience]]
[[Topics and Position]]
[[Research/Sources]]
[[Proof/Evidence]]
[[Organization]]
[[Style]]
OR go back to [[Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave]] Then we'd have no text. Try again.
[[Research/Sources]] Then would there be a point in him writing it? Try again.
[[Proof/Evidence]] Right! There's some proof because we wouldn't be reading this otherwise.
Of course, philosophy is a social science. So there aren't cold hard facts for everything that Plato claims. Instead, there are a list of observations that he's made about people and societies in general.
Observations serve as a form of proof and/or evidence. This text presents quite a bit of that from the telling of the allegory, to the end when he's discussing political ambition.
Next question: "Does Plato present his findings as fact?"
[[Yes, He Does]]
[[No, He Doesn't]]
[[Not Sure]]Is there, really?
[[Proof/Evidence]] Are you sure about that? Think about it some more.
[[There's Some Proof]] Are you sure about that? Try again.
[[There's Some Proof]] This is one of the few times where 'not sure' is a valid answer.
At times, it seems as though Plato states everything in his text as a fat. His statements seem to be focused on the idea that the thoughts and viewpoints of others are wrong. Otherwise, why would all of Glaucon's responses be in agreement with Socrates?
On the other hand, Plato is a philosopher. Since philosophers tend to question everything, and question again once something is proven correct or incorrect, it is safe to say that his writings could simply be musings.
But, for this text specifically, I would err on the side that Plato is right, and everyone else is wrong.
What say you?
Next component:
[[Purpose and Context]]
[[Authors]]
[[Audience]]
[[Topics and Position]]
[[Proof/Evidence]]
[[Research/Sources]]
[[Style]]
[[Organization]]
OR go back to [[Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave]] Yes!
While there are no sub-headings, the text is broken up and resembles a conversation between two people.
It is akin to what you would see in a play or something else that is created for an on-screen performance.
Next question: "What needs of the reader is the author attempting to meet by presenting the information in this way?"
[[Readability]]
[[Understanding]]
[[All of the Above]]I think you might need to look at the text again.
[[Organization]] Yes, but isn't there more?
[[Yes, It Is]]Yes, but isn't there something else?
[[Yes, It Is]] Plato organized this text to be both readable and understandable. Otherwise, it would have been jumbled together into an untranslatable mess.
The organization of this text is especially important because the reader needs to be able to distinguish between the two character voices. Otherwise, they would get lost in the text --making it impossible for them to draw conclusions on their own.
Next question: "Where, if anywhere, is the authors opinion made clear on the topic?"
[[At the Beginning]]
[[In the Middle]]
[[At the End]]
[[Everywhere]]The beginning was the allegory. Try again.
[[All of the Above]] The middle was partly allegory and partly his viewpoints. Trya again.
[[All of the Above]] The end is spent explaining the allegory and likening it to current events of the time. Try again.
[[All of the Above]] Yes! His viewpoint is made clear everywhere. The entire text, from the allegory to his feelings on current events, is there to explain to the reader the idea that perception shapes our society and that human nature has its flaws.
For example, the first page asks the question 'And if they were able to converse with one another, would they not suppose that they were naming what was actually before them?'
That's the beginning of the conversation about perception. When we see things, are we naming them or our interpretation of them?
In the middle of the text, it says 'This entire allegory...to the previous argument; the prison-house is the world of sight, the light of the fire is the sun, and you will not misapprehend me if you interpret the journey upwards to be the ascent of the soul into the intellectual world according to my poor belief...'
In other words, Plato is explaining what each thing in the allegory is representative of. This explanation shows us that he wants his reader to realize that society cannot progress without knowledge.
At the end, he states, 'And thus our State which is also yours will be a rality, and not a dream only, and will be administered in a spirit unlike that of other Staes, in which men fight with one another about shadows only and are distracted in the struggle for power, whih in their eyes is a great good. WHeras the truth is that the State in which the rulers are most reluctant to govern is always the best and most quitely governed, and the State in which they are the most eager, the worst.'
Simply put, Plato is saying that one person's reality is another person's dream and vice versa. How can we know what is true when we're all walking around with blinders on?
Next Component anyone?
[[Purpose and Context]]
[[Audience]]
[[Authors]]
[[Topics and Position]]
[[Research/Sources]]
[[Proof/Evidence]]
[[Organization]]
[[Style]]
OR go back to [[Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave]] Yes, but usually for Glaucon's sentences. What about the one's from Socrates?
[[Style]] Yes, there are a lot of complex sentences, but are those the only one's used in the text?
[[Style]] Yes, there are compound sentences written here. Some used by Socrates and some by Glaucon. But are you sure that they're only compound?
[[Style]] Compound Complex Sentences can definitely be found throughout this text, but I wouldn't say that they're the only ones. Try again.
[[Style]] Correct!
This piece is filled with all types of sentences.
Glaucon's sentences are generally Simple Sentences, but there are a few of them that are compound; and, he has at least one that is a compound-complex sentence.
Socrates' sentences are a mix of Simple, Compound, Complex, and Compound-Complex.
Mixing up the structure of the sentences lets the audience take mental breaks while reading.
Think about it, you wouldn't want to read something that is only simple sentences or only compound-complex sentences. After all, variety is the spice of life. Right?
Next question: "Is there any figurative language?"
[[Yes, There is Some]]
[[No, There is None]]Right.
There is some figurative language because this is an allegory.
And what's an allegory?
It's a story, poem, or picure that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning -- typically a moral or poitical one.
The allegory "IS" the figurative language.
Next question: "Are there any rhetorical questions in the text?"
[[Yes.]]
[[No.]]
[[Not Sure.]]You might want to read again.
[[All Types of Sentences]] If this were the case, would it be set up like a conversation? Think about it.
[[Yes, There is Some]] Correct.
There are no rhetorical questions in this piece because all of the questions that are posed are answered by a character within the piece.
Let's go for another component!
[[Purpose and Context]]
[[Authors]]
[[Audience]]
[[Topics and Position]]
[[Research/Sources]]
[[Proof/Evidence]]
[[Organization]]
[[Style]]
OR go back to [[Analysis of the Allegory of the Cave]] Then I would look over the structure of the piece again.
[[Yes, There is Some]]