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The Allegory of the Cave Compare elements of your own life to the imagery in the Allegory of the Cave. What was Plato’s point? The Allegory of the Cave by Plato represents an exaggerated metaphor that is contrasted in the way we perceive and believe what reality really is. In the story, prisoners are chained and forced to perceive their idea of reality by the casting shadows on the wall. Today we are still chained to a wall, but that wall is the media and stereotypes.
Stereotypes we see on TV shows, movies, and even books are thought to be exact representations of real life. Many people think that all Muslims are terrorists or all Mexicans eat tacos and burritos. We tend to be continuously influenced by the media. When people make a perception of blondes they imagine an attractive woman that makes little use of intelligence or when thought of a person from Iraq they imagine a Muslim terrorist due to the facts of September 11th. The fire behind us is the media that cast the shadows of false characteristics of people.
The point Plato was trying to get across in his story is we should not perceive world the way it is from limited of knowledge we have. We should continue to strive until we reach the ‘Form of the Good’. Taking in Plato’s point, we need to break away from the wall of stereotypes the media portrays and fight our way past the fire, and into reality. We should reeducate ourselves on various cultures that are around us. Once we break free of the stereotypes the media displays, we will see people for who they really are.