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The prisoners would mistake appearance for reality. What this really means is no matter what was really behind the wall and was showing shadows the prisoners would still try to figure out what they perceive is casting the shadow. Plato was trying to make the point that it is not the names of the things we see, but what we grasp with our minds and perceive it to be. We watched their responses and reactions to the illusions and again when they were freed to experience real life again. When the prisoners are released they can see what the real objects were. This is wear reflective understanding is interpreted.
Concepts that we grasp are not the real objects that we perceive. In this theory, Plato argues that “forms”, and not the world that we perceive it through our senses, are the purist kind of reality. When the prisoners were released they could see for themselves what was real and what wasn’t. They were forced to accept things the way they truly are rather than what they thought. He wanted to change their behaviors, desires, and tendencies to perceive what is incorrect, and show true happiness. When I went to apply this to my own life the only example could personally think of s one that has to do with my family.
At one point and time, my family was made up of my boyfriend, my daughter, and myself. My boyfriend was very abusive and would not help with anything. However, he was very good to my daughter and she loved to be around him. I was not truly happy, but could only think of my daughter. At times, would come accustomed that women were just supposed to be treated the way that I was. I hid behind my feelings for years instead of facing reality and getting out of the bad situation. What suppressed as my reality did not have to be my reality.
The problem was that oldest face reality and tell myself that I deserved a better life than what I had. I had to put my feelings into consideration and not just my daughters. True happiness comes from within and wasn’t even happy with myself for staying so many years that I didn’t have to. I created a life that was easy. I wanted to take the easy way out, but not considering the truth of the situation, which was that I needed to be freed. I needed the chance to grow as my own person instead of doing what everyone else wanted me to do. My life is my life and I should be able to live life to the fullest and be fulfilled as a person.