Cultural Essay: The Allegory of the Cave

Cultural Essay: The Allegory of the Cave

HUM 2210, Knapp

Assignment: Watch the video clip linked to below. This is a telling of the “Allegory of the CaveLinks(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Allegory_of_the_cave)to an external site.” from Plato’s Republic. It offers a story of how “enlightenment” can change someone’s outlook, and what happens when the enlightened one returns to his former condition. Read the background and explanation of the allegory as a whole in the above link to provide background for your viewing.

What I’d like you to write about is an example from your own life. This could be a moment (like what people sometimes call an “ah-ha moment”), a process, or even a time when you looked back and realized that you had changed, and you now see the world differently.

There are many ways you could approach this. You may choose to focus on the process itself, or how you felt afterwards. You may compare the before and after. You may wish to discuss the consequences of your change. In other words, how did it change your relationships with friends, family, coworkers, how you lived your life, how you viewed the world around you?

I expect at least five well-developed paragraphs, and word count in the 750-1000 word range. However, I urge you to care more for content and interest rather than word count.

Be original, be thorough, be specific, and most of all, think for yourself. Apply your own analytical and critical skills to the exercise. If you need to do some research, and you probably will, make sure you identify your sources and include a bibliography. To use any unidentified information is plagiarism and will be handled as such. You may consult online sources but BE WARNED: you must apply your critical thinking to ensure that the source is reliable.

I do not want a cover page. Your essay should simply put your name, my name, class and section, and date in the upper left-hand corner, and then center your title. If you are unfamiliar with MLA style, the Library/Learning Commons online or on any FSCJ campus is an excellent resource.

VIDEO:

Plato’s Cave (animated version)