Plato's Allegory of the Cave
Human vision, understanding, and enlightenment are powerfully metaphorically represented in Plato's Allegory of the Cave . It tells the story of prisoners who have been imprisoned in a cave since birth and can only see shadows projected against the outside wall. They interpret these shadows as reality because they are created by things behind them. After his release from cave and being exposed to the outside world, a prisoner struggles with the dazzling light at first but eventually discovers a greater reality outside the cave. But he experiences rejection and disbelief when he returns to the cave to inform the others. This allegory represents the real and symbolic contrast between sight and blindness. Because of their limited vision, the prisoners in the cave are basically blind to reality. Since they take shadows for reality, illusion limits their ability to see. His temporary blindness symbolizes the challenges of embracing new information when the recently released inmate se...