Blog #5

In Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave,” Socrates tells a story to his student Glaucon to explain the importance of exploring your boundaries. Plato starts his piece by describing a conversation between Socrates and his student Glaucon. Socrates gives a very descriptive setting of men in a cave who are chained and have no way of turning their necks to look around all they can see is what is in front of them. Their only means of light is fire in front of them that reflects shadows on an overpass in front of them. There only means of communication is by observing what they see on the over pass above their head. One day one of the prisoners were released out of the cave, he was still sore from being chained, and the brightness of the outside world hurts his eyes. His eyes adjusted to the light and so he was able to see all things beautiful including the sun. The prisoner then starts thinking abot the "prison-house" mates and what their reaction would be if he told them what was out there. He comes to the conclusion that they would never understand what they have not experienced and that he would be punished for showing them such a thing. Plato finishes his story with Socrates explaining to Glaucon that this was not a real story but merely an allegory to teach him to open his eyes and be open to experience all different things in life.
What I interpreted from Plato was that this story symbolizes the reality that new experiences are not wrong they are just new. The prisoners in the story who are chained only know life this one way. And, like many people, our families expect us to continue in their foot steps and look "straight ahead". By coming to college it may not be a pleasant or easy experience but it is an experience. Like the prisoner, I have been exposed to all things beautiful. By being in school, I have stepped outside of my comfort zone and slowly "my eyes have adjusted" to world around me. I have been exposed to a different lifestyle and people that look and feel different. I dont want to go back to living life "in the cave". I know that by getting an education my family will think I am crazy but I must break this chain! As a MOTHER, I want whats best for my CHILD. I can not expect him to try and go outside of his comfort zone if I, myself will not.
Just like the in the story, when I tell my family about my experiences "outside" (in school) they think I am crazy. (Sometimes, I think I am too.) But we need to stop being scared of what is different and learn to embrace it like the prisoner. We, like the prisoner never knew that there was another side. Now that we do know, we have chance to explore it and all things beautiful. I have a chance to "look at the sun" - and my eyes ARE WIDE OPEN!!