The Allegory of the Cave

In The Allegory of the Cave, Plato argues for enlightenment, but he also illustrates why choosing enlightenment can be dangerous and painful. The prisoners who lived in the cave were chained and were only subjected to the shadows that were in front them (they represent the uneducated), therefore making them believe that what they saw was reality. We too are like prisoners, living in a world where we are only subjected to certain “shadows” (media, biased opinions, politics, etc) that formulate our very own opinions, ideas and thoughts, therefore we become ignorant to “the outside world”.

During my years as a high school student, I was involved in multiple extracurricular activities including football. I had always been a well-rounded athlete and student who rarely ever worried about picking up a weight or running during off-season in order to stay in shape. My grades were consistently average thus making it easy for me to avoid studying. When it was time to plan for college, my routine did not change. I failed to properly prepare myself for football workouts and I didn’t think twice about mentally preparing myself for school.

Similar to the Allegory of the Cave prisoners, I was chained and imprisoned in my own reformatory which happened to be the life that I was living. During my high school years, I was only subjected to easy school work and simple workouts which were ultimately my “shadows on the wall”. So, as a result, I became ignorant to the outside world (college).

Like the Prisoners, I was too stuck in a certain