Split­Page Notes for “The Allegory of the Cave” (Part One) Key Points/Questions Notes 1. What is in front of the The men are sitting and they are chained so that they can only look ahead; men in the cave? What is they cannot turn their heads side­to­side or backwards. They are looking at behind them? a blank wall. Behind and above the men, a fire is blazing, which creates shadows on the screen. People carrying objects, moving, and talking are moving behind the men in between the fire and the cave wall such that their shadows are projected in front of the men. 2. Describe what the men The men can only see the shadows, because they are unable to turn their see. What is their reality heads. They do not know that there is anything happening behind them. or “truth”? How is that Their reality is that the shadows are beings or truth. This is different from different from others? those with the objects, as they believe the images on the wall are merely shadows, not actual beings. Grade 8: Tell­Tale Heart Split­Page Notes for “The Allegory of the Cave” (Parts Two­Three) Key Points/Questions Notes 3. Describe the first stage of At first, the man is irritated by the sun because the light is so bright and he is freedom. What is the unaccustomed to it. It also is starting to shine light a whole world of things that prisoner told about the he has never seen and does not understand. He won’t be able to comprehend objects? What is he the realities that he sees at first. shown? How does he react? 4. How does the light affect Over time, the man becomes more accustomed to the light and starts to see the man when he first shadows, and then reflections, and then objects, and then the stars and the sun. leaves the cave? Why? When he sees the sun and his reflection in the water, he will start to understand that the sun shines light that creates shadows, and the sun and light is what makes shadows possible. The shadows aren’t the reality ­ the sun and the world are the reality. He would feel pity for the men in the den, who have no understanding about anything and believe that the shadows that they see are reality. 5. What does the man see When the man returns to the darkness, his eyes need time to adjust and so he is and understand as his unable to see as he was before. eyes adjust? Consider what the man understands about the world both outside and inside of the cave. Because his eyesight is weak, he is unable to compete well in measuring the shadows; the other men think he is ridiculous. The other men think that he is unable to see because of the light; they draw the conclusion that the light in the outside world has ruined the man’s sight (because they do not know or understand anything different) and so they decide that it is better to stay in the cave. They decide no one should go to the outside world, and they will kill someone who tries to prevent them. Grade 8: Tell­Tale Heart 6. What is the “hidden meaning” of “The The Allegory of the Cave is meant to serve as a wake­up call for people to not Allegory of the Cave”? accept and settle for what they see but to question everything and find the deeper meaning of life. In the allegory, Socrates uses the example of the prisoners in the cave to symbolize what our human existence is like if we do not question things and seek the truth. He also uses the man’s return to the cave to demonstrate that it can be difficult to search for deeper meaning when people around you are stuck in their own way of thinking. Plato wants us to be skeptical of the world around us because things aren’t always what they appear. The message he sends is that we should get out of our comfort zone and scrutinize the world around us so that we can more deeply understand the truth. We should do this even when our experiences lead us to understand things differently than those around us who are “stuck” in their way of thinking because they do not search for deeper answers. Grade 8: Tell­Tale Heart Plato’s allegory explore the concepts of reality, truth, and knowledge. What are the advantages and disadvantages of various mediums in presenting these concepts? Advantages Disadvantages Both convey similar meanings through very different structures. The painting quickly confronts readers with a puzzle and provokes us to ask what the artist might mean given the very visual contradiction. This sparks confusion and pushes readers to ask questions to find meaning, but we do not get the artist’s definitive interpretation because it is a painting and there is only so much that can be conveyed through the art and caption. The allegory gives readers a lengthy example in the form of a story that ­ while at times can be hard to follow ­ provides readers with a sort of lesson or instruction on what truth is and how we should find it. Because this is written as a story but also an allegory, readers must interpret the characters and symbols for meaning, but Plato also tells us what the allegory means and how it applies to our lives. A reader would have to stick with the allegory longer than the painting to get the meaning, but Plato really spells it out for us if we are willing to put in the work. Grade 8: Tell­Tale Heart .