Post #1

Samantha Shepherd
English 103
Cerritos College Post 1

Upon reading The Allegory of the Cave, written by Plato, I discovered that Plato was trying to emphasize that one's truth may not be another's. He describes the upbringing of prisoners that are only allowed to see shadows of objects, but not the objects themselves. This being the only thing that they are being subject to, their reality becomes something that those who aren't prisoners take no notice of. He then explains that if we were to take each one out of their element then they would not prosper as well as if they were to stay where they were accostomed to. This can be applied in the everyday world with the differences of circumstances with people that live in the ghetto and those of ordinary, middle-class. The reality of those that live in very violent cities is that they have to be very wary of their surroundings so that they have a better chance of survival from gangs, etc even if they are taking a stroll in the park. Anyone else that lives in a less violent city do not have to always be on alert when they take the same kind of walk through the park because their reality is that they live in a safe zone where no harm can be done. If you were to take a gangster and place them in a more violent city, they would "be ridiculous", as Plato puts it, walking through the park looking over their shoulder ever minute because that is what they know to be the truth of survival.