Plato Uses Socrates

Plato, figuratively, illustrates two world that we live in. Plato uses Socrates to help readers see the underlying meaning of the allegory. Socrates describes a cave which represents reality. He goes on saying on how there are people who live in the cave that are destined to be in this one spot that they can only look ahead forward. With chains holding them to the cave, they cannot look what's behind them or to the side of them. Behind these people is a fire with a wall. Various items are placed on top of the wall creating a shadow effect. Since these people haven't been outside they take in the shadows of each object they see as the real object itself. These objects become unobtainable.

Then the people are set upon the outside worlds. At first they become blind but then they see the objects that created the shadow. They now understand that these are the obtainable objects. They now knows how the fire and the objects together create shadows that copy more real things. When the people's eyes adjust to how bright everything is he looks up ahead into heaven and into the sun. They now know that the sun is the cause of everything that they see around him.

This story is one huge metaphor. The cave actually represents reality of the world we live in. We as humans always think that things are different then what they appear. The outside world of the story is a place where we should be. The outside place represents an intellectual place where one question about everything which ultimately makes the person a bit more stronger in their thoughts. Plato and Socrates are trying to say that we live in the cave and that we need to go outside of the cave to find answers to the unknown and then bring them back to the cave and help more people.