Plato Allegory of the Cave

How do the prisoners respond to being chained?

• They struggle to break free and scream for help

• They sadly and passively accept their fate

• They are unaware that their situation is anything but normal

How does the prisoner respond to seeing the world outside the cave for the first time?

• He is disoriented and has a hard time believing that it is real

• He is overjoyed and exhilarated by the new possibilities

• He is disappointed at how dull and repetitive it is

How would the other prisoners resist being freed after seeing the first prisoner return?

• They hear about the dangers of the outside world and decide to remain safely inside

• They think the returned person has been debilitated by the experience

• They are afraid that their captors will hunt them down if they escape.

Which of the following is NOT one of the themes in the allegory?

• The basis of our everyday knowledge

• Symbols and representations vs the real things they represent

• Ethical issues regarding the humane treatment of prisoners

Why do the other prisoners consider the first prisoner to have been ruined by venturing outside?

What do the shadows on the wall versus the real objects symbolize in Plato's theory of forms?

What similarities to the Matrix movie do you see with the Allegory of the Cave by Plato? (Describe clearly which scene and the simlarities)

How does the allegory of the cave first come up in the Republic

• As a true story about Greek captives in the Peloponnesian War

• As a hypothetical thought experiment about how we see the world

• As a description of the ideal prison system the Republic should have