Pranciliso, Charles Herson J.

09/01/2024
20231134660 Prof. Maria Nykhaela Garcia Javillonar

REFLECTION PAPER

These two episodes reflects as a plato allegory. Plato allegory is made by greek

philosopher plato, let me give some brief about this word, plato allegory represents

about the 3 prisoners who lock up and behind their back there is a fire with, however

these prisoners are unable to see the outside world. So comparing this allegory and the

episode I watch in terms of similarities, in plato's allegory the prisoners trapped in the

cave, unable to see the sunlight, representing a limitless and false reality. Comparably,

in an attack on titan, Levi's friend starts living in an underground city, which is unable to

see the light, there is corruption, and is cut off from the surface. These two symbolize

ignorance, confinement and the true understanding outside the world. In allegory when

the freed prisoner comes back to enlighten his fellow captives, they act hostile and

unreceptive to the idea, more so contented with the comfort of their reality as they had

known it all along. Again, the friends of Levi and dwellers within the underground are

resistant toward the idea of embracing the dangers on the surface for familiarity in

joining the Survey Corps, even if it’s a built by themselves.

The Allegory of the Cave by Plato is a very informative metaphor that helps make

the process of learning more about art clearer. The allegory begins with prisoners who

are tied in a cave, facing a wall along its length, where the only view of what transpires

outside is probably a shadow created by light of the objects carried. These shadows

stand as the reality of things to the prisoners who accept them as the full truth about the
world. This is somewhat akin to how most people first experience the presence of art:

one perceives only the surface, the immediately apparent forms, colors, and images

without deeper meaning. They may appreciate it on purely aesthetic levels-things like

beauty in a painting or skill in sculpture-but not grasp the richer, more complex

meanings behind what they see.

The prisoner getting out of the cave into the world reality outside symbolizes the

education process to art. Upon his release, the prisoner is hardly able to believe or

comprehend the reality outside of the shadows. The light from the sun is very blinding,

besides the comprehension of the real objects casting the shadow takes some time and

effort. Education to art also requires a moving past of what the first impression

generates in the human mind to an effort to try and understand what exactly the art

represents. It requires knowledge of the background in which the work was set: what

happened historically, what was on the artist's mind, what cultural influences there were,

and the eventual message hidden either philosophically or politically within the work.

Similarly, just as the prisoner will readjust himself to the brightness of the outside world,

learning to appreciate art demands a change in outlook on our part and broadening our

horizons.

It is a transformation that involves realization that art may not be just what the

eye catches, but might embody ideas, emotions, and stories not seen. Perhaps a

painting of Picasso may look to us like a collage of abstract forms, until knowledge

enables us to recognize it as an answer to one historical event or another, or as the

expression of personal struggles, or revolutionary artistic movements. Similarly, the

Caravaggio painting might be dramatically light and shadowy, visually appealing, but at
the same time, it is a tool that helps in the conveyance of strong emotional narratives

and spiritual messages. Learning about art would thus be parallel to when the prisoner

gradually realized that the shadows were just a fraction of reality: it is about learning the

layers of meaning that lie beneath the surface.

Besides, Plato's allegory also makes reference to a possible feeling of discomfort

and resistance that may well arise in such deeper understanding. > liaaaaa: Just as the

freed prisoner may find it hard to digest the truth outside the cave, learners of art could

object to complex or challenging interpretations that break their initial impressions. Art

can be a stark portrayal of unsavory truths that force the audience into anything from

critical thought to a change in societal norms. And, much like the light of the sun is

forcing this freed prisoner to look out from comforting familiarity into what else is beyond

the shadows, this discomfort is an essential ingredient in the process of learning. It

challenges us; it makes us think critically and compels us to shift from passive

observation to active engagement.

Plato's Allegory of the Cave is one special education with regard to the nature of

knowledge, perception, and enlightenment. It is a graphic expression of how humans

live in a state of ignorance, not far from mistaking superficial appearances for reality.

The limited understanding of the world outside the cave is where people trap

themselves in the comfort zone of familiar but misleading truths. The process of the

escaped prisoner serves as an allegory for the unquestionably harsh path toward real

knowledge: one of questions, facing uncomfortable realities, and looking deeper than

superficial appearances. The allegory constitutes an argument in favor of critical

"caves" of misunderstanding and to expand our vistas.

It also shows how education and experience can change our view of the world.

Finally, Plato's Allegory of the Cave is a strong metaphor that has warned us all

the while as we learn about art; it is a reminder that our first sense of art, like the

shadows on the cave wall, is narrow and usually deceptive. By analogy, for instance, as

the walk out of the cave to the real world was taken by the prisoner for self-discovery,

likewise, our adventure in the understanding and appreciating of the arts must involve

peeling away layers of appearance. This is often not easy, for it entails challenging our

perception in order to open our minds to ways of seeing; full engagement with art is the

expression of the human experience.