Plato Study Questions

1. According to Socrates, what does the Allegory of the Cave represent?
According to Socrates, the Allegory of the Cave represents reality and what people want to see. The prisoners think where they are now and what they have experienced is all there is to life and everything arround them is just there.

2. What are the key elements in the imagery used in the allegory?
In the allegory, the cave is what "world" you live in now, the outside is reality or new things you have never known to exist. The shackles are like filters and things that stop you from knowing what should be available to you. The shadows show the differences of what you see and think to be true versus the actual truth and reality in things.

3. What are some things the allegory suggests about the process of enlightenment or education?
The allegory suggests that for enlightenment or education you must step out of your comfort zone and take the initiative. Whether that is attempting to break the shadow to step into the light or to raise your hand in class to get an answer that you never bothered to figure out. You can't just sit around and expect you are doing your best when there are so much more else where that offers you your needs.

4. What do the imagery of "shackles" and the "cave" suggest about the perspective of the cave dwellers or prisoners?
The shackles is pretty much an excuse for them to believe that there is nothing outside of the cave and the cave itself seems to suggest that the prisoners feel in a way "safe" or "comfortable" there. It's their barrier from having to assume there is a better life outside the cave, because these prisoners have grown up inside the cave and have absolutely no idea what dwells right outside the entrance.

5. In society today or in your own life, what sorts of things shackle the mind?
Technology provides a lot more information than before but I feel there are still filters and walls that stop you from knowing "everything". Of course, it's nearly impossible to have knowledge about absolutely everything, but there is no chance of challeging it if there are subjects out in the world stopping you from knowing certain things. There are many other things that people may consider to be a "shackle", is there a possibility that school itself is a shackle? I could see that in a sense that not all students are taking advantage of their classes. There are limited classes offered and some teachers are only willing to teach the minium and enough to cover the course. Is law considered a shackle?

6. Compare the perspective of the freed prisoner with the cave prisoners?
The freed prisoners have a wider and more new perspective compared to the prisoners still in the cave. The freed prisoners know more just by escaping and took the chance to live the life that they dreamed of. The prisoners still chained up are limited to knowledge and ideas, they have no idea how much they might like the outer world and how change can be one step away.

7. According to the allegory, lack of clarity or intellectual confusion can occur in two distinct ways or contexts. What are they?
Whe the prisoner turns his head in attempt to break the shackle he is forced to turn his head further because of the sunlight being so bright. He is then free from the shackle and takes a step out to the world outside, where the sunlight then again brightens the surroundings and widens his perspective. When he comes back to tell the others about the outside and how bright and spaceous it is, the cave seems so little, dark, and limited.

8. According to the allegory, how do cave prisoners get free? What does this suggest about intellectual freedom?
By turning their head to the side although painful at first, the shackle breaks and they are set free. If you looked in different directions and sucked it up a little, you will obtain information you have longed to know. People have to step out of their comfort zone and just do it.

9. The allegory presupposes that there is a distinction between appearances and reality. Do you agree? Why or why not?
I think there are things that have distinct differences between appearances and reality. On TV, many people advertise products that "get rid of winkles", "makes you look 20 years younger" "makes you skinnier" and they show pictures of people before and after, but in reality, when people purchase the product and use it, it doesn't turn out like the pictures. People may look different than they actually are inside. I guess I agree, but it is hard to distinguish whether it is fair to say "everything" has a distinction between appearances and reality.

10. If Socrates is incorrect in his assumption that there is a distinction between reality and appearances, what are the two alternative metaphysical assumptions?

Sonnet Memorization

Really bad quality in my living room.. I haven't used my webcam in so long! I hate my voice on video... :(

The Big Question

Does a parallel universe somewhere somehow really exist? If so, is there a possibility that we are the parallel universe and the other side is the normal?

Sonnet Analysis Part 1

For my sonnet, I chose Amoretti Sonnet 79 by Edmund Spenser. This sonnet expresses what true beauty is and the things you can do to achieve it. I chose this sonnet because of how society makes people feel, with size zero models, unaffordable make up, exotic fashion and so on being advertised everywhere you go. Spenser states that beauty is something everyone is born with and given to by God. It also portrays that inner beauty stay but outer beauty fades away in time.

Lit Analysis: Lord of the Flies

1. Lord of the Flies takes place on a mysterious island when the boys’ plane crashes onto it. They were heading towards England for boarding school when a storm turned for the worst and took down their plane. The boys are only in their adolescence stage of their life, so when the only adult they had (the pilot) dies from the crash, they are left to their own devices. There were four characters that stood out to me in the book: Ralph, Jack, Piggy and Simon. Each of these characters was a symbol for what power/chaos could do to you. Ralph and Jack fight over who should be the leader of the boys, since they are the older ones. They decide to vote for chief and Ralph only loses the votes of Jack’s fellow choirboys. Ralph and Jack have different strategies of “surviving”. Ralph wants to immediately start building a fire signal to get off the island, where as Jack wants to immerse himself in the wild. The group of boys are so young and inexperienced though that many accidents and mistakes occur. “The Beast” (a sighting the younger boys believe the saw) is also a prominent source of troubles for the boys. It causes much controversy and arguments about what to do with it if it even existed. These misfortunes led Jack and Ralph to have a showdown, both declaring themselves a better leader. Due to their differing opinions, Ralph and Piggy go off one way and Jack plus all the other boys make their own tribe. Jack and “his tribe” don’t want to go back home and believe that surviving in the wild is more enjoyable and liberating. They have let go of any rules of civilization and do as their animalistic instincts please. Ralph and Piggy realize this and know that Jack and his boys are going to come after them for vengeance (for not joining his tribe). Jack raids Ralph’s campsite for Piggy’s glass (their only tool for fire) and in the process of trying to get them, kill Piggy. They show no remorse for Piggy’s tragic demise, reinforcing the fact that these boys have let chaos take them over. Ralph knows he’s next and makes a plan to fight them off as long as possible. But during his plan, while running from Jack and his tribe along the shoreline, a sailor finds them. Once the boys get a sight of civilization (the sailor in uniform), they sober up. Jack and his boys stop hollering and feel a bit out of place and ashamed for their barbaric appearance. Ralph breaks down into tears of relief; he knows that he will be rescued now.

2. The theme Golding was trying to achieve is that without the rules and structure of society, you enter into a world of chaos and anarchy. The boys turned from innocent, proper English school boys to wild savages due to the absence of civilization.

3. Golding’s tone was rather somber, but neutral. Golding never hinted that he agreed more with Ralph on one thing and with Jack on another; he remained an impartial observer. It was also somewhat informative. Not informative in a way to teach you facts and equations, more like a lecture from a mother to a child. He was teaching us a lesson from a story. 

“He lost himself in a maze of thoughts that were rendered vague by his lack of words to express them. Frowning, he tried again. 

This meeting must not be fun, but business.”

“But a came down from the world of grown-ups, though at the time there was no child awake to read it. There was a sudden bright explosion and corkscrew trail across the sky; then darkness again and stars.”

“Even if he shut his eyes the sow’s head remained like an after-image. The half-shut eyes were dim with infinite cynicism of adult life. They assured Simon that everything was a bad business."

 

4. Symbolism – Lord of the Flies was filled with symbols. The sow’s head symbolized the devil; the passing of Simon represented the death of innocence and civility in the boys, etc.

Descriptive Paragraphs – Golding also used long, graphic paragraphs for what was going on. He put the reader in the character’s shoes, so you could visualize what they were doing, what they were feeling, etc.

Allegories – This was obviously the biggest literary device Golding used in his novel. Every single one of his character represented something: Ralph stood for the good and civilization they all yearned for, Jack represented the evil that resulted from lack of society, Simon signified the innocence and good in people and so on and so forth.

Metaphors - Golding often uses metaphor in this book. In fact, all symbolism is a type of metaphor since they compare two unlike things. Other metaphors in the book was when Golding described the choir boy at the beginning of the book as a dark creature crawling along the sand.

Syntax – Golding write in simple, easy to read sentences. They are filled with description and action, but they are not difficult to read. 

“’I ought to be chief,’ said Jack with simple arrogance, ‘because I’m chapter chorister and head boy. I can sing C sharp.”

“Ralph stirred uneasily. Simon, sitting between the twins and Piggy, wiped his mouth and shoved his piece of meat over the rocks to Piggy, who grabbed it. The twins giggled and Simon lowered his face in shame.”

“It was dark; there was that -- that bloody dance. There was lightning and thunder and rain. We were scared!”

Sonnet

Men call you fair, and you do credit it,

For that yourself you daily such do see:

But the true fair, that is the gentle wit

And virtuous mind, is much more praised of me.

For all the rest, however fair it be,

Shall turn to naught and lose that glorious hue:

But only that is permanent and free

From frail corruption that doth flesh ensue,

That is true beauty; that doth argue you

To be divine and born of heavenly seed;

Derived from that fair spirit, from whom all true

And perfect beauty did at first proceed:

He only fair, and what he fair hath made:

All other fair, like flowers, untimely fade.

-Edmund Spencer

Vocab List #11

Affinity- relationship by marriage

-It is quite common for your affinity to go wrong or come past a conflict.

Bilious- of or indicative of a peevish ill nature disposition

-The teacher was bilious in a way where all his students thought very poorly of him.

Cognate- of the same nature

-The two elements in the science lab are cognates so they both work as equal catalysts.

Corollary- A proposition inferred Immediately from a proved proposition with little or no additional proof

-The victim had a corollary which no one believed from the lack of proof.

Cul-de-sac - a pouch

-The main character always carried around a cul-de-sac with her family heirloom in it.

Derring-do- a daring action

-He was always taking derring-do's becasue he enjoyed the adrenaline and thrill.

Divination- The art or practice that seeks to foretell future events or discover hidden knowledge due to the interpretation of omens

-The fortune teller was famous for her ways of divination.

Elixir- A substance capable of prolonging life indefinitely

-Myths and stories say that an unicorn's tear drop is an elixir.

Folderol- a useless accessory

-Many people in society wear folderols  that make you look tacky and seeming to waste money.

Gamut- an entire range or series

-The watch tower had to be taken down because it lacked ability for the watchmen to see the gamut of the city.

Hoi polloi- the General populace

-The hoi polloi was at the presidential speech held in the biggest stadium in the world.

Ineffable- incapable of being expressed in words

-My feelings for him were ineffable.

Lucubration- to study by night

-I always end up lucubrating since I can never put myself up to finishing homework right when I get home.

Mnemonic- intended to assist memory

-It helps to create mnemonics when memorizing something.

Obloquy- abusive language

-The man was known for his obloquy toward everyone.

Parameter- an independent variable used to express the coordinates of variable point and functions of them

-In math class we are ,earning to use parameters.

Pundit- a learned man

-The pundit opened up a small school for the village so young children can be educated.

Risible- provoking laughter

-They both had a risible that made little kids in the neighborhood intimidated.

Symptomatic- having the characteristics of a certain disease but arising of a different cause

-The daughter was symptomatic and the doctors didn't know how to cure her.

Volte-face- a reversal in policy

-There was a volte-face when the first policy did not work.