The Allegory of the Cave, written by Plato, brings an important distinction between truth and reality. Most people might think that they mean the same thing, but in fact, are totally different. One person's perception of the truth may be different from reality. Just as when we are kids, we think that Santa Claus exists, and that is the truth - to us. However, we know now that that is not the reality. Plato makes this distinction in the Allegory.
Plato says that humans are like the people in the cave. Their truth is what they see in fornt of them - what they have been told their whole life. They accept that and would swear by it. However, when given the opportunity to be shown the truth, several things can happen he says. He says that they can simply choose to go on accepting their truth as reality, because it contents them. They can try to grasp it all at once, but then when they realize it is too much, revert to their old truths which are now enlarged to an even worse state than when they began. Or, like coming into the light, if one weathers the initial change and and adjusts himeslf/herself, then that is when the truth and the reality become the same. One can see how wrong their previous truth actually was, and, little by little, grab a hold of reality.
Plato also says that reality cannot be thrust upon everyone, if they are not willing. He says that some people are so enthralled in their truth that they refuse to believe in the reality that might be just before their faces, if they but turn around.
Their is also a comparison between truth and reality, however. That is that reality stems from truth. Although one might not know the correct truth, they can create their own reality from it. This is why Plato says we must seek knowledge, so that we will know reality, and not be blinded by what our truths have created for us. Reality is based in truth but truth is not always based in reality.
Plato makes these judgments on mankind as a philosopher. He views himself and the thinkers of his society as the ones have seen the light, and the others as those still stuck in the cave or trying to come out. He views his knowledge (though he knows it to be incomplete) as both reality and truth, but other's truths as false realities.
Keep Calm and Blog On
Sunday, April 15, 2012
Monday, March 19, 2012
Spring Update
Updated the blog for the spring season(: I know it's not officially spring yet, but it's been feeling so much like it here, I just couldn't wait anymore! Also, I updated the animation because my poetry out loud reference is long dead even to those in my English class. So, this new one shows how ready I am for graduation, senior week, summer, and COLLEGE. And i don't think i'm the only one. But rest assured Mrs. Healey, if you're reading this, I remain completely focused on AP Lit, at least until Thursday, May 10, at which point I will cease to care about anything literary for another 4 months. Happy blogging!
Keep Calm and Blog On
Keep Calm and Blog On
Saturday, March 3, 2012
The Things You Miss in Your Childhood - A Second Look At Narnia
Ok, so, for fun, I decided to re-read some of the Narnia series (I say some, because I really hate some of them and find them rather pointless). About 2 chapters into the first book, The Magician's Apprentice, I realized just how much I had been missing out on as a child. The clever illusions, imagery, and tiny details I didn't pick u on as a child are now clear to me and make the books that much more enjoyable because i can't wait to find out what else I missed the first time through. I guess this is the appeal of the old Disney movies to parents, the reason why, when watching them now, we see why our parents wanted to watch them with us. After reading the first three I can already tell I'm going to give the series a 5 out of 5 for all ages and for any number of times re-reading it.
Ok, so the first three books are just riddled with Christian references that one might miss as a child. On first glance, it appears that C.S. Lewis has made a direct correlation to Christ in the form of the Lion Aslan. However, me being the inquistive person I am, searched for answers, and found that Lewis actually did not mean for Aslan to represent Jesus, but rather, to create a world in which God interacted with the people in a unique way (statement taken from interview i found on google). This poses an important distinction in that all the symbolism in the book is not just an illusion to Christian references, but also a commentary on life and the nature of the universe (however, Lewis is a Christian, so he fundamentally believes that nature is Christian and good, which is an important note to begin on). Many of the symbolisms are obvious, such as the breaking of the stone table representing Jesus conquering death, or Aslan's breath representing God giving the Holy Spirit to us. However, when reflecting on Lewis's actual meaning, the illusions become quite different. Lewis is trying to say that true unlimited love doesn't just come in one form. That anyone can find that love and extend it to others. Lewis tells us that love can be found anywhere and in everything if only we know where to look. Now, we might not have a mystical trip to a far away land and a tlaking lion to show us that. However, Lewis takes us on that journey through his books. The imagery and illusion only help to illustrate his point and help us to make connections to things which we already know to help get his point across. The important Bible illusions help readers to understand that which they already know, the Christian teachings, and apply and think about them on another level.
I think that Lewis is a genius, especially after realizing the series was not just a big illusion, but actually a way to get us to think. I can;t wait to read the rest of the series again!
Keep Calm and Blog On
Ok, so the first three books are just riddled with Christian references that one might miss as a child. On first glance, it appears that C.S. Lewis has made a direct correlation to Christ in the form of the Lion Aslan. However, me being the inquistive person I am, searched for answers, and found that Lewis actually did not mean for Aslan to represent Jesus, but rather, to create a world in which God interacted with the people in a unique way (statement taken from interview i found on google). This poses an important distinction in that all the symbolism in the book is not just an illusion to Christian references, but also a commentary on life and the nature of the universe (however, Lewis is a Christian, so he fundamentally believes that nature is Christian and good, which is an important note to begin on). Many of the symbolisms are obvious, such as the breaking of the stone table representing Jesus conquering death, or Aslan's breath representing God giving the Holy Spirit to us. However, when reflecting on Lewis's actual meaning, the illusions become quite different. Lewis is trying to say that true unlimited love doesn't just come in one form. That anyone can find that love and extend it to others. Lewis tells us that love can be found anywhere and in everything if only we know where to look. Now, we might not have a mystical trip to a far away land and a tlaking lion to show us that. However, Lewis takes us on that journey through his books. The imagery and illusion only help to illustrate his point and help us to make connections to things which we already know to help get his point across. The important Bible illusions help readers to understand that which they already know, the Christian teachings, and apply and think about them on another level.
I think that Lewis is a genius, especially after realizing the series was not just a big illusion, but actually a way to get us to think. I can;t wait to read the rest of the series again!
Keep Calm and Blog On
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Maya Angelou - The Telephone
Ok, so for any of you in my English class, you know that Maya Angelou is my girl. I love all her poetry, and I think she is so talented. So, naturally, I would give this poem a 5 out of 5. I was not as impressed with the poem in the beginning, but by the end, I absolutely loved it! Definitely I would recommend this poem and others by the author.
The Telephone by Maya Angelou tells of a woman who has been just waiting and waiting for a phone call that never seems to come. The first of several poetic devices employed by the author is enjambement Every line is not ended in a period or a thought, in fact, it usually end right in the middle. This is important because it gives the poem a a specific meter that is reminiscent of a ringing telephone. The ring is abrupt and often interrupts what you are doing. Also, it symbolizes the speaker also stopping to listen for the telephone because she is waiting/wanting a call. The change of style in the last line shows the speaker's relief in that she has finally received a call. The change emphasizes the change in tone from nervous and anticipating to relieved. One important thing to recognize is that the poem is not simply about a telephone. The telephone represents the speaker's life. Today, everyone needs and uses telephones regularly, and because the speaker has one, but does not use it, shows that she is isolated. This is important because the author is not commenting on our closeness due to our ease of contact, but rather the opposite. The speaker has a telephone and the ability to receive and send calls, but she is more isolated than ever, the telephone has essentially done the opposite of what it was intended to do. This motif of anxiety and isolation and the image of the telephone reveals Angelou's theme of man's degression with the evolution of technology, and that even when we are more together than ever, we are also more isolated than ever. This theme can be explained by the a similie" it is like feeling alone when you are standing in a crowd of poeple. This is what Angelou is trying to convey about our society.
Go read it!...Now(:
Keep Calm and Blog On
The Telephone by Maya Angelou tells of a woman who has been just waiting and waiting for a phone call that never seems to come. The first of several poetic devices employed by the author is enjambement Every line is not ended in a period or a thought, in fact, it usually end right in the middle. This is important because it gives the poem a a specific meter that is reminiscent of a ringing telephone. The ring is abrupt and often interrupts what you are doing. Also, it symbolizes the speaker also stopping to listen for the telephone because she is waiting/wanting a call. The change of style in the last line shows the speaker's relief in that she has finally received a call. The change emphasizes the change in tone from nervous and anticipating to relieved. One important thing to recognize is that the poem is not simply about a telephone. The telephone represents the speaker's life. Today, everyone needs and uses telephones regularly, and because the speaker has one, but does not use it, shows that she is isolated. This is important because the author is not commenting on our closeness due to our ease of contact, but rather the opposite. The speaker has a telephone and the ability to receive and send calls, but she is more isolated than ever, the telephone has essentially done the opposite of what it was intended to do. This motif of anxiety and isolation and the image of the telephone reveals Angelou's theme of man's degression with the evolution of technology, and that even when we are more together than ever, we are also more isolated than ever. This theme can be explained by the a similie" it is like feeling alone when you are standing in a crowd of poeple. This is what Angelou is trying to convey about our society.
Go read it!...Now(:
Keep Calm and Blog On
Monday, February 13, 2012
WICKEDly good!
So, I decided to read the novel Wicked by Gregory Maguire mostly because of my love of the Broadway musical. But let me just say, I'm glad my 5-th grade mind that loved the musical didn't read this book, because I definitely would not have understood it, or found it appropriate. The book had a very interesting pot, taking something we all thought we knew everything about and flipping it on our heads. The plot was captivating and witty, and the characters all played into what would become our fabled childhood heroes from The Wizard of Oz. I would recommend the book to most anyone high-school level or above and would give it a 5 out of 5 stars. Now on to the goods....
My favorite quote from the book that really stood out to me was - "Being born with a talent or an inclination for goodness is the aberration." This quote really embodies the essence and theme of the book (as well as the title for that matter!). The quote is saying that all people are born with the inclination to do evil, but are forced to fight it, and that someone who is born good is the one who is really odd, and not the other way around. This begs the essential question Elphie asks herself in the book (to quote from the musical), "Are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" From the very beginning, Elphaba is faced with challenges because of her skin color and background. She at first sees herself as an aberration because of her skin color and thinks that she will never fit in anywhere. However, she grows to find that it is not because she is green that she is an aberration, it is because she has an inherent nature to do good. Throughout the novel, she feels the need to help others despite her own welfare, whether it be releasing a caged lion, caring for her sister, or taking on the most powerful man in Oz. In the course of events she comes into contact with some truly wicked people, including Glinda. Contrary to what we may think, Glinda was not always the perfect angel she is made out to be in the movie. She was, in fact, a stuck up aristocrat who wanted nothing to do with the affairs of the land. However, by the end of the novel, because of her rebel ways, Elphaba is no longer seen as a kind soul, but as a wicked one, and Glinda has been transformed from snobby aristocrat to beacon of goodness for the people of Oz. However, whether it was turning someone into a tin man, or capturing Dorothy, it was all out of good intentions that Elphaba acted, not out of wickedness. This points to two essential themes in the novel; don't judge a book by it's cover, and that people are born wicked, and we must fight to recognize and overcome it. Everyone in the novel judged Elfie for her skin, when in reality that judgment could not ave been more wrong. Also, the reversal of Glinda's roles in the novel reverses her own question against her, the answer, according to the novel, is that people are born wicked and they have goodness thrust upon them.
Keep Calm and Blog On
My favorite quote from the book that really stood out to me was - "Being born with a talent or an inclination for goodness is the aberration." This quote really embodies the essence and theme of the book (as well as the title for that matter!). The quote is saying that all people are born with the inclination to do evil, but are forced to fight it, and that someone who is born good is the one who is really odd, and not the other way around. This begs the essential question Elphie asks herself in the book (to quote from the musical), "Are people born wicked or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?" From the very beginning, Elphaba is faced with challenges because of her skin color and background. She at first sees herself as an aberration because of her skin color and thinks that she will never fit in anywhere. However, she grows to find that it is not because she is green that she is an aberration, it is because she has an inherent nature to do good. Throughout the novel, she feels the need to help others despite her own welfare, whether it be releasing a caged lion, caring for her sister, or taking on the most powerful man in Oz. In the course of events she comes into contact with some truly wicked people, including Glinda. Contrary to what we may think, Glinda was not always the perfect angel she is made out to be in the movie. She was, in fact, a stuck up aristocrat who wanted nothing to do with the affairs of the land. However, by the end of the novel, because of her rebel ways, Elphaba is no longer seen as a kind soul, but as a wicked one, and Glinda has been transformed from snobby aristocrat to beacon of goodness for the people of Oz. However, whether it was turning someone into a tin man, or capturing Dorothy, it was all out of good intentions that Elphaba acted, not out of wickedness. This points to two essential themes in the novel; don't judge a book by it's cover, and that people are born wicked, and we must fight to recognize and overcome it. Everyone in the novel judged Elfie for her skin, when in reality that judgment could not ave been more wrong. Also, the reversal of Glinda's roles in the novel reverses her own question against her, the answer, according to the novel, is that people are born wicked and they have goodness thrust upon them.
Keep Calm and Blog On
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