The students in “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara are enchained by their ignorance, in not needy to diversify their alive and apperception how the affluent last, equitable like the Prisoners in “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato who are physically chained to the estate only being powerful to see what is in front of them. In the two readings, the authors search and take apart the problem that relations have in not face ready for their worst and not wanting to turn their living to the reform.
In the history of “The Lesson” the students are taken out of their sense of comfort, just as the person who got to pilled out of there cave in “The Allegory of the Cave. ” The students in “The Lesson” are repugnant to leaving their insignificant scope of the world just as the frank parson who was once binding in “The Allegory of the Cave”. The fundamental premise of Plato’s Allegory of the den is to depict the character of the human being, where unwavering real world is hidden, false likeness and intelligence are remark as reality.
In “The lesson” the students did not wish to go on this field trip with Miss Moore they would “rather go to the pool or to a show where it is cool. ” they did not indigence to go out of their vicinage, normal preference a walk member would not want to leave his small lake where he is valiant and go into a bigger pond were they have no superintendence over what goes on in the range, which is also comparison to “the prisoner who is discharge and disabused of their error”. who at first, when any of them is stolen and compelled all of a sudden to be up and … ook towards the light... and dredge up a steep and rugged inclination and held strong until he is forced into the person of the sun, in “the emblem of the grot. ”
When the students get to where they are going, they are amazement by what they see, just as the captive is amazed by the sight of the skylight exhibition of the light. The Students are also terrify by being out of there element being in a rich person’s toy store, F. A. O Schwartz. Just as the prisoner would be frightened by the light of the Sun and would not want to go out of his comfort zone, of the cave.
The shadows in “The Allegory of the Cave” are also very significant when comparing the two stories together because in “the lesson” the students are only seeing there shadows of reality while being in there little ghetto of New York City. The students are quick to judge what t hey see from being outside of the Toy store, such as the “one lady in a fur coat” who by seeing this one person saying “white folks crazy” just as the prisoner would think whatever they saw outside of the cave would look a little crazy to them.
Just as if the prisoners were to “look towards the light, he would suffer sharp pains; the glare will distress him, and will be unable to see the realities of which in his former state he had seen the shadows; and then conceive someone saying to him, that what he saw before was an “Illusion” which the students, who were satisfied staying in there part of the city were satisfied with their illusion of life. “The goal of education is to drag every man as far out of the cave as possible”. Education should not aim at putting knowledge into the soul, but at turning the soul toward right desires.
That’s what Miss Moore wanted to do with the children, she wanted to show them what the outside of their neighborhood looks like, she didn’t force any of them to like the trip or like the store of toys, but she wanted them to know and learn new things, also she wanted them to figure out how they could be able to afford these toys if it’s not for them maybe for their kids in the future. The overarching goal of the city is to educate those with the right natures, so that they can turn their minds sharply toward the Form of the Good.
The author in “The allegory of the cave” point is that, “Once we understand what reality is, it is the job of the informed to lead the ignorant out of the world and into true knowledge”. The Bambara, “The lesson” The crux of the action takes place at the store, from the outside looking in, and then inside the store proper. We see the children taken out of their comfort zone. They experience and alienation effect. What are these poor kids doing in a store playing with toys that they could never afford?. Bambara evokes their growing awareness primarily through dialogue and descriptions of their reactions.
Reaction to reality, reaction to the things they have never seen or heard about. The lesson feels like the beginning of a personal transformation. Bambara makes effective use of imagery, especially in the toy store. The microscope, paper weight, and sail boat all have lessons to teach. The microscope has symbolic value, for in its ability to reveal what cannot be seen with the naked eye, the microscope objectifies what Miss Moore would have the children discover in themselves, their unseen, unnoticed, blindness to their own oppression.
The prisoners in “the Allegory” were just the same when they see the light of the world and the real definition of the shadows that they were seeing, and “The other prisoners reaction to the escapee returning represents that people are scared of knowing philosophical truths and do not trust philosophers”, This gets me back to the children in “The lesson” how they hated the trip that Miss Moore took them to explore new things in life and hated Miss Moore every time she wanted to explain and teach them new things about the toy store.
When the students get back to their part of the city Miss Moore is hoping that the kids have learned what is outside of there part of town. Just as the freed prisoner would go into the cave and tell all the other enslaved prisoners what he has seen in the outside world. In conclusion, Socrates and Bambara believe those who have reached a higher level of knowledge and wisdom should bear a responsibility to lead the community and improve it because they are blessed with better education and are able to enjoy a different reward than the power to control others like most politicians do.
Two thousand years after Plato has written down the allegory, it is amazing how we can still relate it to our everyday lives. As Plato wrote in “The Allegory of the Cave,” “education is a very important phase that leads us to wisdom and helps us to get accustomed to the real world with less difficulty”. Apparently, this theory has proven to be correct for the past two thousand years. Until today, those of higher wisdoms are mostly people who have mastered a thorough and solid education, and they certainly have become the leaders of the community who share their knowledge and enlighten many people.
We can also find Plato’s theory on rulers of countries relevant to the world today. When it comes to the time of presidential election, voters usually look closely at each candidate’s educational background and also their every address to decide which is wiser and is more likely to make some improvements to the country. We can relate this to Socrates’ belief that there is no better leader than someone who truly understands reality and knows that there are more important things than power to rule other people.
