Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Essay Example for Free

Plato’s Allegory of the Cave Essay Plato’s Allegory of the cave is a written dialogue between his brother, Glaucon and his mentor, Socrates. Socrates asked Glaucon to imagine a cave inhabited with prisoners since childhood, with legs and hands chained fixedly so that all they could see was the wall. They came to believe that the shadows of the cave were real. Socrates then explained that once the prisoners were freed from the cave, the lights from the outside world would first pain their eyes, and hurt them. Some might even hide back into the cave to avoid it. But those who have opened their eyes starts to widen, sees everything and realizes that the sun is the source of all the light. They recognizes that what they see now is truth, and the shadows that they once thought was true was an illusion. What Plato is trying to say is that the goal of education is merely to open up ones sight, drag everyone out of the cave, so that they can see further and be more open-minded. He explains that it’s not to simply be full of knowledge, but to have the right desires. This can be explained by his little analysis of how the man first was blinded by the light and would want to crawl back into the cave, but he slowly was adapted to the light and realizes that everything that he once thought was real was an illusion. He implies that everyone has some sort of an illusion, but to break free from that illusion would result in improvement. He’s implying that in life, we need to keep breaking illusions to be further educated.

The Role of Mass-Media in the Contemporary World Essay -- essays resea

The Role of Mass-Media in the Contemporary World The power of the mass media has once become so powerful that its undoubtedly significant role in the world today stays beyond any questions. It is so strong that even politics uses it as a means of governing in any country around the world. The mass media has not only political meaning but also it conveys wide knowledge concerning all possible aspects of human beings’ lives and, what is utterly true, influences on people’s points of view and their attitude to the surrounding environment. It is completely agreeable about what kind of virtues the mass media is supposed to accent. Nevertheless, it is not frequent at all that the media provides societies with such a content, which is doubtful in terms of the role consigned to it. Presenting violence and intolerance as well as shaping and manipulating public are only a few examples of how the role of mass media is misunderstood by those who define themselves as leading media makers. As long as violent programmes are shown on TV, the role of the mass media becomes completely different from how it was originally treated. Violence is socially harmful and especially the youth are very prone to such scenes that may strongly affect their psyches. It is true that programmes featuring cruel pictures are marked as ‘only for adults’ but the time when they are emitted is relatively early and the access to them seems to be rather unlimited to young people. Another matter that is very fre...

Feminism and Sexism: the Scarlet Letter

Anaysa Viviana Arce Professor Dr. Don Macon English Literature 1302 21 April 2013 Feminism & Sexism: The Scarlet Letter â€Å"In Heaven’s own time, a new truth would be revealed, in order to establish the whole relation between man and woman on a surer ground of mutual happiness† (ch. 24). The Scarlet Letter; where there is a woman, a husband, and a lover. A story where women are downgraded, humiliated, punished, and judged for their actions. It is an obvious that eras have changed as well as customs, women now have a say in our government.Therefore, we mainly focus on two political issues that have affected our society, feminism and sexism. We go in depth of researching how their definitions have changed throughout time and how they have affected our society solely in the United States. The Scarlet Letter, is a good representation of how feminism and sexism was affected in the era of the Puritans. Within the story, women were thought of as lesser than men. Womenâ€℠¢s purposes were to raise children and give them good morals and values.Women did not have jobs; they wore the plainest clothes, and sat quietly by their husbands’ sides. Passion and happiness were considered to be a sin in the Puritan faith. Hester Prynne, (the main character in the story), has to overcome many obstacles in the novel, emotionally, socially, and psychologically. Living in a Puritan Society, where they had strict rules that everyone had to abide by, the society showed that men overruled women, and women were subjects to men. Hester’s place within Puritan society changes within the novel, where she defies male authority.Feminism in its definition according to Barbara Smith in This Bridge Called My Back (1981) means; â€Å"Feminism is the political theory and practice to free all women: women of color, working-class women, poor women, physically challenged women, lesbians, old women as well as white economically privileged heterosexual women. Anything le ss than this is not feminism, but merely female self-aggrandizement. (Web. Vanderbilt. edu)† Hester Prynne was forced to wear an embroidered â€Å"A† on her bodice of every garment as a signification of adultery. Women then, were punished more for such sexual transgressions.Unlike men, according to the Puritans women were considered to be ruled by their emotions, while men were considered to be governed by reason (Web. Public. gettysburg. edu). Therefore, we could conclude that women were humiliated and had no contribution to their society; feminism was at its minimal. Women then in the United States started fighting back, which lead to The Women’s Movement. This organized feminism first initiated in 1848 (Web. Feminisim. eserver. org). From this movement several branches formed such as the Abolition of Slavery, the Social Purity and Temperance movement.Furthermore, after 70 years (1928) women were granted to vote and finally have a word in society. Therefore, in comparison with The Scarlet Letter and feminism, women have significantly evolved to become great idols in society. They have freedom and are at the level of a â€Å"male’s authority†. There is no such humiliation or judgment for committing any sin, women are allowed to be happy, independent and be with whomever makes them happy. Commonly, in today’s society it is most popular that women are single mothers with a stable career to support their child.Consequently, women today are not forced to wear such embellishments like Hester Prynne, binding the before-and-today comparison on feminism and the impact it has on women today. Sexism, as previously mentioned has also been a political issue in women. Sexism means the prejudice, stereotyping, or discrimination, typically against women, on the basis of sex. The main overview of The Scarlet Letter is that Hester gets punished for committing adultery and conceiving a child out of marriage. In reality the only reason w hy Hester gets punished and forced to wear an â€Å"A† is because she is a female.Dimsdale, Hester’s lover, being a pastor is suffering internally as the community is rising against Hester. Although the community doesn’t know of his crime, he is remotely thinking of his rejection as a pastor in the case they ever do find out. Even then, the community will not severely punish him, judge him or make him wear an embroidered â€Å"A† solely because he is male. Just like feminism, sexism also presents itself as a discrimination and it is still being seen in today’s society even with feminism reformations. It may be less than the puritan era, but questions such as: â€Å"Why don’t we have a female president? arise. Overall in reality, unlike feminism, sexism will always be present. The discrimination of â€Å"because she is a woman† will still influence many points of view in people. Why do women commit adultery? What cause them to take su ch step? Questions that we wonder but at times have no answer. Although in Infidelity Facts. com we find a confounding answer as to why: â€Å"Statistically, women don't cheat for the sake of sex. It's of secondary concern for them. The #1 reason why they cheat is for an emotional connection.And this is particularly true of women over the age of 30. In more than a few instances, women won't even cheat physically. They will carry on emotional affairs†¦ where they'll fall in love and experience emotional intimacy with a men, while never taking it to the physical level. It's these type of affairs that can continue on for years, without ever being detected, and often leaving a wake of destruction in their path. Studies have found that in long-term relationships, women, whether they work outside of the house or not, often find themselves â€Å"shut out† emotionally.Over 70% of women are still the primary caregivers for their children while also being the cook and the maidâ⠂¬ ¦ whether or not they have a full or part-time job. This leaves them precious little time for themselves to foster a woman's natural urge to grow emotionally. An urge typical ignored by men whose primary interest is physical contact. Thus the longing for a man who can â€Å"see who they really are† begins. And in the weeks, months or even years that follow, they will usually find such a man – or think they've found one.An interesting point to takeaway of this female need for an â€Å"emotional bond†: affairs initiated by women generally last 3 times long than those initiated by men†. We then refer back to the novel and as readers we discover a connection with what is presented and with Hester. Hester did not commit the affair because of â€Å"sex†. She was looking for love, love that Dimsdale had for her. Technically she did have a child out of marriage, but she did not have her because she was prostituting herself; Hester had Pearl from deep int imate love and passion. All she wanted was someone to be by her side and love her for the person she was.Obviously in the Puritan community, adultery was a great sin but in today’s society it is an open common issue. Some statistics on adultery include: †¢ That over a third of married men will cheat on their  wives; †¢ That nearly a quarter of all married women will cheat on their husbands; †¢ And that more than 50% of all marriages will be impacted by one of the spouses being unfaithful. †¢ Back in the 1960’s it was usually the husband who was unfaithful. Today, researchers are finding that women are just as likely as men to have an affair (Web. Kellybonewell. com).

My Child Is A Child Essay - 1389 Words

My child is a fourteen-year-old girl, who is currently in ninth grade. She is about 5’ 2† and she weighs about 105 pounds. She is healthy and has no known medical issues at the moment. She has a high level of cognitive development compared to others her age; however, she has been having trouble with her academic achievements; her report card showed a drop in grades. She is also not confident in her physical abilities and strengths and it is not involved in any sports. She has attempted several times to be a part of a clique, but was rejected and bullied because she was unable to fit in. Nonetheless, she is not a social individual and during her free time prefers to be by herself reading a book. She also has a lower socially developed level compare to the other teenagers. She is often picked on as well because of her clothing she wears and how smart she is. These horrible acts of bullying have made her feel worthless and at times made her have periodic emotional changes. Being a victim of bullying can make an individual lose all their confidence in themselves. Her trying to be part of a clique and being excluded for her appearance, behavior, knowledge has impacted her self worth. Henceforth, when she interacts with her peers, she comes across as socially awkward due to the lack of confidence and low self-esteem. Even her teacher at times criticizes her because she is really smart but prefers not to answer correctly when asked questions during the class lectures. Therefore,Show MoreRelatedMy Life As A Child1074 Words   |  5 PagesAs a child, I remember growing up in an area of Atlanta, Georgia called Mechanicsville. This area was very diverse with people from various socioeconomic backgrounds. Often, my mother would share valuable life lessons with my siblings and me. One, in particular, I remember even to this day is, â€Å"Life is only as challenging or motivating as you make it†. Originally, I did not quite understand the purpose of this aphorism; but as I got older, the meaning became quite clear. Although life for me hasRead MoreThe Child Of My Brother939 Words   |  4 PagesThe child I decided to observe was my two-year-old little brother. This was a very brief observation of approximately half an hour. It took place in my own house, and when I started to supervise my brother, Frankie, he was just getting home from the daycare. As my mom and stepdad are working during the day, my little brother attends to the daycare. There, he spends about eight hours, daily, playing and interacting with other kids. It becomes very clear that not having that relative companion is kindRead MoreMy Virtual Child1219 Words   |  5 Pagestwenty inches long. I heard her cry; it was like music to my ears. I felt as if I had just won first place in an Olympic race and my trophy was this cute little bundle of joy. Virtual Husband and I named her Dakota. (Manis, 2008.) I decided it would be fun to name my virtual child after my favorite childhood toy, so we named her Dakota, after my teddy bear. Dakota has a virtual sister whose name is Rose. Her name was decided because a rose is my favorite flower. Although the girls are three years apartRead MoreMy Pastime As A Child1375 Words   |  6 Pages Introduction My pastime as a child was daydreaming of the countless careers I could achieve. The imaginary future, I formulated for myself, included becoming an actress, lawyer, or a housewife with lots of children. I never became any of those things except for the part of motherhood, which is the greatest lifetime achievement of all. The profession I did choose was a modest one. I became a travel agent who for over twenty years assisted a countless number of people in making unforgettable memoriesRead MoreMy Life As A Child867 Words   |  4 PagesMy family was never the one that went to church every Sunday, or prayed before meals, or prayed together at all. In fact, we still don’t do those things. However, what has changed from then is that we are all spiritually connected with God to a greater extent because of each of us developed our own faith over time. Growing up, my Mom taught us who God was and the tremendous amount of love he has for us and that we are all His children created i n His image, but that was, for the most part, the extentRead MoreMy Life Of A Child1567 Words   |  7 PagesA child imitates its parents while it grows up, thus making them copy or imprint their actions, becoming child’s point of reference as it matures. I being no exception did the same. I looked up to my parents especially my mother, a high school teacher for Chemistry having a strong background in biology as my point of reference. She became my educational pillar and the ember of interest for science kindled right from my childhood days. This ember of interest turned into flames when I entered my highRead MoreMy Experience With A Child1497 Words   |  6 Pagesout every day and live up to that†-(Michael Jordan). This quote perfectly describes my mentality as a child and currently as a young adult. As a child, I was curious and determined as my family recalls. My mother never lets me forget the number of times she had to free my fingers from the holes of shopping c arts because I was curious if they would fit. As I got older and a bit more independent, I remember going into my kitchen cabinets and grabbing several different ingredients, namely flour, oil, andRead MoreRaising My Virtual Child : Raising A Child1822 Words   |  8 Pages Raising My Virtual Child – Smarika Amrit Raj Subedi PSYC 2314 North Lake College â€Æ' Raising My Virtual Child – Smarika Raising a Virtual Child had been a great experience for me. This assignment made me better understand why adolescents are the way they are. I had my own expectation before the onset of this project, how my virtual child was going to be at age of 18? I was expecting that my child would be a successful and obedient one. She would be nice and polite, follow rules and will beRead MoreThe Child Of My Grandchildren2280 Words   |  10 Pagessky. I lift up to look at my cousins smiling and laughing. It feels good to be here, away from the drunk people. Drunken Adults Grandma had to go out of town to visit her sister because she’s sick. So that leaves me stuck at home with my idiotic mother, her drunken boyfriend, and my hyper siblings. I am the middle child of my five siblings. I have an older sister Becky who is 19, an older brother Rico who is 17, then there s me 14, my younger brother Matt who is 8, and my younger sister, Kyra, whoRead MoreThe Issue Of A Child s Life On My Intersex Child2112 Words   |  9 Pagesintersex baby , the doctors practically decide for the child what sex they want the baby to be. Doctors will make up lies and tell the parents that it is necessary for to have surgery because of the baby’s health but that’s a huge fallacy. If given the opportunity to choose the gender on my intersex child, I would oppose toward the surgery of modifying his or her sex. I may not be conforming with the social norm, but I also strongly believe that my child should make the choice of what gender they want to