Dialectical Journal 1 – in class examples
Notetaking: Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” (452)
“When he remembered his old
habitation, and the wisdom
of the den and his fellow
prisoners, do you not suppose he would felicitate himself on the change, and pity them?”
Notemaking: Here, Socrates is asking his student,
Glaucon, a question regarding a prisoner’s state of mind. This prisoner had
been freed from a lifelong “sentence” at the mercy of the cave (which
represents people’s sense perception). The “them” referred to are his fellow
prisoners. This quote is important because it shows how the freedman’s new knowledge
almost negates his former “reality.” His old world seems pretty pathetic.
Synthesis: This
quote discusses senses’ limited truth. The limitation of our physical
perception is significant because it affects the way people perceive truth in
relationships. For example, LA Ink, a
reality show about tattoo artistry, involves two best friends: one is the owner
of the shop; the other, a manager. In one episode Kat Von D, the owner, precludes
Pixie from entering the store during an entire work day, alleging there is an
all-day store meeting—sending Pixie on aimless, endless errands for hours on
end. Pixie becomes angry and uneasy, fearing the worst—either that she is being
maligned/gossiped about or is about to be fired. That is what her senses are
telling her. In truth, however, Kat Von D is actually having a beautiful
likeness of Pixie tattooed onto Kat’s thigh, a surprise tribute to their
treasured friendship. Pixie, had she dwelled in her cave of the senses might
have been consumed with the wrong impression of being rejected, fired, or
slandered. This would have been tragic, when so much love was going in to this
gift and homage to Pixie herself. It would have been ironic and the opposite of
the actual circumstances—a truly pathetic situation. Readers can learn the
wisdom of withholding judgment based on feeling or doubt until all the facts of
a set of circumstances become available. One should not jump to conclusions,
for doing so usually works against a person.
Potential topic sentence: The
allegory teaches a lesson about the powerfully misleading ability of the
senses, which can hurt relationships and understanding.
2. “Allegory of the Cave” pg. 446, par. 13 (page is different
in Informed Argument book)
Potential topic sentence: In “Allegory of the Cave,” Plato
explores the limitations of the senses when it comes to perceiving truth.
Notetaking: “To them, I said, the truth would be literally
nothing but the shadows of the images.”
Notemaking: Here, Socrates is speaking to Glaucon, his
student, about prisoners who have been chained their whole lives in a cave with
nothing but a projected image in front of them. This quote stands out because
it shows the reality in which the prisoners live. For them, the shadows
represent truth.
Synthesis: This seems like an important observation to make,
because it shows us that we, the readers, may need to look more closely at what
we consider “truth” or “reality” in our own lives. We may take what we see as
“true” for granted, and it may not in reality be what it seems to be. For
example, a magician presents a view of reality that makes it seem he is capable
of the impossible—pulling a rabbit out of a hat, slicing a woman in parts
without her actually perishing, etc. However, if one looks deeper at the
process of the magician in his trick, the observer discovers the magician has
merely succeeded at creating an illusion. Therefore, the audience viewing the
magician has been deceived. This is precisely what Plato was trying teach: that
looks can be and often are misleading.
