Allegory Of The Cave Perspective Analysis

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Perspective The three essays we read for class, The Allegory of the Cave by Plato, 1984 by Orwell, and The Ones Who Walk Away by LeGuin, all revolve around the topic of perspective. Over the course of my life, my perspective on many things has shifted greatly. One such example is how I have viewed privilege, to include White Privilege. These classic literary works remind me of the progression of thought regarding this topic. Plato would agree, my cave was already starting to form during my early childhood. If my cave, my life as I know it and where I reside, is compared to the year 1984 Oceania, then Big Brother is the entity controlling the direction my eyes are forced to look, and manipulating the shadows on the wall in that direction. When I was told of people being oppressed and discriminated…show more content…
Adulthood swept in with all of its independence, maturity, and answers. I fell in love and started a family. The sole focus in life was no longer surviving but growing. I escaped the chains of my adversity, and I was now able to look around at others' experiences, not just my personal cave wall. I began to question the shadows I had always been fed by our media and schools. This is when I learned of the concept of white privilege and it was incredibly difficult for me to grasp. I thought, "I am White and I have not led a privileged life. How can White Privilege exist?" In Omelas, LeGuin tells how the people of the city are shown the neglected child. Similarly, we recognize (however briefly) the existence of discrimination, racism, poverty, and domestic violence, yet we choose to turn our heads back to our own wall. If it isn't a part of our personal experience or the experience presented in our media, it must not be common. It is just ONE child in the city, after all. If it is not common and not a part of our personal experience, we can't possibly be held ethically or morally responsible for
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