Comparing The Lesson And The Allegory Of The Cave

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The students in “The Lesson” by Toni Cade Bambara are chained by their ignorance, in not wanting to change their lives and knowing how the rich live, just like the Prisoners in “The Allegory of the Cave” by Plato who are physically chained to the ground only being able to see what is in front of them. .” In the two readings the authors explore and analyze the problem that people have in not looking forward for their best and not wanting to change their lives to the better. In the story of “The Lesson” the students are taken out of their sense of comfort, just as the person who gets pulled out of there cave in “The Allegory of the Cave.” The students in “The Lesson” are reluctant to leave their little area of the world just as the freed…show more content…
In “the lesson” the children did not wish to go on this Field trip with Miss Moore they would “rather go to the pool or to a show were it is cool.” they did not want to go out of there neighborhood, just like a gang member would not want to leave his small pond were he is comfortable and go into a bigger pond were they have no control over what goes on in the area, which is also compared to “the prisoner who is released and disabused of their error. who at first, when any of them is liberated and compelled suddenly to stand up and ... look towards the light... and dragged up a steep and rugged ascent and held fast until he is forced into the presence of the sun,” in “the allegory of the cave.” When the students get to were they are going they are amazed by what it is they see, just as the prisoner is amazed by the sight of the light sight of the light. The Students are also frightened 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…show more content…
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
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