Allegory Of The Cave

Use these questions or activities to help gauge students’ familiarity with and spark their interest in the context of the work, giving them an entry point into the text itself.

Short Answer

1. What is an allegory? What are some examples of allegories or parables that you have encountered? With what kind of literature do you associate allegory?

Teaching Suggestion: An allegory is a story that contains a deeper meaning or lesson. In an allegory, complicated ideas are symbolized by people or things. It is like a parable, which is a simple story, often including animal characters, told to illustrate a sophisticated religious or ethical lesson. Parables in particular are closely associated with religious literature and scripture. In the Gospels, for example, Jesus couches many of his most important spiritual lessons in parables. Discussing some examples of famous parables or allegories (e.g., the parables of the Prodigal Son, the blind men and the elephant, or even the boy who cried wolf) can help students understand the basic elements of this device.

• This resource page from SuperSummary provides a glossary of many literary elements and devices, including allegory and parable.
• This article from MasterClass contains an in-depth discussion of allegory in literature, including important examples.

2. Consider what you know about ancient philosophy. Who are some of the philosophers you have heard about? Have you read any of their works? What ideas or intellectual movements do you associate with ancient philosophy?

Teaching Suggestion: Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” is an excerpt from The Republic, a sprawling philosophical dialogue that sets out to establish the requirements for the ideal state. Plato was one of the early philosophers of ancient Greece, a magnificent thinker who used reason to understand how the world and people worked. Other important Greek philosophers included Socrates (Plato’s teacher) and Aristotle (Plato’s pupil). Students may also be familiar with Pythagoras, Euclid, Epicurus, Archimedes, or others. Presenting the class with a brief synopsis of the philosophical ideas of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle as well as the relationship of these thinkers to other philosophical schools (such as Epicureanism) will help students better appreciate the background of the text.

• This podcast provides a lively and well-informed history of world philosophy; episodes 16, 18, and 34 especially serve as useful introductions to Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle, respectively.
• This article from the Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy gives a thorough and readable overview of Plato’s life and thought.

Personal Connection Prompt

This prompt can be used for in-class discussion, exploratory free-writing, or reflection homework before reading the text.

What does Enlightenment mean to you? Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” tackles important questions about good and evil, leadership, and how to acquire enlightenment. Where do you think real knowledge or enlightenment comes from? How can you know that what you know is true? Is it possible to know anything for certain?

Teaching Suggestion: Challenge students to start thinking like philosophers! It can be confusing and even frightening to question what we know about Enlightenment and Leadership, but students should get comfortable with these feelings when they read Plato (or any other philosopher, for that matter). Remind students that it’s okay not to have all the answers—they just need to be willing to look for them. Adopting this mindset will help students better appreciate Plato choices in “The Allegory of the Cave.”