“The Allegory of the Cave” and “The Matrix”

“The Allegory of the Cave” and “The Matrix”

  • Submitted By: iamlazyyy
  • Date Submitted: 05/25/2013 10:30 PM
  • Category: English
  • Words: 670
  • Page: 3
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There are two realities in both stories called “The Allegory of the Cave” and “The Matrix,” one is artificial while the other is real. Although both stories have a lot in common, “The Matrix” is not based exactly on Plato’s “The Allegory of the Cave.” However, there is a relation to his concept. Plato’s thesis from “The Allegory of the Cave” was used to develop a visual understanding in the movie, “The Matrix.” An exploration of these two realities will illustrate how illusion and reality differ from each other.
The individuals performed in these two stories are represented by two different things, but have the same concept. The shadows that people created in “The Allegory of the Cave” represent the powerful people in society. On the other hand, “The Matrix” have used machines called the puppet-handlers that are controlled by Artificial Intelligence. The puppet-handlers as well as the prisoners are living inside a fake reality using fake surroundings as a way to manage information that the prisoners receive. Both the prisoner and puppet-handlers are being fooled and influenced by the fake reality.
The scenario created in “The Allegory of the Cave,” where one of the prisoners, who would eventually be freed, would then be able to realize that the real objects are only shadows from the walls of the cave, only after he turns around in his chair. Much like from the movie, “The Matrix;” Neo, who had a similar case as the prisoner, saw what his true surroundings looked like when he was in the matrix pod. Shockingly, he then realized that he was living in a human factory. Both Neo and the freed prisoner were in a state of uncertainty after being exposed to their real worlds. The freed man from “The Allegory of the Cave” had felt that his illusions, the shadows on the wall, seemed more real than his reality. He had also felt that it is less painful, causing him to turn around and return to the world where is more familiar with--his false reality. Similarly, Cypher...

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