The Matrix and the Allegory of the Cave Essay - 948 Words

TOK Essay The Allegory of the Cave and The Matrix 03 December 2010 Many people think that what we know is not really what is real. This idea is shown through the story of The Allegory of the Cave and the movie, The Matrix. Both the movie and the story are similar (it is said that The Matrix is based on The Allegory) and the main plots of the two can be compared. In The Allegory of the Cave, the people are chained up by their legs and necks in a cave from an early age, facing a wall. From behind, there are puppet holders holding statues and figures of animals that the prisoners can only see the shadows of. This can be compared to The Matrix where people are locked in the virtual world of a computer program. This idea is a metaphor†¦show more content†¦We cannot really see things because our emotions are blocking them out. In The Allegory, the prisoner that was freed has the responsibility of going back into the cave to tell the other prisoners about the real world. Even though they would probably think he was crazy, and he does not want to go back to being controlled, he has to go back to free the others. In The Matrix, The One has the responsibility of going back into the program to free those who are ready to be freed. This makes us think about whether the truth is relevant. In The Matrix, one man says ignorance is bliss but can we really go through our whole lives believing something that is not real? Some people are ready to know the truth, others are not. In the same way, some people open their minds to new ideas, others do not and just carry on knowing only what the have always known, and not perceiving reality for themselves. In conclusion, both the movie and the story deal with knowledge issues. We do not know for sure what is real, and what we just think or have been told to know as real. People of today should try open their minds more and perceive and reason things for themselves, instead of being controlled to see and hear what we are shown and told. We should try and free ourShow MoreRelatedEssay on The Matrix and Plato’s Allegory of the Cave 1922 Words   |  8 Pagesand what is simply illusion brought by our subjective view of the world? But when attempting to understand the nature of our existence, about why we are here, the complexities of life often make it difficult to interpret this subject. The film The Matrix centers on this same concept that the known world is an illusion. The movies core theme of reality and illusion is definite to the humans understanding of what the true meaning of life is. Ones understanding of reality is only defined by their choiceRead MoreAllegory Of The Cav e And The Matrix Essay860 Words   |  4 PagesThe Allegory of the Cave, by Plato and The Matrix have similarities and differences when compared. 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