The Allegory of the Cave
When people asked Plato why philosophy is necessary, he explained it in an allegory. Which is when a story is told to help people understand things.
He said that we are all like prisoners chained to a chair. Behind them is fire where people (the military, government, religious leaders - - people in power etc.) show figures in front of the fire. This creates shadow pictures for the chained people to see. What they are seeing is not real. A small person can make themself seem huge in the shadow. Shapes can be created (wolf, eagle) that may scare the people chained to the chair, even though the pictures are fake.
Plato said that the only way to prove the shadows are fake, is to question the people making them. Plato said that if nothing is questioned, we will all be fooled into thinking things that are not necessarily true.
1.) In your own words describe the Allegory of the Cave.
2.)Can you think of 3 Philosophical Questions that have no answer but their discussion would advance human thought?
The Greek Creation Story
Creation of the Universe
In the beginning there was nothing but chaos. But then, by some miracle, out of this nothingness came a small miracle, love. This newfound hope, love, started to drive away all of the nothingness and confusion of chaos. Love created light and with light came Day.
Nobody ever tried to explain how Earth came into existence. It just did and people did not try to describe how, just as love did, it just came to be. So then Mother Earth (Gaia) and Father Sky (Uranus) came to be. The first creatures to appear on the earth were the offspring of Mother Earth and Father Sky. These first creatures were monsters, and thought of as similar in intelligence to humans.
Three of these creatures had one hundred hands and fifty heads and they were incredibly strong. Three others had just one eye in the centre of their head and these creatures were given the name of Cyclopes. The Cyclopes too were giant and strong. The last of the creatures were the Titans. These creatures were also strong and giant but these creatures were not all bad. In fact it would be some of these creatures that would eventually lead to the creation of the gods.
Mother Earth however, was very angry with Father Sky for the treatment of her children. So, Mother Earth went to her children and begged for their help. Only one of the Titans was brave enough to help their mother, the Titan Cronus. Cronus waited for his father and ended up wounding him greatly. After this, Cronus and his sister, Rhea, became the King and Queen of the universe.
Cronus , Rhea and Zeus
Cronus and Rhea had six children and they would end up being the first Olympians. But, every child that Cronus had he swallowed because he believed an oracle that said one of his children would grow up to over throw him. This went on through the first five children. But, when the sixth one was born, Rhea could not bear to have it swallowed. So, instead she gave him a rock wrapped in a blanket and Cronus quickly swallowed it. The child's name was Zeus. Later, when Zeus was grown up, with the help of Mother Earth, made his father Cronus give back up the children of Cronus and Rhea. After this there was a great war between Cronus and the Titans, and Zeus and his five brothers and sisters. Zeus eventually won the war because the hundred-handed monsters helped him because he had released from the middle of the earth. After this, the world was cleared of the monsters and was ready for mankind.
Creation of Humans
Prometheus and Epimetheus were given the task of creating man. Prometheus shaped man out of mud, and Athena breathed life into his clay figure.
Prometheus had assigned Epimetheus the task of giving the creatures of the earth their various qualities, such as swiftness, cunning, strength, fur, and wings. Unfortunately, by the time he got to man Epimetheus had given all the good qualities out and there were none left for man. He had given speed to the tiny animals of the forest, flight to the birds, swimming to the fish and so on. So Prometheus decided to make man stand upright as the gods did…. and to give them fire.
Prometheus loved man more than the Gods of Mount Olympus. He tricked Zeus into getting poor sacrifices from the humans. In his anger over the trick Zeus took fire away from man. However, Prometheus lit a torch from the sun and brought it back again to man. Zeus was enraged that man again had fire. He decided to inflict a terrible punishment on both man and Prometheus.
The Punishment
To punish man, Zeus created a women of stunning beauty. The gods also gave her many gifts of wealth. He then gave the woman deceptive heart and a lying tongue. This creation was Pandora, the first women. A final gift was a jar, which Pandora was not supposed to open. Once completed, Zeus sent Pandora down to Epimetheus who was staying amongst the men on earth.
Prometheus had warned Epimetheus not to accept gifts from Zeus but, Pandora's beauty was too great and he allowed her to stay. Eventually, Pandora's curiosity about the jar she was forbidden to open became too great. She opened the jar and out flew all manner of evils, sorrows, sickness, jealousy, greed, and misfortunes. However, the bottom of the jar held one good thing - hope.
Zeus was angry at Prometheus for 2 things: being tricked on sacrifices and stealing fire for man. He yelled, “I want Prometheus’ insides to burn- I want him to feel the pain of a thousand deaths every day! After I know he has been punished- it will feel like a cold sprinkle on a hot day!”. Zeus had his servants, Force and Violence, seized Prometheus, take him to the Caucasus Mountains, and chain him to a rock with unbreakable adamantine chains. Everyday a giant eagle would come and tear open his body and eat his insides until he died, but everyday he would be reborn and healed and die this terrible death again. Zeus gave Prometheus a way out of this punishment. First, an immortal must volunteer to die for Prometheus and second, a mortal must kill the eagle and unchain him. Eventually, Chiron the Centaur agreed to die for him and Hercules killed the eagle and unbound him.
1.) What is this article mainly about?
A.) Greek gods were violent and jealous
B.) Where the universe, earth and humans came from
C.) How humans got fire
D.) How monsters helped Zeus to defeat the titans
2.) Who are the main characters in the “Creation of Humans” subheading?
A.) Cronus and Gaia
B.) Zeus and Cyclopes
C.) Prometheus and Epimetheus
D.) Zeus and Prometheus
3.) What two literary devices are in this statement by Zeus?
“I want Prometheus’ insides to burn- I want him to feel the pain of a thousand deaths every day! After I know he has been punished- it will feel like a cold sprinkle on a hot day”.
A.) Alliteration and Symbolism
B.) Simile and Personification
C.) Metaphor and Hyperbole
D.) Simile and Hyperbole