“Whereas our argument shows that the power and capacity of learning exists in the soul already; and that just as the eye was unable to turn from darkness to light without the whole body, so too the instrument of knowledge can only by the movement of the whole soul be turned from the world of becoming into that of being, and learn by degrees to endure the sight of being and of the brightest and best of being, or in other words, of the good.”
This is my moral to the story for my paper. Eureka I found it! I have just successfully completed watching The Wizard of Oz. The witch of the North talks about how Dorothy has always had the power and that she needed to learn it for herself. This ties in dramatically with my first blogs regarding the path towards obtaining knowledge or wisdom through experience. When I viewed the film, I did my best to correlate what I heard and what I saw on the screen with symbols discussed in class about Plato’s Cave. It was then where I realized that it was all there in front of me.
The yellow brick road, notice that yellow is a form of light, is the path towards enlightenment. Dorothy ran away from home because she was mentally and spiritually bewildered. It was the path that she needed to take through another reality or illusion that the knowledge of finding who she is and what is important to her in the end. Along her journey through self-evaluation and the search for truth, she is accompanied by none other than the scarecrow, tin-man, and lion. They were all in need of something as well including a brain, heart, and courage. Symbolically, I feel that Dorothy was in need of those exact three objects as well. The characters in the story already had what they were looking for all along. As stated in the bold quote above from the end of Plato’s Cave, the “capacity of learning exists in the soul already.” That is it!
It relates to learning through experience. They just had not realized it or even understood what it meant. A few other symbols that I considered were the Wizard himself, and the flying monkeys. The Wizard reminded me of Socrates for he was full of answers and wise. The flying monkeys were the slaves in the dark, empty, closed minded cave. They did exactly as they were told to do and had no minds of their own. The black and white beginning of the film represented Dorothy’s cloudiness of thought, her lack of experience.
She was at her home in Kansas, her cave, her comfort zone. It was running away from this comfort zone and the willingness to change from the ordinary to grow that ultimately showed her the path towards enlightenment. When she arrived to the Land of Oz, it was all in color, suddenly more clear and she was on the right path towards the truth. I can think of a few specific scenes and quotes from the film, that I will use for my paper to help justify my argument on this moral. I will wait until the paper is complete before I further discuss those topics. I am positive that this film has a crap load of life lessons to be learned, but I find this moral the most meaningful to me as it relates to my previous blogs pertaining to learning through self-evaluation and experience!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Sunday, September 13, 2009
I am beginning to see the light-
First and foremost, John Partridge did an outstanding job on his essay. The first thing that caught my eye was his thesis statement. In Partridges’ opening paragraph, he describes the eyes of the slaves being overloaded with sensory information and their rejection of it. This closely relates to my first blog where I shared my story of being overloaded with Calculus in Math class. I was blinded by the light, or knowledge, that was being thrown at me, for it was too much all at once. My eyes viewed the information, but it was my mind that rejected it. Partridge says that some of the prisoners would wish to remain imprisoned through the horror of their condition. Just as I would have rather remained imprisoned in my ignorance of Calculus than become over powered by the ‘light.’ In life, I feel that is absolutely necessary to respect everything and to at least give your full effort in whatever it is that you are learning. How will I succeed, grow, and experience, if I do not put forth the efforts which are needed from me?
Partridge explains how Socrates also believed that he was commanded by the god Apollo to practice philosophy. This notion ties in with my belief that we, humans, must receive aid from others. In an earlier blog, I shared my opinion on mentors and their importance in helping us grow as individuals. There are people out there who have experienced some things first hand, but without the guidance of the mentor it may not be possible to view the light. Therefore, Socrates may have been a mentor to the slaves, but he too learned his wisdom from another. In this case, it was the god Apollo. Does this mean that Socrates was a slave at one time in his life as well, possibly during his infancy? What can we infer when he, too, was led to believe a certain ideal? The question is, how can we lead a life away from being a slave and being imprisoned? Will I be a slave my entire life? What can I do to break the chains which have imprisoned me since birth? I would like to experience everything for myself, so that the truth may come directly to me and not through the eyes and ears of another.
Partridge goes on to examine the importance of this very topic by sharing his correlation between The Matrix and Plato’s Cave: proper teaching only occurs when students are prepared to make discoveries for themselves. I discovered that I learn the best through self-examination. I wonder if the “care of soul” mentioned in his essay may be a possibility for me and my future endeavors.
Another point that closely relates to my first blog, is how we can distinguish different things but lack a systematic, casual explanation of them. Partridge states that we have an assortment of true beliefs about the what of things, but a mistaken hold on the why of things. I gave a similar view on this by explaining the truth behind the apple. I used the apple as an example for seeing the truth more clearly by using the aid of light (knowledge) to gain from experience. Truth of the apple has come to us through the vision we now have of it with the aid of light. For us to search for more truth of the apple, we could take a bite of it, find where it came from, and find other deeper meanings using experience. Thus, we can continuously find out more about what the apple is, but can only speculate as to why the apple is.
Partridge explains how Socrates also believed that he was commanded by the god Apollo to practice philosophy. This notion ties in with my belief that we, humans, must receive aid from others. In an earlier blog, I shared my opinion on mentors and their importance in helping us grow as individuals. There are people out there who have experienced some things first hand, but without the guidance of the mentor it may not be possible to view the light. Therefore, Socrates may have been a mentor to the slaves, but he too learned his wisdom from another. In this case, it was the god Apollo. Does this mean that Socrates was a slave at one time in his life as well, possibly during his infancy? What can we infer when he, too, was led to believe a certain ideal? The question is, how can we lead a life away from being a slave and being imprisoned? Will I be a slave my entire life? What can I do to break the chains which have imprisoned me since birth? I would like to experience everything for myself, so that the truth may come directly to me and not through the eyes and ears of another.
Partridge goes on to examine the importance of this very topic by sharing his correlation between The Matrix and Plato’s Cave: proper teaching only occurs when students are prepared to make discoveries for themselves. I discovered that I learn the best through self-examination. I wonder if the “care of soul” mentioned in his essay may be a possibility for me and my future endeavors.
Another point that closely relates to my first blog, is how we can distinguish different things but lack a systematic, casual explanation of them. Partridge states that we have an assortment of true beliefs about the what of things, but a mistaken hold on the why of things. I gave a similar view on this by explaining the truth behind the apple. I used the apple as an example for seeing the truth more clearly by using the aid of light (knowledge) to gain from experience. Truth of the apple has come to us through the vision we now have of it with the aid of light. For us to search for more truth of the apple, we could take a bite of it, find where it came from, and find other deeper meanings using experience. Thus, we can continuously find out more about what the apple is, but can only speculate as to why the apple is.
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Enter the Dragon-Blog #2
A bright light can be overpowering. In the beginning after the credits, there is a bright light. Throughout watching the film and comparing it with Plato’s Cave, I found particular coincidences that drew my immediate attention. When I first watched “The Matrix,” all I could think about was how sick the slow motion, guns, and blazing scenes were, and how loud the surround sound was to my ears. After watching it this time with “The Cave” in mind, it definitely put a lot more of the illusions into a different perspective. My symbolic references could be off, but for me they are true.
In my first blog, I related the cave to being shallow, empty, and dark. When the police are going through the dark hallway in search of Trinity, it reminded me of the cave. When they kick the door open, they find Trinity sitting in the corner looking at the wall. What was interesting to me was how you can see her figure cast a shadow on the wall. They ask her to put her hands up which then resembles the puppets from the cave. The police use the light to try to find their way through the dark building. This light represents how they cannot see—not see outside of the box. They are still enslaved by the system, the Matrix; they cannot think for themselves.
When Trinity said “Wake up, Neo,” the quote immediately grabbed my attention and reminded me one of my favorite musicians, Bob Marley. He had a song titled, “Wake up and live,” which calls out for people to realize that there is a lot more than meets the eye. “Wake up,” is a very broad statement. I feel that it could mean to literally wake up from sleep, or wake up from this routine that we may all have, and to ultimately expand our minds to enrich our lives even further.
This also ties in with Neo at the office where he works. At work, he is in a tiny cubicle, hiding from the agents. The slave at work, our ordinary routine, everyone in the office is the same, working just in the same way. We are all dependent on the system, the Matrix, for survival. Also, when in the office, speaking with his boss, Neo glances out the window and observes the washers cleaning the windows. The dirty window represents cloudiness, confusion and altered reality or state of mind. As the window begins to be cleaned, it is obviously clearer to look out and see “the new realm.”
Does Morpheus represent the greatest good, a god similar to that of the power of the sun?
He is very wise and seems to have an answer for everything similar to how Socrates informed the slave. “You have to see it for yourself,” a quote which ties in with my first blog about how I gain the most from personal experiences.
In class we spoke about chains symbolizing mental, physical, spiritual, and control. It appears that these come into play when Morpheus is hand-cuffed to the chair in the high-rise building. He uses all of these aspects to release from his imprisonment.
After Morpheus sticks the needle in the hole in the neck, he and Neo appear in a bright white lighted room. It appears that Neo is somewhat blinded by the light, ignorant, the over-powering presence of knowledge. He has been living in the matrix and has been consumed by it. Morpheus always wears sunglasses in these scenes. I think this is a symbol that has a great reflection on Plato’s theme. Morpheus is enlightened, similar to that of Socrates, thus the light does not bother him for he has experienced it before.
For seven years while I was growing up in Novato, I studied a mixture of different styles of martial arts. I attended Ito’s White Tiger dojo which pertained mostly to Karate/Kenpo. Sensei Ito also gave us instruction in Chinese-boxing, tai chi breathing techniques, and Jeet Kune Do. This leads me to my next observation. It was “The Dragon,” Bruce Lee who gave me the motivation and interest to even begin studying the martial arts. For as long as I can remember, I have always been a Bruce Lee fan. I recognized the teachings of Bruce when Morpheus is fighting with Neo during the Kung-Fu scene.
Morpheus says “free your mind.” This closely resembles Bruce’s philosophy and his teachings of Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Bruce used to say, “Using no way, as way. Having no limitation, as limitation.” You must be able to adapt to your surroundings. We are all simply taught the concepts, a certain way of thinking. Yet, it is up to us to expand our minds and go further, to go beyond what everyone else might know. Bruce encouraged his students to use all the different systems and to absorb and adapt what is useful into their own personal style. He insisted that Jeet Kune Do was not a style but a way of thinking.
In my first blog, I related the cave to being shallow, empty, and dark. When the police are going through the dark hallway in search of Trinity, it reminded me of the cave. When they kick the door open, they find Trinity sitting in the corner looking at the wall. What was interesting to me was how you can see her figure cast a shadow on the wall. They ask her to put her hands up which then resembles the puppets from the cave. The police use the light to try to find their way through the dark building. This light represents how they cannot see—not see outside of the box. They are still enslaved by the system, the Matrix; they cannot think for themselves.
When Trinity said “Wake up, Neo,” the quote immediately grabbed my attention and reminded me one of my favorite musicians, Bob Marley. He had a song titled, “Wake up and live,” which calls out for people to realize that there is a lot more than meets the eye. “Wake up,” is a very broad statement. I feel that it could mean to literally wake up from sleep, or wake up from this routine that we may all have, and to ultimately expand our minds to enrich our lives even further.
This also ties in with Neo at the office where he works. At work, he is in a tiny cubicle, hiding from the agents. The slave at work, our ordinary routine, everyone in the office is the same, working just in the same way. We are all dependent on the system, the Matrix, for survival. Also, when in the office, speaking with his boss, Neo glances out the window and observes the washers cleaning the windows. The dirty window represents cloudiness, confusion and altered reality or state of mind. As the window begins to be cleaned, it is obviously clearer to look out and see “the new realm.”
Does Morpheus represent the greatest good, a god similar to that of the power of the sun?
He is very wise and seems to have an answer for everything similar to how Socrates informed the slave. “You have to see it for yourself,” a quote which ties in with my first blog about how I gain the most from personal experiences.
In class we spoke about chains symbolizing mental, physical, spiritual, and control. It appears that these come into play when Morpheus is hand-cuffed to the chair in the high-rise building. He uses all of these aspects to release from his imprisonment.
After Morpheus sticks the needle in the hole in the neck, he and Neo appear in a bright white lighted room. It appears that Neo is somewhat blinded by the light, ignorant, the over-powering presence of knowledge. He has been living in the matrix and has been consumed by it. Morpheus always wears sunglasses in these scenes. I think this is a symbol that has a great reflection on Plato’s theme. Morpheus is enlightened, similar to that of Socrates, thus the light does not bother him for he has experienced it before.
For seven years while I was growing up in Novato, I studied a mixture of different styles of martial arts. I attended Ito’s White Tiger dojo which pertained mostly to Karate/Kenpo. Sensei Ito also gave us instruction in Chinese-boxing, tai chi breathing techniques, and Jeet Kune Do. This leads me to my next observation. It was “The Dragon,” Bruce Lee who gave me the motivation and interest to even begin studying the martial arts. For as long as I can remember, I have always been a Bruce Lee fan. I recognized the teachings of Bruce when Morpheus is fighting with Neo during the Kung-Fu scene.
Morpheus says “free your mind.” This closely resembles Bruce’s philosophy and his teachings of Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Bruce used to say, “Using no way, as way. Having no limitation, as limitation.” You must be able to adapt to your surroundings. We are all simply taught the concepts, a certain way of thinking. Yet, it is up to us to expand our minds and go further, to go beyond what everyone else might know. Bruce encouraged his students to use all the different systems and to absorb and adapt what is useful into their own personal style. He insisted that Jeet Kune Do was not a style but a way of thinking.
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