Plato as painted by Raphael
1. Someone make an attempt to paraphrase, or summarize, what happens in the rest of the story of Er--the part we didn't read in class.
If you think the person has not completed the task or has said something inaccurate, cpolitely suggest a change or an addition.
2. Can you connect this story with the story of the cave that Mr. Gregg shared with you (from the same source as the story of Er?)
3. Can you come up with a "moral of the story" for the story of Er, other than one should good rather than bad, even though that seems to be at least part of the moral?
11 comments:
Sang Eun
2. Can you connect this story with the story of the cave that Mr. Gregg shared with you (from the same source as the story of Er?)
Parable of the Cave and the story of Er are similar to each other, because they both contains stories about good and evil and also stories about outside and inside world. The cave story says that outside of the cave is an idealistic world and the inside is where people, materialism, and evil things exist. Plato claims that people should think of the outside of the cave, because it's an ideal world where everything is in perfection. In the story of Er, it also contains a world where people live their lives and another world where souls of dead people exist. In that world, the souls of people go through process of reflecting their lives and being born again. Therefore I think that two stories have similar themes.
I'd like to add onto what Sang Eun said about the connection between the Parable of the Cave and the Story of Er.
Though it's a little broad, I feel that it's main and important. I think that the Parable of the Cave talks about people living, thinking the shadows of reality are reality, and once they're out of the cave, they see what's really there. I think that the two have to do with entering a place you are completely uncertain of and coming out very changed. If I had gone through Hell, I would come out seeing what real good was and what I would have to do to achieve it. I wouldn't want to go through Hell again.
The Parable of the Cave tells that those who have made it outside the cave can never go back to living in the cave the same because all they see are shadows. I think that in both stories the people enter an uncertain place and gain a fresh way of looking at life. In a way, they both imply seeing the ideal in the end. After being punished for your sins, you wouldn't want to go through it again, so you would become perfect so that you could go to "Heaven." In te Parable of the Cave, the people only see the ideal as the ideal and the shadows as the shadows. In both stories, the people in question gain a clearer view of the world after being tested.
3. Can you come up with a "moral of the story" for the story of Er, other than one should good rather than bad, even though that seems to be at least part of the moral?
The moral to me is to think befor you act. When the soul that was first to pick a life chose the tyrant who would later eat his children all he had seen was power and riches. He had not seen the evil and did not think before acting. Therfore he wouldd live a life of evil and after his death, be sent to hell for another 1000 years! After realizing his mistake he didn't think again and foolishly blamed the gods for his misfortune instead of himself. Another example is pretty basic. People don't think of the consiquencesbefore they commit evil and therfor suffer.
Demetria & Ka Yeon
Question #2
Can you connect this story with the story of the cave that Mr. Gregg shared with you (from the same source as the story of Er?)
The first (main and obvious) reason that they connect is because of the "cave" factor. In the story of Er there are passage ways to the upper and lower worlds which the imagery gives you the picture of cave-like structures. In the parable of the cave there is the cave which the prisoners stay in. Another similarity between the two stories is the "reality" factor. In the story of Er, you only see the Earth when you come out of the "caves" or other worlds. In the parable of the cave the truth lives outside the cave. The last similarity between the two stories that we found is the "journey" factor. In the story of Er, depending on your actions through life, the lowest penalty possible in the under world is 1,000 years without seeing the world. In the parable of the cave, the prisoners are chained to the ground and can't see outside. "There noses are on the cave" as Mr.Gregg says.
3. Can you come up with a "moral of the story" for the story of Er, other than one should good rather than bad, even though that seems to be at least part of the moral?
The moral of the story of Er is when your good you get rewarded and when your bad, you get punished. I agree with Savanna with the think before you act moral. I also think that getting punished for the actions that are bad is kind of an responsibility. I think taking responsibility is the mortal of this story
2. Can you connect this story with the story of the cave that Mr. Gregg shared with you (from the same source as the story of Er?)
The most basic and general common thing about these two stories is "cave". They both consist of inside world and outside world. Inside world is where people exist with evil things and very realistic, but outside is very idealistic. Where people imagine what its like and to be there. Just out of the inside world.
Yeena Sung
2. Can you connect this story with the story of the cave that Mr. Gregg shared with you (from the same source as the story of Er?)
Unfortunately, I haven’t found a connection between the parable of the cave but instead I found some evidence that it is more connected to the philosophy of Aristotle. One of the thought of Aristotle was that they emphasize the natural being of a certain thing and in the story it talks a lot about how somebody went to the bad tunnel because he was unvirtous.
Answer to #2:
I think that both the Parable of the Cave and the Tale of Er deal with reaching ideal circumstances. In the Parable of the Cave, Plato talks about enlightening oneself - moving away from materialistic habits, and coming into the world of ideals and knowledge. The Tale of Er describes the methods, systems and details of the Greek afterlife, almost giving us guidance of how to get there.
More importantly, Plato uses these stories to argue his points, and make us see the way he wants us to see. He has shown us the "goods" and "bads" of the world, and has managed to argue his points using them. Finally, after defining the two for us, he demonstrates how to achieve these ideals.
Heather Rhee
Q1
A
Er dies in a battle but returnes to life again and tells people about the other world he saw.
Right after his death, Er has a journey with a group of souls.
At first the groung went to a place where there were two openings in the earth.
They saw judges, who orders the souls to go to their right openings, at that place.
The moral souls were allowed to go to the path in the sky. They were rewarded because they were moral. They were assigned to have a beautiful time.
The immoral souls were ordered to go to the path in the ground as a punishment. They had a hard, dirty time in this path. The souls who made a really bad crimes had a 1000years of punishment. Escaping was not possible at all.
The judges orders Er to go and tell the people about the experience he had. No path was assigned for him.
He remained in the place for seven days. After the seven days, the group started to travel different places.
After four days, the group reached a place where a bright rainbow was taking place. They went closer to the light and realized that the light was the spindle of Necessity.
Women and Sirens were there and the souls started to pick their next life. Lottery was the way how they selected life.
The souls who had the sky path picked their fate and it was mostly bad. The souls who had the punishment had a better next life.
People wanted a different life for their next life.
After this event, the souls were about to end the journey. Deities had led them to Plain of Oblivion. The river Neglect was there and the souls were required to drink the water from the river. As they drink, the water made the souls to forget the experience they had.
They had completed their journey and had a rebirth.
Er was not allowed to drink the water unlike other souls. However, he forgoted everything.
He recalled his memories again when he was awake.
2. Can you connect this story with the story of the cave that Mr. Gregg shared with you (from the same source as the story of Er?)
I believe that The Parable of the Cave and the story of Er connect very well. They both have stories concerning the underworld and the outside world. In Plato's story he said that the outside world was the 'idealistic' world and that was where everything was perfect. And on the inside of the cave it was just shadows of the things of the outside world. In the story of Er is saying similar things. That there is a another place that you can go to that is better and that is perfect and where there is ideal things. It is a world where people go through the process of right and wrong and realize everything. And that is also what Plato says. Plato describes a place of right and wrong and the story of Er describes the consequences of right and wrong.
The post above was made by Christy, I'm not sure why my screen name showed up
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