INTRODUCTION
Plato is widely
acknowledged as being responsible for laying the foundations of Western
philosophy. While claims are quoted such as saying that the entire concept of
Western philosophy is indebted it can be considered as a bit of an
exaggeration. Regardless Plato is responsible for raising questions on our soul
its connection on our body, the ideal political state, and the use of
literature and arts. These questions are still pondered upon and we have not
been able to reach a consensus on these matters.
Plato was born in the
year 428 B.C. to an aristocratic family, which helped in shaping his values in
later life. Four years had passed since the end of the long and bloody
Peloponnesian War fought by the Athenian forces on one side and The Spartans on
the other. The Athenian statesman, Pericles under whom Athens reached the
zenith of its glory and grandeur, had just passed away. Like many other young
men of his age, Plato fell under the spell of the Greek thinker and teacher,
Socrates who influenced the young Plato greatly
Socrates was a controversial figure in the sense that he undermined and
questioned the conventional practices and beliefs of the public. People from
different circles of life ranging from politicians to artists felt the
sharpness of his intellect and he rose the hostility of those who pretended as
wise men and teachers by deflating their pretensions. He was charged and
condemned to death for his beliefs in 399 B.C.
This event turned out
to be a turning point in the life of Plato who left Athens and travelled to
different nations such as Italy, Sicily, and Egypt. On his return he found an
academy, where the students were given training in different disciplines such
as geometry, mathematics, philosophy, biology and political theory to say a few.
Among the students of this academy were none other than Aristotle who later critically
examined and expounded Plato’s observations into his own.
The aim of this paper
is to critically examine Book II and Book VII from Plato’s Republic where he speaks
on different issues such as education of the young, censorship, the role of art
and literature and the concept of ideal republic where he devises a set of laws
which would help in running the republic. He speaks on mimesis and the now
infamous allegory of cave where he questions our notion on reality.
To Plato the purpose
and aim of literature is didactic i.e., it serves a moral purpose and the aim
of a poet is to ensure that the public is given a message which is morally and
socially relevant to the society. This instance marks the age old debate
whether poetry is for the sake of poetry or for a higher purpose such as to
ensure the moral rightness of the people.
REPUBLIC
BOOK
II
Childhood is an age
when our personalities, habits and beliefs begin to form and solidify. In the
words of Plato himself, “That’s when most of the formation takes place, and it
absorbs every impression that anyone wants to stamp on it”. Plato devises an educational
system where it would satisfy both the body and mind. It includes activities
such as exercise for the sake of one’s body and cultural studies for the mind.
For such a scheme to be successfully implemented, strict control must be kept
on what they hear and take into their mind. According to Plato it is the duty
of the mothers and nurses to ensure that the children grow up listening to
“suitable” stories. Just as they mould their children’s body with their hands,
their minds should also be molded in a similar manner.
Children
are not to be raised with stories of Gods fighting or plotting against each
other. According to Plato poets of the
past have often narrated false stories so in a similar fashion the modern poets
narrate the stories of Gods by distorting the true message and presenting an
often false and distorted one which is quite similar to how painters on
painting a portrait fails to capture the true essence of the object depicted. Plato
says;
“Now, I think that even if these stories are
true, they oughtn’t to be told so casually to young people and people who lack
discrimination; it’s better to keep silent, and if one absolutely has to speak,
to make them esoteric secrets told to as few people as possible, who are to
have sacrificed no mere piglet, but something so large and rare that the
smallest conceivable number of people get to hear them”.
Plato
says that the children who will eventually become the guardians of the city
should only hear the censured stories so as that they would not go corrupt and
if at all the pure version has to be revealed it can be done once they grew into
adulthood.
Then
he goes on to say that goodness is responsible for everything in this world. He
says that as God is good all good actions must be attributed to him but when it
comes to bad actions or events it must be attributed to some other source. If
at all events such as fights and conspiracies are included the playwright must
take care that it is shown in such a way that God’s actions are justified. God
is responsible for all goodness but not evil.
Doing
this Plato is attempting to censure the stories that can be found in Greek
mythology such as Gods fornicating, intervening in worldly matters and bitter
jealousy among others. This is particularly relevant in today’s context as we
see various attempts done by various agencies to censure works of art or
literature on the basis that they feel it is unsuitable, dangerous or hurts
one’s religious or caste sentiments.
BOOK VII
Plato
says in this book;
“Imagine people living in a cavernous cell
down under the ground; at the far end of the cave, a long way off, there’s an
entrance open to outside world. They’ve been there since childhood, with their
legs and necks tied up in a way which keeps them in one place and allows them
to look only straight ahead, but not to turn their heads. There’s firelight
burning a long way further up the cave behind them, and up the slope between
the fire and the prisoners there’s a road, beside which you should imagine a
low wall has been built- like the partition which conjurors place between
themselves and their audience and above which they show their tricks. Imagine
also that there are people on the other side of the wall who are carrying all
sorts of artifacts. These artifacts, human statuettes, and animal models carved
in stone and wood and all kinds of materials stick out over the wall; and as
you’d expect, some of the people talk as they carry these objects along, while
others are silent”.
This
is a segment from Book VII which is now famous for the iconic Allegory of the
Cave segment. Here Plato questions the very notion of reality. According to him
we perceive the world according to our five senses therefore what we see, hear,
taste, or smell becomes reality for us. We find it very difficult to accept new
ideas and beliefs and those who are brave enough to do so are dismissed as
lunatics. Plato through this segment wishes to say that reality is not only
what we see or perceive by our five senses but there are things which are
hidden from us and we cannot understand or grasp yet. There is no single
reality or viewpoint through which the world
can
be perceived and understood but rather there can be multiple realities.
BIBLIOGRAPHY
·
Habib, M. A. R. (2005). A History of Literary Criticism. New
Delhi: Blackwell Publishing.
·
Leitch, Vincent. B. (2001). The Norton Anthology of Theory and
Criticism. USA: W.W. Norton & Company.
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