Comparing Allegory Of The Cave 'And Letter From Birmingham Jail'

It can be difficult to give a definition for the word ‘good’ especially in the context of an individual’s behavior. Through the analysis of three readings entitled “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, “Civil Disobedience” by Thoreau, and “A Letter from Birmingham Jail” by King, the reader can conclude that the main idea of the nature of good revolves around personal morals and open-mindedness rather than civil law or majority rule in the face of justice.
In “Allegory of the Cave” by Plato, the nature of good is represented through the deprivation of light the prisoners of the cave experience. In this imaginary representation, the individuals are not so much prisoners of the actual cave as they are of their own ignorance. The prisoners are surrounded by darkness and faint light, depicting shadows into reality. If light is the representation of truth, then the darkness engulfing the cave represents the lies the prisoners ignorantly believe. Because the darkness is all that they have known, they
Human law and government are subordinate and antagonists to each other. Thoreau proposes that in an instance when each odd is against one another, an individual must choose their own moral path instead of the government path if necessary. Thoreau explains that people are not put in this world to make it a better place to live in, rather than to simply live it. He then describes that it is not man’s duty to devote himself to the moral wrong. It is man’s duty to avoid the moral wrong. For instance, if the government tells you to either kill your family members or be sent to jail, it is your duty to obey your conscience. Furthermore, Thoreau explains that the majority is not always correct either and thus, do not accurately determine justice. Although government has a place in human existence, man must eventually follow his own moral decisions and disregard human