COMPARING MOTH AND CAVE
Comparing the Death of a Moth and Allegory of a Cave
Roberto Rodriguez
University of La Verne
Abstract
Extremely interesting how Virginia Woolf and Plato describe their point of views in their essays. Novice individuals as myself have a very hard time understanding these pieces. On the other side open minded individuals would have endless ideas on what both authors are trying to express. The Death of a Moth and Allegory of a Cave although a very bold and arguable statement have nothing in common, Virginia Woolf writes about a moth dying on a window sill while Plato describes humans chained in a burning cave.
Plato commences his story by describing the cave’s structure, the humans that are inside and the ambiance in which it takes place. He is very detailed as he describes his thoughts. You can picture the details as you read. “Behold! humans beings living in an underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads” (p. 657). Plato describes the cave with words that immediately intrigues the reader’s imagination. Plato speaks about chains and how long the humans have been inside the cave, I only see this as exactly how reads. I envision the humans having a clamp around their neck as it were a neck brace which restrains them from turning around.
Virginia Woolf describes a certain specimen of moth and how its simply ok with its simplicity and then goes on to describe the present day that the writer is living in. She grabs the readers interest and sets the tone for the remainder of the story. “Nevertheless the present specimen, with his narrow hay-colored wings, fringed with a tassel of the same color, seemed to be content with life. It was a pleasant morning,
Roberto Rodriguez
University of La Verne
Abstract
Extremely interesting how Virginia Woolf and Plato describe their point of views in their essays. Novice individuals as myself have a very hard time understanding these pieces. On the other side open minded individuals would have endless ideas on what both authors are trying to express. The Death of a Moth and Allegory of a Cave although a very bold and arguable statement have nothing in common, Virginia Woolf writes about a moth dying on a window sill while Plato describes humans chained in a burning cave.
Plato commences his story by describing the cave’s structure, the humans that are inside and the ambiance in which it takes place. He is very detailed as he describes his thoughts. You can picture the details as you read. “Behold! humans beings living in an underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads” (p. 657). Plato describes the cave with words that immediately intrigues the reader’s imagination. Plato speaks about chains and how long the humans have been inside the cave, I only see this as exactly how reads. I envision the humans having a clamp around their neck as it were a neck brace which restrains them from turning around.
Virginia Woolf describes a certain specimen of moth and how its simply ok with its simplicity and then goes on to describe the present day that the writer is living in. She grabs the readers interest and sets the tone for the remainder of the story. “Nevertheless the present specimen, with his narrow hay-colored wings, fringed with a tassel of the same color, seemed to be content with life. It was a pleasant morning,