“To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment.” According to Ralph Waldo Emerson, conformism has become the norm within society, and in order to escape, one must break out of their constant societal obligation to be another face in the crowd. In Allegory of the Cave, Plato discusses in full the problem that we all face to conform to the norm and live life without true meaning while also restricting yourself from exploring the wonders of the world. While many believe that this ideal cannot be fully lived out without going completely homeless without a penny to one’s name, but in reality, when society breaks down life becomes easier when one lives to be their true self.
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Kirsten, obviously the main character in the Symphony story line, takes on the role by putting all her talent and heart into the performances, and the manner in which she does it has its own ability to transform the sight of those who have nearly lost it, and she and the others obviously had that talent since they brought “tears to [an audience member’s] eyes” (Mandel 59). In order to become enlightened, one must have a clear understanding of the word and what it entails, but the capability to do just that and also be able to portray it to those surrounding oneself evidently become two actions that operate as one in the same. To enlighten takes on a whole different meaning, though, when an ultimate authoritative figure is present in the situation. If the Allegory had a similar individual, then Plato’s theory would have to take on a completely different spectrum. Rather than having it be one’s own choice to break away from custom, it becomes the choice of the central martinet to decide whether or not one can break away from orthodox culture. Thus, Kirsten and the Travelling Symphony act as the partition between those who cannot escape the sentiment of the authority and the authority himself, which in this case is the Prophet and his devout followers. To enlighten in this situation poses the question of whether or not the possibility of edifying even exists altogether because of the wrath that the Prophet forces on his people. It becomes nearly impossible to educate in the Platonian style by indicating the danger that the Prophet foists to his people’s wellbeing while also exhibiting that “survival is insufficient” (Mandel 119), yet by performing for
Kirsten, obviously the main character in the Symphony story line, takes on the role by putting all her talent and heart into the performances, and the manner in which she does it has its own ability to transform the sight of those who have nearly lost it, and she and the others obviously had that talent since they brought “tears to [an audience member’s] eyes” (Mandel 59). In order to become enlightened, one must have a clear understanding of the word and what it entails, but the capability to do just that and also be able to portray it to those surrounding oneself evidently become two actions that operate as one in the same. To enlighten takes on a whole different meaning, though, when an ultimate authoritative figure is present in the situation. If the Allegory had a similar individual, then Plato’s theory would have to take on a completely different spectrum. Rather than having it be one’s own choice to break away from custom, it becomes the choice of the central martinet to decide whether or not one can break away from orthodox culture. Thus, Kirsten and the Travelling Symphony act as the partition between those who cannot escape the sentiment of the authority and the authority himself, which in this case is the Prophet and his devout followers. To enlighten in this situation poses the question of whether or not the possibility of edifying even exists altogether because of the wrath that the Prophet forces on his people. It becomes nearly impossible to educate in the Platonian style by indicating the danger that the Prophet foists to his people’s wellbeing while also exhibiting that “survival is insufficient” (Mandel 119), yet by performing for