... above and behind them. The prisoners only see the shadow of the particular object being passed in front of the fire by the puppet showmen. Since they have always lived in the cave, they believe that the shadows are true and similarly the echoed voices they heard, also seemed to be true for them. He then expects us to imagine that one of the prisoners is released and he is suddenly made to stand up, turn his head, walk and look up towards the light. Initially, Socrates states that he would suffer sharp pains; the glare of the light would distress him, and he would be unable to see the things whose shadows he had seen before. He then expects us to imagine someone saying to him (the prisoner) that what he saw before was an illusion, and now what he sees is reality. He also expects us to further ...

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