Please respond to (only) one of the following questions in a carefully written essay of 3-5 pages. Your essay should have a formal introduction, body, and conclusion. Please begin thinking about your topic as early as possible in the course.

Before writing the paper you should read Plato’s Cave, The Apology, and view our class video on The Cave. Additionally, search the Web to see other versions of the Cave.

Choose ONE to write on.

1. Identify and describe the four main parts of Plato’s Cave. Show how each part has relevance to your life. Be very specific about places, dates, and people.
2. What are the three most important themes in Plato’s account of the interior of the Cave? Please identify and describe with quotations from the text. Finally, show how each of these themes is relevant to life today.
3. Find at least four drawings of the Cave—not counting the ones we did in class which are masterpieces and have few faults. Identify three aspects of Plato’s Cave as described in Republic VII that are seldom if ever included in the drawings that one sees. Why do you think these aspects are omitted?
4. Can you find “Platonic” or philosophical themes in the film The Matrix? If so, what are the three main themes and how do they relate to your everyday experience in the 21st century?