Practice essay

Actions and Reactions

 

                                   How we react to change in our environment whether for the better or worse is what shapes who we are. A personality lies in an ability to be resilient in different situations. In both The Allegory of the cave by Plato and No Exit by Jean-Paul Sartre the main characters are forced to endure unthinkably bad circumstances. The difference is that the slaves in the cave didn't welcome change like the prisoners in hell would have. Although both were suffering only the ones in hell had ever experienced happiness.

 

                                   If one of the slaves in the Allegory were to experience change it would probably scare them. Their world is one of consistency. The smallest change will effect their entire idea of the world they live in. If they were able to turn their heads just an inch more they could see and experience so much more of the world. The tragedy of the Allegory is that you can't leave the cave until you're enlightened, but how can you be enlightened after experiencing so little of the world?

 

                                   On the other hand, if the people in hell were offered a chance to see more than just the room they were trapped in they would want the opportunity to see something more. The world we live in is one where people constantly want more. They are concerned with always having new things in their lives. Never sticking to one thing long enough to get sick of it. This is the world Estelle, Garcin, and Inez come from. It takes no time at all for them to come to the realization that hell is being in the same place with the same awful people for all of eternity.

                                    In conclusion, the definition of change is to make something different. How could a prisoner want to make something different if they have never know different? The people in hell know different so they want change. Sometimes we have to create our own change. It's too late for those in hell, but the slaves have the opportunity if they are willing to except it. To except change is to except enlightenment.