Socrates main criticism of Athenian democray was centered around the indviduals within the democracy that gained their wealth and power using words, propaganda, and flattery to garner the support of the Athenian citizens.
Socrates suggests that the shadows are reality for the prisoners because they have never seen anything else; they do not realize that what they see are shadows of objects in front of a fire, much less that these objects are inspired by real things...
The Republic study guide contains a biography of Plato, literature essays, a complete e-text, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.
The Republic literature essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Republic.
