People in Postmodern Culture
People in postmodern culture are defined by the situations in their lives, and those situations are determined by their myopic perception of their situation. People are always thinking inside the boundaries of their beliefs and rarely travel beyond their borders to establish the underlying truth that may be just beyond their borders. People in Plato's Republic are frequently slaves to the beliefs and ways of doing things that are generated by their participation in the same activities that have always been connected with dogma. It is also pointed out that most people are unwilling to challenge their ways of doing things since such concepts have been part of their life encounters right from childhood until they have become almost irreplaceable as the views of those who choose to be chained by the thoughts (Juge 17).
Realizing Flaws in Society
Equally, it seen that a person who has been in the dungeon for a long time may come to realize a flaw in the ways of doing things in their society but instead choose to remain within the frame for the fear of the unknown and the uncertainties of going against that which has been established for a long time. Plato, however, asserts that the concepts that people have been consuming for quite a while, specifically from childhood, are always inconsistent with the actual truth. The working environment that is created as a result a person's beliefs on how the different aspects of their world are handled always leads to a feeling of comfort and security as well a peace. The author, therefore, to the fact that a drift forms the formulated concept to determine the truth requires venturing beyond the borders of one's thought (Geis 4).
Two Ways of Determining the Truth
Consequently, coming to light requires moderation and a gradual exposure since a sudden surge in the content of the new ideas have a potential of blinding an individual as claimed by the author of the work. Another important aspect that is worth mentioning is the author's suggestions that there are always two ways of determining the truth. The truth is possibly acquired through moving from darkness into light or moving into the dungeon after coming from the light. Such steps make people appreciate their new knowledge. The gains are argued to be a development of the existing knowledge and refuting the known idea that the professors can create new knowledge for individuals (Juge 24).
Errors in Written English and Political Communication
On the other hand, George Orwell, through the work on 'Politics and the English Language' of the errors that are common with the written English and how the politics employ the different concepts to communicate their message of deception to the masses that listens to them. It is determined that the errors that are evident mostly in the political communications are intentional and a driven by the economic as well as the political concerns of the parties that make such communication. The first mistake illustrated by the Orwell is the dying metaphors. In the process of communication, people tend to invent new metaphors to spices their communication. It also evident that the some of the metaphors are used in the contexts that do not warranty the passage of their proper meaning due to the twists that have been done to them (Szántó, 3).
Secondly, the author has stated that the verbal false limbs and the operators are also the common errors that are evident in the written English and the importance of such steps in writing is to eliminate the simple verbs that are used in writing English. The verbs are further arranged and as well as cut by and deformed to give an appearance of profundity. The main use of the words is the replacement of the prepositions and conjunctions. Additionally, the phrases are used to end anticlimax sentences and achieving the goals at the end of the same sentences. The author has also put forth an important aspect in the use of the words in the near future and such would be for the satisfaction of the conclusions reached (Geis 10).
Thirdly, there is the use of the pretentious diction in most of the written English documents in the political arena and such statements are used to beautify the statements that the speakers are putting forth to their audiences. Additionally, such statements are used to identify the international political processes and at the same time indicating impartiality to biased judgment based on the points that are put across. Such written materials are always vague due to the words made up to justify the speeches that are passed to the audiences. Equally, there is the use of meaningless words that are evident in the political written speech. The writers produce long statements that are meant to confuse the listeners due to the twists and turns as the politician make their pleas and requests. The only problem with such long statements is that most of the times they are meaningless with the only part meaningful being the topic points that are put forth before the audience even though the politicians are asked to be careful in choosing the appropriate time to deliver such statements (Szántó, 8).
Application of Plato and Orwell's Work in United States Presidential Campaigns
The work of Plato and George Orwell was recently seen in the political arena of the United States in the time of presidential campaigns. In relation to the cave in Plato's work, the same scenario is evident with the major political divides in America which are the Democrats and the Republicans. The candidates who qualify to use the party tickets are manipulated by the big funders of the campaigns and their actions must be aligned with the party's agenda which is a way of thinking directed towards a particular goal. The candidates are, therefore, not free individuals acting on their will but collectively representing the views of a larger group. The public as well is manipulated to believe in the parties and campaign propaganda depicting from either side of the competing candidates. People are influenced to act in a particular way and this is seen in the outcome of the election. The email propaganda on Hillary and the subsequent media reactions made people withdraw their support for the Democrats candidate who was believed to be next president only to give it to the now president (Geis 13).
On the other hand, Orwell's theory and ideology were much evident at the time of campaign for the presidency of the United States. The campaigns, as usual, were stage managed and speeches offered by the different contending parties employed the use of the theory of Orwell. The speeches were long with the main points taking a smaller percentage of the discussion while the unnecessary words which are meant to charge the audience attending the rallies taking a greater percentage. Mrs. Clinton's response on the case of abortion was one of the best illustrations of the Orwellian theory. On the contrary, President Trump never followed the established rules and standards of the American political discourse thereby setting him apart from the known Republican views leading to his win of the primaries as well as the ultimate price of the race (Geis 19).
Works Cited
Geis, Michael L. The language of politics. Springer Science & Business Media, 2012.
Juge, Carole. “The Road to the Sun They Cannot See: Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, Oblivion, and Guidance in Cormac McCarthy’s” The Road”.” The Cormac McCarthy Journal 7.1 (2009): 16-30.
Szántó, András, ed. What Orwell didn’t know: propaganda and the new face of American politics. Public Affairs, 2007.
