Allegory of the cave pdf5/29/2023 ![]() (First Nations and Treaty Areas in Manitoba, 2010.) With the inclusion of this map, I acknowledge the limitation and problem of mapping from a colonial perspective. In Canada, they purchased land from the government on the traditional territory of the Ojibway, Cree, Dakota Plains, Sioux, and there they farmed all of their life. Both of their families were originally from Holland, but had made their way across Europe attempting to escape religious persecution. Her parents came to Canada as refugees as well. My mother, Helen, was born in Saskatchewan. My father, Peter, came to Canada from Ukraine, as a refugee, in 1918. My name is Helen Lepp Friesen and I am the descendant of settlers Peter and Helen Lepp. It isn’t until now, almost 20 years later, with prompting from people and readings along the way, that I have figuratively gone back to the “We the People” park and thought about its meaning and intent.īut first, let me introduce myself. I taught Freshman Composition part-time at the University of New Mexico, and most of my students were Native American. At the time, I was fully aware that Gallup was surrounded by the Navajo Nation, but my knowledge of the history of the land I was living on was somewhat limited. I used to live in Gallup, New Mexico, and we used to take our children to the “We the People” park, where they would sit in the chairs and run the paths in a game of tag. According to Armando, the sculpture commemorates “free speech, pluralism, democracy, and our coexistence with the environment” (We the People, 2019). ![]() Behind the wall are boulders, plants, pebbled walkways, 16 empty chairs, and steel figures standing at lecterns. If the characters could separate themselves from the steel wall, they would walk in society like stiff monochrome flat characters, but they cannot because they are securely attached to the wall with thick steel staples. Children are running and playing basketball men are playing guitar and singing enthusiastically women are dancing and holding their children’s hands. A semi-circle 8-foot steel wall spanning 310 feet, captures 113 silhouette cut-outs in mid activity. In Gallup, New Mexico, the “We the People Park,” derives its name from an interactive steel sculpture installed in 1994, created by sculptor Alvarez Armando. Keywords: “Allegory of the Cave, democracy, “We the People” What is the meaning of “We the People” when equality is not something every citizen can take for granted? Are we then an enlightened society that think we have gained exit from cave dwelling when freedom and a particular interpretation of democracy is not designed for everyone? My exploration comes with questions about the meaning of cave dwelling and enlightenment. The “We the People” art sculpture invites interaction, but interaction, like in Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” is limited in scope and perception. ![]() Link to the JSE General Issue Fall 2019 TOCĪbstract: In this article, I view Alvarez Armando’s “We the People” sculpture in Gallup, New Mexico, through the lens of Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” and argue that although the message of the “We the People” art installation is to illustrate democracy and freedom, its staticity may contradict its intent and adds an additional layer to its interpretation. Lepp Friesen JSE General Fall 2019 Issue PDF
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