Analyzing The Prince and Magician

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Analyzing The Prince and the Magician

The story of The Prince and the Magician clearly shows what an important role superstition plays in manipulating people. The prince remains in a dilemma over whether to believe his father who was the king in their area. As a son, he remained under his fathers authority and had to share his beliefs that there were no real islands, presence of real princesses, and there was no existence of God. However, later, the prince decides to run away, move to the next land, and determine whether his fathers beliefs were true there. In this land, he met up with a magician who claimed to be God. In addition, the magician revealed to the prince that real islands existed in the land, as well real princesses. As a result, the princes beliefs faced a challenge. Later, after going back to his home, he explained everything to his father. The father denied the princes argument that the person claiming to be God was a real magician. The story continues with the princes search for reality.

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The story is similar to the allegory of the cave created by Plato. The king (father to the prince) resembles the prisoners in the cave. He does not believe in the existence of princesses. What is more, he is clearly convinced that there is no existence of real islands. These beliefs are initially shared by the prince. However, in search of the reality, similar to the prisoners in the cave who describe shadows of objects as real objects, the prince follows his desire for understanding the reality; hence, he goes to the next land. Similar to the prisoners, real objects lie around them, but all they view are their shadows. As stated by the magician in the next land, there exist real princesses, as well as real islands. In that strange land, the prince faces a limitation of viewing them due to superstition created by his father. On the other hand, the father carries the belief yet in the next land, where there really are princesses, as well as real islands. This makes the story similar to the allegory of the cave describing efforts made by the prisoners living in the cave. The prisoners learn about the existence of the book through its shadows. Similarly, the prince gets to know about the existence of princesses and islands with the help of the magician.

On the other hand, it is essential to analyze the story of the prince and the magician with respect to Platos description of the allegory of the cave. It is clear that the general terms used in the language are not things seen. Similarly, the king used islands and princesses while describing his beliefs. However, in his world, these words described things that he had never seen, as well as things that he could only grasp with the mind. When the prince gets the freedom and willingness to understand the reality through his efforts, he learns his errors of coping with the fathers beliefs. As with Platos argument, the prisoners comprehend the reality after they gain the ability to turn their heads and see the real objects they used to grasp with their mind only. The prince learnt what the princesses were through the belief and the description made by his father. Therefore, the story of the prince and the magician clearly reveals how reality arises from beliefs and thoughts.

The prince used different methods while learning the reality in the land. Initially, he applied authoritarianism. The prince adopted his fathers beliefs, as he was the king of their land. However, as the story progresses, he adopts a rationalist method of understanding the reality. This is when he leaves home for the next land and questions the magician about the existence of princesses and real islands. Through his questioning, he is able to understand the reality and the existence of the islands and princesses. Rationalism and authoritarianism are the major methods used by the prince while determining the reality of the existence of the princesses and islands. There is some progress on the epistemologies used by the prince in the story. Initially, he grew up while believing and adopting his fathers beliefs. However, as time progresses and as the story builds up, he changes his method of perceiving the reality. He adopts a personal approach to determining the reality. The prince remains in a dilemma between the fathers beliefs and those of the magician from the next land concerning the existence of real islands. This leads to an understanding that the father used some supernatural powers (magic) in order to prevent the prince from learning about the existence of the princesses and islands.

Judging by the story, the prince is more an explorer than an inventor. As an explorer, he takes the initiative of moving to the next land aiming to determine the reality and prove the fathers beliefs. He takes great pains to discover the reality and determine the components of his world. In his land, the father made him realize that God never existed. In addition, he grew up with his fathers belief that princesses did not exist. However, he takes his personal initiative to determine the reality. Later, he learns that his fathers beliefs were not real. He understands the reality after learning that his father was a magician and used superstition in supporting his beliefs.

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