In Plato’s cave, power and representation are manifested as working together to serve the same purpose. Power and representation appear to be two sides of the coin but serving the same interests. However, there are some instances when representation goes overboard to seem to be oppressing those whom it is supposed to protect. In such circumstances, it implies that the people who are supposed to be represented have to take another stand that will ensure that they are not oppressed. In Plato’s cave, it is also possible to see that the image that camera captures is what was in existence at the given time. There is no way that a camera is likely to capture the image of an animal when it was focused on the image of a person. That is why it is possible to see that what the camera represents in the form of the image is what it may have captured. The same thing will apply when people choose leaders to represent them. If they select corrupt leaders, then the representation will be wrong. Such leaders will not come up with policies that will help people. Such leaders will be selfish, and they will only serve their interests in many instances. The implication of this message is that representation reflects the type of society that one could be talking about.
Sontag says that photographs are experience captured. The implication is that the image of power that those who wield it display is a reflection of the subjects who may have chosen one amongst themselves to be their representative in external affairs. How the elected fellow represents them is a reflection of the subjects. The reason is that there is usually a culture that is prevalent to a particular group of people, and which is manifested to the outside world through leaders. If the society that the leader comes from is corrupt, he will project the corrupt tendencies to the outside world. Therefore, the outside world will stereotype the given community as having the said behavior of their leader. In most cases, that is normally the truth, since the leader cannot behave differently from the people that he represents. What is, therefore, clear is that the behavior of a leader will act like a mirror that reflects to the outside world about the behavior of a given community.
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Sontag uses the analogy of Plato’s cave to show that sometimes, power may be elusive to those who wield it. They may think that they have power when that is not the case. An example to illustrate this point is when Sontag says that sometimes, the photographs may get reduced, cropped or retouched to satisfy the whims of the photographer. By this, it implies that there could be other forces behind those in power that make them behave differently. That is why some leaders behave like robots, which are controlled by unseen forces. The invisible forces could be the people who put them in positions of power and gave them a mandate over their lives. It, therefore, means that there is a need to ensure that those people who wield power use it in the right manner so that they are not limited or handicapped by those who may have given them the said powers. There is also a need to ensure that leaders do not end up oppressing their subjects so that they can continue having the goodwill of the subjects that they represent. Once they do this, those that they serve will not see the need for cropping their power through legislation or other acts of parliament that may trim their power.
The behavior of people in power is directly proportional to those whom they represent. That is why Sontag says that how photographs are arranged in a book follows the sequence of pages. By this, it implies that those in power will behave according to the expectations of those whom they are representing. The reason is that those in power have a clear mandate on what to do that is given to them by those they represent. Jut the same way one is likely to arrange the photographs following the pages in the book that is the same manner in which leaders will behave according to the behavior and expectations of those who chose them. That is why it is possible to see that some regions could be having corrupt leaders repeatedly, yet the electorate appears not to see anything wrong in them since that is their culture. In other areas, bad leaders will not stay in power for long since those whom they represent remove them the moment they realize that they are not doing what they wanted. That is why it is also possible to see some countries progressing while others do not improve, yet nobody bothers them. The reason is that those who are given power know the actions that those whom they represent are likely to do if they are given an opportunity.
In conclusion, power and representation appear to be correlated. Those who are given mandate over those they represent will work according to the wishes and behavior of those who elected them. If the electorate is bad, then the power given to leaders will also be bad. If those represented are good people, then those wielding power will be supposed to be good people. Just like just how a photograph represents the image that it was focused on, the type of power that people possess will be similar to the people they are serving. It is possible to say that power and representation are like the image that a camera captures. However, if there are mechanical problems in the camera, it is likely to capture a distorted image. The same will happen to representatives who choose the wrong leaders to act on their behalf.
