Their light is from a fire burning far above and behind them. Betweenthe fire and the prisoners there is a road above, along which see a wall,built like the partitions puppet-handlers set in front of the humanbeings and over which they show the puppets.""I see," he said."Then also see along this wall human beings carrying all sorts ofartifacts, which project above the wall, and statues of men and other canimals wrought from stoiie, wood, and every kind of material; as is to 515 abe expected, some of the carriers utter sounds while others are silent.""It's a strange image," he said, "and strange prisoners you'retelling of.""They're like us," I said. "For in the first place, do you supposesuch men would have seen anything of themselves and one anotherother than the shadows cast by the fire on the side of the cave facingthem?"