REFLECTION of Mimesis Theory on Republic Book 10

Mimesis 

I have been reading this chapter for a week and here are my reflection. First, reading English version at the beginning is definitely not a good choice. The other thing worth to mention is that I feel like the artists are insulting by Plato but I cannot find a strong reason to refute him. 

In the book 10, there is a question, “who this imitator is?”

                                                made by God (only one of them that made by God is real)

  3 kinds of couches             made by carpenter      

                                                made by painter

                                             God – the creator of nature

    conclusion                      Carpenter – the craftsman of couch

                                              Painter – the imitator of couch

In my words, painter just mimic the image, the real objects won’t change their shape or forms when we look at it. We also can be considered these three kinds of people as users, inventors and imitators. But then Plato discussed about “the form of beauty” and “the form of good”, I didn't see the relationship between this concept. Plato take a flute musician as an example. Only the musicians who play the flute know if it is a good or bad flute. After that, they report back to the flute-maker to make sure the flute works functionally because users are the most experienced people. On the other hand, imitators neither know right opinion nor be aware with what they imitate.

The artist do imitate from nature, art mimic nature, they inspired from nature. However, it is not fair for artists to say “imitation, an ordinary thing having intercourse with what is ordinary, produces ordinary offspring.”(Plato, 286) Nowadays, artists, no matter poets, painters, directors etc. have higher social standers than the craftsmen. For example, an artist who exhibit his/her works in museum will receive more respect than a plumber or carpenter.

But if I take Brian Acton, the founder of WhatsApp, in general, he can be considered as craftsman, he also belongs to upper class and Facebook had to cost 19 billion to acquisition WhatsApp. I am so confused now. (This part just jumped on the top of my head, I repute myself eventually.)

This is my superficial reflection about Plato’s theory.