The Professor's Son

The Sun - Part 2

After what felt like mere minutes the two hour lecture was over. You were still reeling from the material you had just been taught. Your mind was absolutely buzzing with ideas. Who knew a brief introduction to Plato could make you this excited? The rest of the class seemed to feel the same way, everyone was practically whipped into a frenzy, and you noticed throughout the lecture, students hung on to Professor Jeong's words. He was an inspirational speaker to say the least, a gifted orator that knew when to crack jokes to wake the class up, or ask insightful questions that encouraged discussion.

Still something was bugging you, you couldn't quite grasp the concept of the Sun in Plato's Allegory of the Cave.

Knowing you wouldn't be able to sleep tonight unless you discussed the topic with the Professor himself left you feeling on edge. You sucked in a deep breath through clenched teeth and quickly made your way down the stairs to the podium. A group of students had already gathered around Professor Jeong, bright eyed and just as enthusiastic as he was. You watched as the older man scratched his chin, contemplating a student's question.

Finally it was your turn. You didn't know why you were so nervous, there was a whirling pit in your stomach and you weren't sure if that was from the coffee you had earlier or a side-effect of your inherent shyness. Silently, you prayed Professor Jeong wasn't like teachers you had had before, all show and good at presenting, but hardly someone you could easily converse with.

"Hi nice to meet you, and your name is?" The older man smiled at you, it was a warm and familiar smile, but something in his eyes caught you by surprise. It was like a fire was lit behind them, they were plain, but simultaneously dazzling and shrewd.

"Hi, my name's Y/N. It's a pleasure to be in your class Professor Jeong, I've read your book 'The Blind Carnation', I thought it was such a wonderful take on Freud's psycho-analytical theory."

His smile grew wider by the second, he squinted at you for a moment, "I see we have a learned scholar amongst us."

Slowly, you could feel the tips of your ears heating up, "No, no...I just like to read is all." You added humbly, "Actually, I didn't come here to discuss your book,"
"Yes, although that would be nice I suspect you have a question for me."

"Right! I couldn't seem to grasp the meaning of the Sun in Plato's Allegory...I was wondering if you could recommend any sites or textbooks that could help me? I know it's just the first class, but I want to understand everything, you know, just so I can get off on the right foot."

Professor Jeong nodded his head in approval, "Well, of course the first step would be to read Plato's 'The Republic', you could also go to the library and read this additional textbook. It's not considered essential for my course, but it could help you none of the less! Here, I'll write the title down for you."
You handed your notebook and Parker pen to him, with a fluid motion he carefully jotted down an unfamiliar author's name and title. "Try this," he said, handing the notebook back, "Oh, and do tell me how you find the textbook. The author happens to be a close acquaintance of mine, he'll be happy to get some feedback on his writing and how useful it is for students."

"Oh wow thank you so much Professor! I'll make sure to report back to you once I read it."

With that you were off to the university library in search of the textbook and with a new found sense of determination in your stride. You were going to ace this course!