The general assertion that Plato makes in his quote is that he is challenging the reader to question basically everything. In literalness, the author is generally questioning whether we are awake or sleeping but the whole quote extends beyond that. Metaphorically, Plato is challenging the reader, "How can you prove..." Plato made this quote have simple and not complex yet, there are hidden messages in his one-lined quote.
The author supports his assertion with the rhetorical devices of diction, paradox and rhetorical questioning. The whole quote is a paradox, because the text initially comes off as absurd but still there is still truth to it. The diction in this quote is not difficult, making it readable for the reader. The whole quote also comes off as a rhetorical question for the author actually asks the reader the question "How can you prove whether at this moment, we are sleeping, and all our thoughts are a dream..." Furthermore, Plato is challenging the reader to question things, to consider if the impossible is in fact possible.
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