Recognition vs. Realization

Recognition and Realization are two forms that share the similar essence of knowing, or "to find out" in the verb tense. The similarities and complexities of the two reflect the Spanish words conocer and saber, which both translate to "to know" in the English language. However, their actual meaning and usage is quite distinct. While they are not a direct correlation to recognition and realization, the distinct difference of saber (having knowledge of) and conocer (being acquainted with something) reflects the variety of meaning that knowing can have.
Recognition is in many senses the less profound version of realization. It is the act of knowing; a more continous knowledge of something that is reflected in recalling the essence of the object. You recognize a person you have met before, recognize the validity of the argument, or recognize the danger of the situation. In the novel "Catcher in the Rye", the protagonist Holden Caufield has a distinct, somewhat pessimistic but certainly an honest view of people. He recognizes most as "phonies", a view that stays somewhat constant throughout the novel and reflects his knowledge of human behavior. It is perhaps a result of his attitudes and opinions, but neverthless he exemplifies recognition in a constant knowledge of the truth of people.
Realization, on the other hand, is more profound and unique in that it describes a moment of knowing where you at some point realize the truth of something. In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, the man who is released from the reality of shadows to the outside world is hit with the knowledge of the true form of things. All he knew was an illusion, and at that moment he gains the knowledge of what life truly is. He has realized at that point, not simply recognized something he has seen before but actually has found the true form of every reality. Recognition is important as the base of understanding, but realization achieves deeper knowledge and the progression of knowledge through its instant deposition of the truth.