what is an allegory course hero

by Itzel Herman Published 2 years ago Updated 1 year ago 3 min read

A character who abides by a defined morality, and adheres to those morals during a key plot event A story with a hero who makes a personal sacrifice for the greater good A character who abides by a defined morality, but breaks those morals during a key plot event

Full Answer

What is the simple meaning of allegory?

The Oxford English Dictionary defines “allegory” as a “story, picture, or other piece of art that uses symbols to convey a hidden or ulterior meaning, typically a moral or political one.” In its most simple and concise definition, an allegory is when a piece of visual or narrative media uses one thing to “stand in for” ...

What is an example of an allegory?

One of the most famous examples of allegory is Animal Farm, by George Orwell. On its surface, Animal Farm is a story about farm animals that rebel against their farmer. The underlying story, however, concerns Orwell's disillusionment with the Bolshevik Revolution and is an indictment of the Russian government.

What are the 2 types of allegory?

We can distinguish between two different types of allegory: the historical or political allegory, the allegory of ideas.

What are the four types of allegory?

Thus the four types of allegory deal with past events (literal), the connection of past events with the present (typology), present events (moral), and the future (anagogical). Rather, it may be called " polysemous", that is, of many senses [allegories].

What is an allegory in 2 sentences?

Definition of Allegory. a story or picture that conveys a hidden meaning. Examples of Allegory in a sentence. 1. Santa Claus is an allegory that illustrates how one person can change the world by giving.

What are the three main features of an allegory?

An allegory is a subtle or hidden message embedded within a storyline. The message is rarely directly mentioned by the author. Rather, it is conveyed through literary devices such as metaphor, personification and synecdoche.

What is the purpose of allegory?

Allegory is a literary device used to express large, complex ideas in an approachable manner. Allegory allows writers to create some distance between themselves and the issues they are discussing, especially when those issues are strong critiques of political or societal realities.

What is the most famous allegory?

The most famous allegory ever written, John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, was published in 1678, making it a holdover; allegory saw its artistic heyday in the Middle Ages.

What are the elements of an allegory?

An allegory is a narrative in which nearly every element, including characters and even plot, represent symbols for something else, or a narrative in which the story itself is symbolic of a broader concept or historical event.

What is allegory and its types?

allegory, a symbolic fictional narrative that conveys a meaning not explicitly set forth in the narrative. Allegory, which encompasses such forms as fable, parable, and apologue, may have meaning on two or more levels that the reader can understand only through an interpretive process.

What are some examples of allegories in everyday life?

Common Examples of AllegoryThe Tortoise and the Hare from Aesop's Fables: From this story, we learn that the strong and steady win the race.The story of Icarus: Icarus fashions wings for himself out of wax, but when he flies too close to the sun his wings melt. ... Yertle the Turtle by Dr.More items...

Can a character be an allegory?

Allegories have characters, objects, places, and events that represent various ideas and concepts. Common types of allegories include fables and parables.

What is the most famous allegory?

The most famous allegory ever written, John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress, was published in 1678, making it a holdover; allegory saw its artistic heyday in the Middle Ages.

What are some examples of allegories in everyday life?

What is an example of an allegory in the Bible?

According to the Old Testament Book of Jonah, a prophet spent three days in the belly of a fish. Medieval scholars believed this was an allegory (using the typological interpretation) of Jesus' death and his being in the tomb for three days before he rose from the dead.

Is Romeo and Juliet an allegory?

The entire book of Romeo and Juliet is written in an allegorical style. This story is popularly known as a tragedy. Although this famous work by William Shakespeare may not be the best-known example of allegory, there are many allegorical examples in Romeo and Juliet.

What is allegory in literature?

An allegory is a type of story built from an overarching extended metaphor—one in which the core story, characters, central conflicts, and even settings are used to represent something else. Allegories can be abstract ideas, sociological issues, mythological stories, political events, and more.

Why do we use allegory in our writing?

Very often the author will use allegory as a literary device to convey an idea that might be too sensitive or too complex to discuss overtly. Creating an allegorical story makes difficult ideas more accessible and easy to understand for the average reader.

Allegory vs. symbolism

In an allegory, everything is symbolic. But how does that differ from symbolism as a literary device? Symbolism uses images, places, people, colours, or abstract ideas to represent something beyond the thing’s literal meaning; for example, a rose to represent love, or a jack o’lantern to represent halloween.

Types of allegories

Although an allegorical story can function as a symbol for just about anything, allegories generally fall into two distinct types: historical and conceptual allegory.

5 allegory examples in literature

Some of our most famous works of literature are allegories, written to teach us something about the world we live in. Let’s look at some classic allegorical stories.

How to use allegory in your own story

Unlike theme, which often evolves organically, allegory is an intentional step-by-step work of craftsmanship.

Allegory opens up the world for the reader

Allegories are among the most potent literary devices available to the writer for creating real change within the world. We use allegory to communicate sensitive topics or open conversations about issues that we’re passionate about to help our readers see those issues in a brand new way.

What is an allegory in a story?

An allegory is a storytelling technique used to convey something symbolic to the audience. Unlike metaphors, which serve to symbolize something on a one-to-one basis, allegories are used in a more grand sense. A whole story can be an allegory, and be made up of many metaphors.

What are the characteristics of an allegory?

Characteristics of an Allegory: 1 Contains beginning and end 2 Has a message or moral 3 Adds to a theme of the story

What Does Allegory Mean in Cinema?

Allegories are used in storytelling to communicate something symbolic; whether it be moralistic or political. Some allegory examples in literature include the self-titled Animal Farm allegory, the setting of Metamorphosis, and the social order in 1984.

How does Snowpiercer communicate allegory?

Another major way in which Snowpiercer communicates allegory is through its production design. As we advance with Curtis up the train, we see the set dressing and wardrobing of characters transform from dirty and drab to elegant and colorful. These production decisions are often very exaggerated, which helps us to see their purpose.

What is a well known type of allegory?

It might be helpful to think of allegories in this regard: a well known type of allegory is a fable.

Who invented the allegory of the cave?

The word allegory was popularized in the Ancient Greek world by the philosopher Plato, who used the term to propose his famous Allegory of the Cave. This next video does a great job of touching on the word’s etymology and the cave theory’s pervading impact on philosophy and culture:

Who is the narrator in the movie "I Had It All"?

Then the Narrator (Edward Norton) breaks into a diatribe on consumerism, saying “I had it all... I had a wardrobe that was getting very respectable. I was close to being complete.”

What is the meaning of allegory?

An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is a well-known allegory with a moral that a slow and steady approach (symbolized by the Tortoise) is better than a hasty and overconfident approach ...

What are some examples of allegories?

Some additional key details about allegory: Some allegories have morals that are easy to discern, such as the example of "The Tortoise and The Hare, " but others can be so subtle that it becomes unclear whether the author intended for the story to have a double meaning (or be an allegory) at all.

Why Do Writers Choose to Write Allegories?

Authors might choose to write allegories for a number of reasons, and its certainly possible that an author might choose to write an allegory for more than one of the reasons below.

Why do writers use allegory in their essays?

By presenting a story that illustrates a moral or idea rather than explaining it directly, writers can make their audience more likely to engage with—and ultimately absorb—the message they're trying to convey.

Why is the story of Paradise Lost allegorical?

Her story is allegorical because each character is highly symbolic, as are their relationships to one another.

How many types of allegory are there?

There are two main types of allegory. The basic technique is the same in both categories, but in each kind characters and events symbolize different things.

How to pronounce "allegory"?

Here's how to pronounce allegory: al -ih-gore-ee

What is an allegory in literature?

Allegory is a literary device that uses a story to expound on a deeper meaning. Through allegory, authors can explore abstract ideas and break them down into understandable information.

What is an example of an allegory?

One of the most well-known examples of allegory is Animal Farm by Orwell. This story explores what happens when farm animals rebel against tyranny only to fall into socialism.

What is the allegory in The Crucible?

The allegory in The Crucible compares the McCarthyism of the writer's day to the idiocy of the Salem witch trials. Through The Crucible, Miller was able to show that many of his peers were simply looking for communists under every rock.

What is Plato's allegory of the cave?

Plato's Allegory of the Cave puts a hypothetical scenario where prisoners chained up in a cave can only see the shadows cast on the wall in front of them. When something passes by that resembles a book, they may call it a book, only they are technically talking about a shadow, not the book itself.

What is the message behind the story of Slow and Slow?

The message behind this story is the fact that slow and steady is almost always the best way to win the race. It has been retold many times throughout the centuries and is often the subject of children's books.

What is the pilgrim's progress?

The Pilgrim's Progress follows a man, Christian, as he travels on an arduous journey. After laying down his burden, he makes his way from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City, eating a cast of characters that try to pull him away from his path.

Is Lord of the Rings a Christian allegory?

Lord of the Rings also details the pilgrimage of the characters as they go on their epic quest, and that has many similar themes to other Christian allegories like The Pilgrim's Progress. Some have even claimed that the story was an allegory for World War II, since it was published about a decade after the wars ended.