A general presentation about Allegory, a literary device used in writing, to help create or represent an idea.

1. A L L E G O R Y
Presented by: Wise Notion

2. Origins
Early writers such as Plato, Cicero and Augustine first
used allegories, but allegories became especially popular
in sustained narratives of the middle ages.
The word “allegory” comes from the Latin “allegoria”
meaning speaking to imply something else.

3. Definition
Allegory is a literary form or device that uses extended metaphors to
represent a real idea or situation. It represents a larger point or hidden
meaning about society or human nature, with different characters that
represent real-life figures. An allegory tells a story with multiple
meanings, the literal story presented in the words and the figurative
story depicted in the way the writer intends readers to interpret the
surface story.

4. For a story to be an allegory, it must be appreciated
on two levels.
- The surface level (the story itself).
- The abstract level ( the underlying meaning).
The surface story:
Must be complete.
Must be readable on its own as a story without
underlying meaning.
Must have a beginning, middle, and end.
The Abstract Level:
All characters, events, objects, represent something
beyond themselves, telling another, often more
important story

5. • Purpose
Allegory is used in writing to express large,
sometimes abstract ideas, or to comment on
society. In some cases, such as in the classic
political allegory novel Animal Farm, by George
Orwell, allegory gives the author cover to talk
about controversial ideas that otherwise might be
too dangerous to talk about explicitly.
In addition, it’s a lot easier to understand the
Russian revolution by reading “ Animal farm” than
it is to read some boring textbook. Allegories help
relate topics to what people understand, just like a
metaphor. Overall, allegories are very useful and
prevalent in our lives.

6. Types of Allegory

7. • Religious (Biblical) allegory.
Biblical allegory invokes themes from the Bible,
and often explores the struggle between good and
evil. One example of Biblical allegory is C.S.
Lewis’ The Chronicles of Narnia. The lion, Aslan,
represents a Christ character, who is the rightful
ruler of the kingdom of Narnia. Aslan sacrifices
himself for Edmund, the Judas figure, and is
resurrected to rule over Narnia once again.
Biblical allegory can also refer to allegorical
interpretations of the Bible, which differ from
literal interpretations, and were popular in the
Middle Ages.

8. • Classical allegory
One of the best known allegories in classical
literature is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave. In this
story, Plato imagines people living in a cave, only
ever seeing objects as shadows reflected on the
wall from the light of a fire—rather than seeing the
objects directly. Plato used the cave as a symbolic
representation of how humans live in the world,
contrasting reality versus our interpretation of it.

9. • Modern allegory
Modern allegory includes many instances of a
phenomenon called “allegoresis,” which refers to the
interpretation of works as allegorical without them
necessarily being intended that way. It can be
Political ( a story that tells a tale with a hidden
political meaning), Moral ( a story that has a moral
of ethical message), or Historical ( a story that
Represents historical events). For example, there is
an ongoing debate among readers about J.R.R.
Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings series, and whether
or not the books were written as an allegory for
World War I.

10. Faerie Queen by Edmund
Spenser is a moral allegory
where each character
represents a virtue or a
vice. Specifically, the Red-
Cross Knight represents
holiness, Lady Una stands
for goodness and the one
true faith, Una's parents
symbolize the human race,
and the dragon represents
evil.
Beatrice and Virgil by
Yann Martel is an
allegory for the
monumental pain and
suffering experienced
by victims of the
Holocaust.
The Masque of the
Red Death by Edgar
Allan Poe is an
allegory for death.
The moral is no man
escapes death.
Pilgrim's
Progress by John
Bunyan is a spiritual
allegory. It tells the
story of a man’s
journey from the City
of Destruction to the
Celestial City,
representative of the
journey to Heaven.
Animal
Farm by George
Orwell is a political
allegory pertaining to
the Russian
Revolution of 1917
and the rise of
communism. It
outlines the different
classes in society
through the
depiction of animals.

11. Allegory Terms
I. Fable:
Fables are stories intended to teach a lesson, and animals
often speak and act like human beings.
Aesop was a Greek fabulist and storyteller credited with a
number of fables now collectively known as Aesop's
Fables. He was a slave that lives about 550 BC, and the
legend says he was granted freedom from his master
because he enjoyed his stories so much.
In Fables: Animals are usually the main characters.
The plot and characters are simple.
Stories teach a moral or lesson.
The setting is common and nonspecific.
Author uses personification.

12. II. Personification
Personification is a literary device based on attributing
human characteristics to something nonhuman.
This allows writers to create life and motion within
inanimate objects, animals, and even abstract ideas by
assigning them recognizable human behaviors and
emotions.
- An example in Animal farm: “ it was a pig walking on
its hind legs.” At the end of the story, pigs develop
human characteristics.
- Another example, in his picture book, “The Day the
Crayons Quit,” Drew Daywalt uses personification to
allow the crayons to express their frustration at how they
are (or are not) being used. This literary device is
effective in creating an imaginary world for children in
which crayons can communicate like humans.

13. III. Metaphor
A metaphor is a figure of speech that makes
a comparison between two unlike things. As a
literary device, metaphor creates implicit
comparisons without the express use of “like”
or “as.” Metaphor is a means of asserting that
two things are identical in comparison rather
than just similar. This is useful in literature for
using specific images or concepts to state
abstract truths.
- Example: “ Four legs good, two legs bad”.
This implies that animals with four legs are
good and humans are bad.

14. IV.Symbolism
Symbols are objects, characters,
figures, and colors used to represent
abstract ideas or concepts.
- Animal Farm, known at the beginning
and the end of the novel as the Manor
Farm, symbolizes Russia and the Soviet
Union under Communist Party rule.
- The windmill represents the power of
the Russians in the form of their
industries and their control over
working class people.
- The sugarcandy Mountain symbolizes
the orthodox church’s idea of the
afterlife.

15. V. Analogy
An analogy is a figure of speech that
creates a comparison by showing how
two seemingly different entities are
alike, along with illustrating a larger
point due to their commonalities.
- In Animal Farm, Mr. jones is
considered to be the Russian Tsar
Nicholas 2.
the Old Major represents Karl Marx.
And Napolean represents Stalin.

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