Allegory-English Literature

1. ALLEGORY
Sujitha Nuthi 30046
Bharathidasan Institute of Mangement, Trichy.

2. Allegory origin
The basic meaning of allegory is "to say another thing“ or “to speak
otherwise”
from Latin allegoria
 from Greek allegorein “to speak
figuratively"
allos "other" + agoreuein “to make a speech in
public”

3. An allegory is…
 A story, poem, or picture which can be interpreted
to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or
political one.
 A story that acts as an extended metaphor in
which persons, abstract ideas, or events
represent not only themselves on the literal
level, but they also stand for something else on
the symbolic level.
=

4. An allegory is:
A symbolic fictional narrative that conveys
a secondary meaning (or meanings) not
explicitly stated.
A narrative which has both a literal
meaning and a representative one.
Hunger
Artist
=
Starving for
attention??
Dying for one’s
art??
Foolish devotion? ?

5. Allegory defined
 Poems, novels, or plays can all be allegorical,
in whole or in part.
These allegories can be as short as a single
sentence or as long as a book.
Fables and parables are types of allegory

6. Religious Allegory
 An allegory is a story with (count 'em) two levels of
meaning. First, there's the surface of the story. You
know, the characters and plot and all that obvious stuff.
Then there's the symbolic level, or the deeper meaning
that all the jazz on the surface represents.
 Religions use allegory(parables) to explain morals.
 Religions use allegory(Symbols) and colors to preach
,spread and help believers express or explore religious
concepts, such as the concept of God.

7. THE HUNTER AND THE FOX

THE HUNTER AND THE FOX Once there was a hunter
chasing a fox and he caught it was just about to kill it when
he saw the king approaching. As fox hunting was illegal, he
put the fox inside his coat and kept him there. The king
greeted him and began to talk to him, asking him how he
was. "How are you today?" "Oh, I am very good, your
majesty." The king discussed the weather and different
topics with the hunter, who remained completely cool the
whole time. He never even slightly acted like anything was
amiss. And then the king left. As soon as the king was out
of sight, the hunter fell into two pieces on the ground, as
the fox had eaten him in half.
 MORAL: We should always reveal our minds and never
keep problems to ourselves, masking them over, otherwise
we will have difficulty in Krishnas consciousness.

8. THE WOMAN AND THE BASKET
OF BRICKS
 Once there was a woman carrying a basket of bricks on her head,
working on a building site. She was walking along but then the
basket fell from her head. She began crying uncontrollably and
loudly chanting Vishnu's name. So earnestly did she call out to
the Lord He thought, "I had better go," and he appeared on the
scene. "What do you want," the Lord asked the woman. "Please
put the basket back on my head," replied the woman. "But I can
give you liberation! I can give you your own planet, and all you
want is for me to put this basket on your head?" The woman
replied, "Yes, just put the basket back on my head so I can
continue my service."
 MORAL: Help is there, but we don't take advantage. Or, people
are approaching Krishna for the wrong things.

9. Symbols

10. Colors
 Red indicates both sensuality and purity.
 Saffron The most sacred color for the Hindus.
 Blue The Creator has given the maximum of blue to
nature (i.e.) the sky, the oceans, the rivers and the
lakes. The deity who has the qualities of bravery,
manliness, determination, the ability to deal with difficult
situations, of stable mind and depth of character is
represented as blue colored. Lord Rama and Krishna
spent their life protecting humanity and destroying evil,
hence they are colored blue.

11. Colors
 The color green has a special place in Islam. It is used in
the decoration of mosques, the bindings of Qurans, the
silken covers for the graves of Sufi saints, and in the
flags of various Muslim countries. The color green
symbolizes nature and life.

12. Historical /Political Allegory

13. Historical /Political Allegory
In historical /political
allegory, historical
persons and events are
referred to via metaphor
and symbolism
Political ideas or systems
may also be represented

14. Historical /Political Allegory
Alice in Wonderland
Lewis Carroll’s
is an example of
political allegory depicting nineteenth-century British
imperialism.

15. Allegory of Ideas

16. Allegory of Ideas
In the Allegory of
Ideas, characters
personify abstract
concepts and the
story attempts to
teach the
audience a
lesson.

17. Allegory of Ideas
The allegory of ideas is particularly common in medieval literature, as in
Dante's Divine Comedy.

18. Allegory of Ideas
The medieval drama Everyman is another allegory of ideas, as the
character “Everyman” must prepare to face death and be judged
for his deeds.
(Lesson: do good
deeds because Death
may be arriving soon.)

19. Allegory of Ideas
Many Bible stories are allegorical. For example:
 The apple that Adam receives from Eve is symbolic of
the “knowledge of Good and Evil” and is thus
allegorical. The serpent is often read as signifying
temptation or true evil.
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20. Moral Allegory
• A means to define morality
• People used to believe that there
is life after death
• Talked about two opposite
characteristics
• Assert its viewers to take up the
good

21. Social Allegory
Means to define how we live
in a society
Expressed by literature,art
forms etc
Conveys a hidden message

22. Three most prominent pieces of
allegorical literature
Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Animal Farm by George Orwell

23. Pilgrim’s Progress-John Bunyan
 Jorney of christian
from the “City of
Destruction”-World to
the "Celestial City" –
Heaven.
 Christian-christ
follower
 Burden-sins
 Book in hand- Bible
 Wicket gate- salvation
through difficulties
 Evangalist-guides man
in right direction.
 Characters in this
novel are
 Help, Worldly
wiseman, legality,
Goodwill

24. Moby Dick-Herman Melville
 Sea-story of Captain Ahab's
voyage in pursuit of Moby
Dick, a great white whale.
 Nature of the whale is used
to understand the
disciplines of man. Eg
knowledge , art.
 “Men cannot see the depths
of the ocean”
 The ways of Moby Dick, like
those of the Christian God,
are unknowable to man, and
thus trying to interpret
them, as Ahab does, is
inevitably futile and often
fatal.
 Conflict between them is
conflict between man and

25. Animal farm-George Orwell.
 Animal Farm is an
allegory that uses animals
on a farm to represent the
overthrow of Tsar Nicolas
II, the actions of Stalin
and the revolution in
Russia before World War
II.
 "All animals are equal."
Characters:
 Old Major- karl Marx
 Napoleon- Stalin
 Snowball-Trotsky and
lenin
 Mr.Jones-Tsar Nicolas
 Animalism is the real life
communism.