ALLEGORY

ALLEGORY

Sujitha Nuthi 30046

Bharathidasan Institute of Mangement, Trichy.

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”

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.

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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? ?

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

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. 

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.

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.

Symbols

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.

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.

Historical /Political Allegory

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

Historical /Political Allegory

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

Allegory of Ideas

Allegory of Ideas

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

Allegory of Ideas

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

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.)

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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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

Social Allegory

Means to define how we live in a society

Expressed by literature,art forms etc

Conveys a hidden message

Three most prominent pieces of allegorical literature

Pilgrim’s Progress by John BunyanMoby Dick by Herman MelvilleAnimal Farm by George Orwell

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

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 human.

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.