An allegory is usually a symbol for something else, and not to be taken literally.
For instance, some people think that the story of Jonah and the Whale is really a symbol for man (Jonah) and sin (the Whale). In the story, the whale eats Jonah who lives in the whale' stomach. In the first place this is physically impossible because whales have a throat about the size of an apple, and cannot eat people. But the story is about something else; really; and not to be taken word for word.
2007-09-27 13:30:02
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answer #1
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answered by hopflower 7
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An allegory (from Greek αλλοÏ, , "other", and αγοÏεÏ
ειν, agoreuein, "to speak in public") is a figurative mode of representation conveying a meaning other than the literal.
Allegory is generally treated as a figure of rhetoric, but an allegory does not have to be expressed in language: it may be addressed to the eye, and is often found in realistic painting, sculpture or some other form of mimetic, or representative art.
The etymological meaning of the word is broader than the common use of the word. Though it is similar to other rhetorical comparisons, an allegory is sustained longer and more fully in its details than a metaphor, and appeals to imagination, while an analogy appeals to reason or logic. The fable or parable is a short allegory with one definite moral.
Since meaningful stories are nearly always applicable to larger issues, allegories may be read into many stories, sometimes distorting their author's overt meaning. For instance, many people have suggested that The Lord of the Rings was an allegory for the World Wars, while in fact it was well under way before the outbreak of World War II and J.R.R. Tolkien's emphatic statement in the introduction to the American edition "It is neither allegorical nor topical....I cordially dislike allegory in all its manifestations, and always have done so since I grew old and wary enough to detect its presence."
2007-09-27 20:32:49
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answer #2
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answered by Anonymous
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NOUN: 1a. The representation of abstract ideas or principles by characters, figures, or events in narrative, dramatic, or pictorial form. b. A story, picture, or play employing such representation. John Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress and Herman Melville's Moby Dick are allegories. allegorist, pl. allegories
2007-09-27 20:31:04
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answer #3
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answered by soulguy85 6
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