Allegory ALLEGORY, pronounced AL uh gar ee, is a story with more than one meaning. Most allegories have moral or religious meanings. Famous allegories include the fables attributed to Aesop, an ancient Greek writer. Aesop’s fables seem to describe the adventures of animals and human beings. But the author actually wanted to teach his readers something about human nature. One of Aesop’s best-known fables is ‘The Fox and the Grapes.’ On its surface, or its literal level of meaning, the story tells of a fox who wants a bunch of grapes hanging above his head.
The fox tries desperately to reach the grapes but cannot. He finally gives up, saying that the grapes are probably sour anyway. The allegorical meaning of this story is that people may pretend the things they cannot have are not worth having. Allegories had their greatest popularity during medieval and Renaissance times in Europe. The Divine Comedy, written by the Italian author Dante Alighieri in the early 1300’s, literally tells of a man’s journey to heaven through hell and purgatory. Allegorically, the poem describes a Christian soul rising from a state of sin to a state of blessedness.
Other allegories include the parables of Jesus, and The Faerie Queen, written by the English poet Edmund Spenser in the late 1500’s. Allegories lost popularity in Europe after about 1600, but some, such as Pilgrim’s Progress (1678, 1684) gained recognition in later times. Allegory also exists in other ways. Many novels include allegorical suggestions of an additional level of meaning.
The Essay on Existentialism: Does Life Have Meaning?
Most people would like to think that their life has some kind of meaning or purpose. However how this meaning in life is obtained can cause some differing views. One may believe that they were born with a purpose in life and the other may believe that it is their own responsibility to give their own life meaning. While the first belief may be the preferred option, it doesn’t seem very practical. ...
Examples include Moby-Dick (1851), a whaling adventure that raises issues of human struggle and fate in a mysterious universe, and Lord of the Flies (1954), a story about shipwrecked boys that examines the persistence of evil. Contributor: Paul StrohmRelated Articles in Information Finder include: Aesop’s Fables Golding, Sir Morality Play Bunyan, John William Parable Divine Comedy Melville, Romance Fable Herman Spenser, Edmund.
