Allegory is a form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. (A Handbook to Literature)
Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” in The Republic: Book VII
And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened:—Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets…. Read More
Origin
late Middle English: from Old French allegorie, via Latin from Greekallēgoria, from allos ‘other’ + -agoria ‘speaking.’ (New Oxford American)
Allegory Writing Exercise
What is your biggest social concern? What sometimes keeps you up at night? Choose a scene or section of a previously written work and infuse your biggest social concern with this scene as an allegorical representation. It is important that you are using a section of writing you’ve already drafted and thoroughly considered previously because you want the section to retain its organic intentions. Now, use this rewrite to begin a new writing project.
Allegory is a form of extended metaphor in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative are equated with meanings that lie outside the narrative itself. (A Handbook to Literature)
Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave” in The Republic: Book VII
And now, I said, let me show in a figure how far our nature is enlightened or unenlightened:—Behold! human beings living in a underground den, which has a mouth open towards the light and reaching all along the den; here they have been from their childhood, and have their legs and necks chained so that they cannot move, and can only see before them, being prevented by the chains from turning round their heads. Above and behind them a fire is blazing at a distance, and between the fire and the prisoners there is a raised way; and you will see, if you look, a low wall built along the way, like the screen which marionette players have in front of them, over which they show the puppets…. Read More
Origin
late Middle English: from Old French allegorie, via Latin from Greekallēgoria, from allos ‘other’ + -agoria ‘speaking.’ (New Oxford American)
Allegory Writing Exercise
What is your biggest social concern? What sometimes keeps you up at night? Choose a scene or section of a previously written work and infuse your biggest social concern with this scene as an allegorical representation. It is important that you are using a section of writing you’ve already drafted and thoroughly considered previously because you want the section to retain its organic intentions. Now, use this rewrite to begin a new writing project.
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Sources
A Handbook to Literature
“Cogito et Histoire de la Folie.” Jacques Derrida.
Eats Shoots and Leaves: The Zero Tolerance Approach to Punctuation
The Elements of Style.
New Oxford American Dictionary
The Norton Anthology of World Literature
The Norton Introduction to Philosophy
Woe is I: The Grammarphobe’s Guide to Better English in Plain English
Writing Fiction: A Guide to Narrative Craft
Writing the Other
