Literary Devices (Day 1 Allegory)

Literary Devices

What is the point of the video "Priceless Stone"?

How can you share it's point to more people?

What Is a Literary Device?

A literary device is a tool used by writers to hint at larger themes, ideas, and meaning in a story or piece of writing.

What Is a Literary Device?

There are many styles of literary devices, each serving a different purpose. Some operate at the sentence level, while others serve the piece of writing as a whole. Writers often use multiple literary devices in tandem.

Types of Literary Devices and How to Use Them

Writers use a wide variety of literary devices across different genres. Each literary device serves a specific purpose. Understanding how to correctly wield these devices can significantly improve your own writing.

Types of Literary Devices and How to Use Them

Allegory

Allusion

Anachronism

Cliffhanger

Dramatic Irony

Allegory

Let's try

Multiple Choice

What is Allegory?

• A long narrative

• A symbolic fictional narrative

• A historical analysis

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Allegory is also considered an extended ______________.

• Simile

• Personification

• Metaphor

• Hyperbole

Multiple Choice

What is the object of an Allegory?

• To teach some kind of a moral lesson

• To teach some kind of a political lesson

• To teach some kind of a spiritual lesson

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Who wrote 'Allegory of Cave'?

• George Orwell

• Plato

• Aristotle

• Homer

Multiple Choice

In which of the political novel of George Orwell, pigs stand for political figure of Russian Revolution?

• Animal Farm

• 1984

• Coming Up for Air

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

What is the moral lesson of the allegory 'Tortoise and Hare'?

• Slow and steady will not win the race

• Slow and steady will win the race

• Steady always runs fast

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Which one is an example of Allegory?

• Fable

• Parable

• Apologue

• All the above

Multiple Choice

How many types of Allegories are there?

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

Which term is often confused with Allegory?

• Symbolism

• Imagism

• Versification

• All the above

Multiple Choice

Which among the following is political Allegory?

• Faerie Queene

• The Rime of Ancient Mariners

• Animal Farm

• None of the above

Allegory

Allegory is a literary device used to express large, complex ideas in an approachable manner. Allegory allows writers to create some distance between themselves and the issues they are discussing, especially when those issues are strong critiques of political or societal realities.

Allegories and Metaphors

Allegory: is a form of extended metaphor, in which objects, persons, and actions in a narrative, are equated with the meanings that lie outside the narrative itself.

Allegories vs. Symbolism

An allegory is a narrative style that uses an image, story, or poem to send a moral lesson or message. It can use a place, event, or character to convey the message to the consumer.

Allegories vs. Symbolism

Symbolism, on the other hand, is a literal device that uses an object, word, place, action, or person to represent an abstract idea rather than giving it out blatantly. If a writer in a poem, for example, wants to represent a certain emotion or mood, they can use symbolism to give a hint of it.

Aesop's Fables

TWO WOLVES 

TWO WOLVES 

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.

He said, "My son, the battle is between two wolves inside us all. 

TWO WOLVES 

One is evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego. 

TWO WOLVES 

The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion, and faith." 

TWO WOLVES 

The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?" 

TWO WOLVES 

The old Cherokee simply replied,

"The one you feed."

How is the story of the two wolves an allegory?

The Tortoise and the Hare

•The story of the tortoise and the hare is an allegory, expressing the belief that the slow and steady will always defeat the quick and prideful in the end. In Aesop’s popular fable two different distinct personality types compete, with the winner living slow and stable over the loser’s fast and impetuous lifestyle. 

The Tortoise and the Hare

•The hare has often been linked to youthful virility and physical vitality. The tortoise, on the other hand, is linked to age and tiredness. Two anthropomorphized creatures (animals given human qualities) compete for superiority, with the tortoise victor awarded fame, while the loser hare stews in his own disgrace, having failed to heed his elder's wisdom on matters of effective racing strategies. 

What Are the Different Types of Allegory?

There are several different types of allegory, each serving a different purpose. They include:

What Are the Different Types of Allegory?

• Biblical allegory (Parables)

• Classical allegory (Plato's Allegory of the Cave)

• Modern allegory

Parables

a simple story used to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson, as told by Jesus in the Gospels.

Allegory of the Cave

Plato

Apologue

An apologue is a brief fable or allegorical story with pointed or exaggerated details, meant to serve as a pleasant vehicle for a moral doctrine or to convey a useful lesson without stating it explicitly.

Unlike a fable, the moral is more important than the narrative details.

George Orwell, Animal Farm. 

Animal Farm is a great example of allegory, and is often taught in high school English classes to introduce the concept. In this farm fable, animals run a society that divides into factions and mirrors the rise of Leon Trotsky and the Russian Revolution. The story can be read as a fable of farm animals running a society, or it can be interpreted as the author’s criticism of communism.

Using Allegory in Writing

Think of an important idea you want to share with your reader. It should be something large and complex, and something that relates to the society you live in on a large scale.

Using Allegory in Writing

Once you’ve decided on a topic, plan out your allegory. Think of how you will translate these real-world ideas into fictional scenes and characters. Carefully assign characters: animals are common, as in Aesop’s Fables and Animal Farm, but there is no rule about what sort of characters to use.

Using Allegory in Writing

Whatever you choose, remember that your audience will be trying to figure out who each character represents in real life, so try not to confuse them with unrelated characters whose purpose is not clear.

Using Allegory in Writing

Be sure to let your reader know how to read between the lines. You will need to leave clues without over-explaining your message. Don’t be so subtle that the readers will miss the point of the allegory.

Using Allegory in Writing

The surface story must stand on its own. While the underlying message can be a bit abstract, this isn’t an essay or a speech. The top layer must still make sense and be intriguing in its own right.

Let's try again

Multiple Choice

What is Allegory?

• A long narrative

• A symbolic fictional narrative

• A historical analysis

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Allegory is also considered an extended ______________.

• Simile

• Personification

• Metaphor

• Hyperbole

Multiple Choice

What is the object of an Allegory?

• To teach some kind of a moral lesson

• To teach some kind of a political lesson

• To teach some kind of a spiritual lesson

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Who wrote 'Allegory of Cave'?

• George Orwell

• Plato

• Aristotle

• Homer

Multiple Choice

In which of the political novel of George Orwell, pigs stand for political figure of Russian Revolution?

• Animal Farm

• 1984

• Coming Up for Air

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

What is the moral lesson of the allegory 'Tortoise and Hare'?

• Slow and steady will not win the race

• Slow and steady will win the race

• Steady always runs fast

• None of the above

Multiple Choice

Which one is an example of Allegory?

• Fable

• Parable

• Apologue

• All the above

Multiple Choice

How many types of Allegories are there?

• 2

• 3

• 4

• 5

Multiple Choice

Which term is often confused with Allegory?

• Symbolism

• Imagism

• Versification

• All the above

Multiple Choice

Which among the following is political Allegory?

• Faerie Queene

• The Rime of Ancient Mariners

• Animal Farm

• None of the above