You've hear of metaphor, and you may well have used it in your writing. Metaphor in poetry is very powerful, giving the reader a deeper insight into some profound meaning that must be conveyed. Wouldn't it be great if you could extend that metaphor to an entire narrative or context? Well... you can!
That's exactly what allegory can achieve. An allegorical narrative is one in which the metaphor extends to encompass characters, objects or places. The entire story becomes one great metaphor. Beneath the surface of the appearance or shape of the words (morphology) and their sounds (phonetics) lies a deeper, symbolic meaning (semantics) to be grasped and understood. The poem or story becomes the vehicle to convey the message through the allegory.
There are many examples of allegory in literature, found in ancient Greek mythology. Take for example Homer's epic poems Odyssey, which is not really about a journey at all, but more a pithy commentary on human emotion and life. The voyage through the land of the lotus eaters represents temptation and illicit pleasure while anger is personified in the Cyclops.
Allegory can also be seen in the parables of Jesus Christ, who represented His gospel message as seeds that could be sewn on fertile land (which grew into faith) or strewn on stony ground (which failed to produce the fruit of faith) or even to fall in among thorns and weeds (where it was stifled and died). Search through the synoptic gospels and you will find hundreds of extended metaphors.
There are many examples of extended metaphor or allegory in more recent literature. Animal Farm by George Orwell is an allegory of the Russian revolution of 1917, where the autocratic Czar (the farmer) was overthrown by the common people (the animals) only to be ruled even more brutally by the Bolsheviks (the pigs).
In poetry, allegory is common. The Rime of the Ancient Mariner by Samuel Taylor Coleridge is a simple religious allegory of sin and redemption with the albatross representing Christ. The albatross is sent to save the ship, but the mariner kills it with his cross-bow. This is pure symbolism disguised as a story.
More recently allegory is rife in popular culture, whether in Lord of the Rings, Game of Thrones, Lost; or in blockbuster movies such as Gravity or Interstellar, the extended metaphor continues to work its magic. Think about what each story represents, and then see if you can develop your own message based on an allegory.
Steve Wheeler
Previous posts in this series2. Metaphor
3. Repetition and refrains
4. Alliteration
5. Assonance
6. End Rhymes
7. Internal Rhymes
8. Rhythm and Tempo
9. Enjambment
