Examples of Allegory in Pop Culture Example 1 Le Guin challenges this idea by describing a city in which nearly everyone is happy, but still things don’t seem to be morally right… But its hidden story is a sharp critique of utilitarian philosophy, or the idea that what’s right is whatever makes people happy. Ursula le Guin has a short story called “The Ones Who Walk Away from Omelas.” On the surface, it’s a description of a magical city that hides a terrifying secret. There are also the Fremen, desert-dwelling warriors who may represent the Bedouin. In addition, there’s the valuable Spice, which may represent oil buried under the desert sands. There are many obvious references to Islamic history throughout the book (for example, the prophesied savior is called Mahdi, the same term used for the messiah in Islam). Examples of Allegory in Literature Example 1įrank Herbert’s science fiction epic Dune is often interpreted as a loose allegory for the history of the Middle East. People often use allegories in order to understand the world around them - whether it’s the world of politics, new technology, or the many ethical problems that challenge us today. On this interpretation, the allegory is the oldest form of story in the world. Some scholars believe that myths and religious stories originated as allegories for the deep secrets of the universe and the human mind - secrets that humans cannot comprehend without the help of an allegorical story. So for centuries, human beings have used allegories to say things they couldn’t say any other way. That makes them extremely useful and expressive tools. Seuss stories, it’s written in a child-friendly, playful style, but it still contains an important political message.Īllegories deliver difficult messages in easy-to-read stories. The story is all about creatures who are treated as inferior because they don’t have stars on their bellies. Seuss wrote The Sneetches as an allegory for racism and other forms of prejudice. The pigs represent Communist leaders like Stalin, Lenin, and Trotsky, the dogs represent the KGB, the humans represent capitalists, the horses represent the working class, etc. The hidden story, however, is about the Russian Revolution, and each of the characters represents some figure from that revolution. The surface story is about a group of farm animals who rise up, kick out the humans, and try to run the farm themselves. George Orwell’s Animal Farm is one of literature’s most famous allegories. Many authors find it easier to think through these issues by translating them into allegories, which are easier to understand (and more fun to read) than dense philosophical arguments. In most allegories, the hidden story has something to do with politics, religion, or morality - complex subjects that are difficult to understand directly. Some allegories are very subtle, while others (like the rock-throwing example) can be more obvious. For example, the surface story might be about two neighbors throwing rocks at each other’s homes, but the hidden story would be about war between countries. It has a “surface story” and another story hidden underneath. An allegory (AL-eh-goh-ree) is a story within a story.
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