Allegory
ALLEGORY, pronounced AL uh gawr 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,......
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