One of the most famous examples of allegory in history is Plato’s Allegory of the Cave, in which a group of people is chained inside a cave and sees only shadows of the outside world projected on the wall of the cave. And this they must do, even with the prospect of death. It is the task of the enlightened not only to ascend to learning and to see the good but to be willing to descend again to those prisoners and to share their troubles and their honors, whether they are worth having or not. Examples of Allegory in Literature Example #1 However, some works of literature that can be read allegorically gain much strength from their deeper meanings. Allegories thus can be difficult to master, as they can be pedantic when done poorly. An allegory is a very specific type of story, as it must stay true to the message for the entirety of the story. They are used to teach lessons, explain moral concepts, and show the author’s views on a certain situation. The Hunger Games: This trilogy of Young Adult books (and now blockbuster movies) is an allegory for our obsession with reality television and how it numbs us to reality.Īllegories have been used for centuries in many different cultures.Seuss: This story about a turtle who yearns for too much power is actually an allegory about Adolf Hitler and the evils of totalitarianism. This story is a message about the dangers of reaching beyond out powers. The story of Icarus: Icarus fashions wings for himself out of wax, but when he flies too close to the sun his wings melt.The Tortoise and the Hare from Aesop’s Fables: From this story, we learn that the strong and steady win the race.Here are some stories that have entered into public consciousness that are also allegories: We also use real events that have happened to teach lessons. Stories such as Aesop’s Fables often have morals, and thus are examples of allegory. These are especially popular in stories for children, as allegories often mean to teach some lesson or help the audience understand complex ideas and concepts. There are many common stories that we tell which have allegorical meanings.

Is the story of icarus a metaphor