English 10 / Unit 4: Theme, Symbol and Allegory
4.5 Allegory, Fable and Parable
Notes
An allegory is a story in which characters, events and settings stand for ideas, often moral, religious or political.
- In Plato's Allegory of the Cave (from The Republic), prisoners see only shadows on a wall; one escapes into sunlight. The cave stands for ignorance; the sunlight stands for knowledge and truth.
- John Bunyan's The Pilgrim's Progress (1678) follows a man named Christian on a journey that stands for the Christian life.
- George Orwell's Animal Farm (1945) is a political allegory of the Russian Revolution.
- A fable is a short tale, often with animals, that teaches a lesson. A parable is a short, realistic story that teaches a moral or spiritual lesson.
Practice
In Plato's Allegory of the Cave, the shadows on the wall represent:
The prisoners mistake shadows for the real world.
A story where characters named Greed, Pride and Patience travel together is most clearly a(n):
Characters standing directly for ideas mark an allegory.
How does a fable usually differ from a parable?
Both teach lessons, but fables commonly use talking animals.
Ready for more? Take the Unit 4 test.