Metaphor and allegory are figures of speech that allow writers and speakers to compare objects with completely unrelated objects, making a text or speech more powerful and engaging. Metaphor is used to make a sentence more impressive and convey a deeper meaning, such as “The beautiful lady had a heart of stone.” In this example, a heart cannot be stone, yet this figure of speech creates an impression that the beautiful lady lacked feelings. On the other hand, allegory is similar to metaphor but more subtle; it is an extended metaphor where the entire text has characters that personify abstract ideas and human qualities.
Key Takeaways
- Metaphor allows a writer or speaker to compare two completely different things that are not related in any way, making a sentence more impressive and conveying a deeper meaning.
- Allegory is like an extended metaphor, where the entire text has characters that personify abstract ideas and human qualities, conveying a meaning different from the written text.
- Allegorical tales are rare nowadays, as they move forward at two levels: the verbal level and the symbolic level.
