However, in the last example, only the context will tell you that the metaphor is not talking about a real cheetah. If you see a word or phrase appear more than once, make a note of it – it is likely ...However, in the last example, only the context will tell you that the metaphor is not talking about a real cheetah. If you see a word or phrase appear more than once, make a note of it – it is likely that the author included the repetition intentionally. According to Dictionary.com, an allegory is "a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another."
Usually didactic (meant to impart a lesson), an allegory is a kind of story in which abstract concepts (such as love, war, or death) became objects, characters, or places in the story. For example, in...Usually didactic (meant to impart a lesson), an allegory is a kind of story in which abstract concepts (such as love, war, or death) became objects, characters, or places in the story. For example, in Hamlet, the scene of Old Hamlet being poisoned in the castle garden by his brother -- who is referred to as a “serpent” -- would likely be a familiar allusion to the Biblical Garden of Eden for highly religious Elizabethan readers (1.5.36).
