Symbolism Allegory An Introduction Symbolism When one thing
Symbolism & Allegory An Introduction
Symbolism • When one thing (object, character, place, etc. ) represents or suggests something larger or more complex • Presentation of an abstract idea through concrete means – For example: “freedom & the American flag”
American Born Chinese
Allegory • Typically a narrative with 2 levels of meaning – 2 nd level can have moral, political, philosophical, or religious significance • Often thinly veiled • Often uses personification • Extended metaphor • Characters can stand for ideas/abstract ideas, or can correspond to actual history/historical figures
Allegory • Allegories can be read: – On a literal level – On a symbolic & representative level
Allegory • Sometimes extends to fables – A short tale with a specific moral • “The Tortoise & the Hare” – Animal centered fables are called Beast Fables
American Born Chinese Technically the story of the Monkey King: • Both beast fable & allegory
Symbolism vs. Allegory • A symbol can be a word, place, character or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level. • An allegory involves using many interconnected symbols or allegorical figures in such a way that nearly every element of the narrative has a meaning beyond the literal level, i. e. , everything in the narrative is a symbol that relates to other symbols within the story.
MK Literal Level • The Monkey King rules a magical place called Flower Fruit Mountain. He wants to attend a dinner party. He is not allowed in because he is a monkey and has no shoes. He is outraged, kills or maims the dinner guests, and then does everything he can to change his “monkey-ness. ” A character named Tze-yo-Tzuh tells the monkey king to accept himself, he refuses, and is buried under a pile of rock as punishment. He is freed by a monk who wants the MK to be his disciple and who teaches him to accept his true form. They go on a journey to the west and follow a star.
MK Symbolic Level • The monkey king represents all people who experience rejection and/or racism and try to change themselves. His shoes represent identity—both changing and accepting it. Tze-yo-Tzuh represents a God who makes people the way they are meant to be, and Wong Lai Tsao represents a Christ figure who sacrifices himself to save the monkey king and others like him.
MK Lesson/Moral • Being yourself and accepting yourself is the truest form of freedom.
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