Free Allegory and Imagery in Literature Essay Sample

Allegory is defined as a genre of literature that has at least two levels of meanings. One is the literal level, which presents the action of the narrative. It often relates to a journey, dialogue or battle. Another is the allegorical level which contains a hidden or veiled yet deeper or truer meaning. The allegorical level is usually privileged in that it is believed to have the truer meaning. Imagery on the other hand is the use of language that creates mental pictures in the mind of the reader. Imagery may be achieved through use of symbols or similes.

The creatures of Aesop's fables exist according to a simple relation of personifier and the personified. Often, animal apologues will present an entire society, identical to that of humans, but comprised of animals as the individual members. The societies may have commerce, education and a government like in Orwell's animal farm. The societies are often secular images of western human civilization. This is a point that has always made the animal apologue an appropriate vehicle for satire. Due to the ontological differences between humans and animals, figural translations that operate are strikingly visible.

Some people have taken comedy as immoral. And by extension take coyote to be immoral. But comedies of manners and types have lessons to teach; moderation and control are affirmed. Rascality and immorality are denied. Comedy allows the acceptance of human limitation. And because this comic attitude is necessary for survival, it is moral and it saw coyote succeed where without humor one would not have survived. Coyote is a cultural hero who represents cultural ideals which may not be achieved in real life situations. We identify ourselves with coyote because like him, we are clever creatures who can not control our appetites or inventiveness.

The book of job focuses on suffering which is universal to all human beings. There is hardly a person who is not acquitted by he questions to which the book is addressed. This book has a universal appeal to the imagination of writers and thinkers who may otherwise find other parts of the biblical tradition uncongenial and unhelpful.

There are several differences that come out clearly between job and coyote in their respective endeavors to survive. While coyote is just a mythical creature whose historical background can not be traced, job's existence is historical and can be backed with historically science. Consequently, job's life is taken as more real than that of coyote. Their approaches to solving of problems and suffering are very different with coyote adopting a more nagging nature of problem solving method while job leaves everything to an all powerful god for solution. For instance, when job is faced by suffering, he surrenders it to god (the summation.) while Coyote nags the eagle to release the box containing the moon and the sun to solve his curiosity. In addition, Coyote travels to a neighboring village to steal the sun from the village with light while job simply refuses to insult god who is the perceived source of all his misfortunes.

The book of job lacks comedy which is a central point of interest in coyote's adventures. Even though it has been argued that coyote is neither tragic nor comic, his undertakings are constantly humorous. In the Aesop's fables, nothing is taken as sacred apart from life itself.

Therefore, these fables first and foremost assume that all choices are likely to be an error. This is not so with job. In job's case, nothing happens by chance. Everything that is happening is due to the pan of god. It can not be by any chance an error. When job's life falls apart in suffering, he does not accept to blame god for it, he assumes that god has a reason why it had to happen and simply gives god the chance to end the sufferings. When coyote sees that his village has no light and the neighboring village has light, he makes plans to go and still the light which he successfully does.

Most importantly is that both of them solve their problems and end their suffering albeit through different ways. While job focuses on God and his problems are solved miraculously through god, coyote solves his own problems but also uses mystic powers in some instances. E.g. when he goes to steal the sun from the neighboring village, he first converts himself in to a dry branch which the chief picks. Once in the home of the chief, he reconverts himself in to coyote and steals the sun.

From these differences and similarity, it can be concluded that every one gets his share of ups and downs. Each person devises his own ways of solving his problems. In the contemporary society, job's approach is more real and more applicable than the more mythical coyote in the Aesop's fables. Readers identify more easily with job owing to the seriousness of his suffering. They even sympathies more with him while readers easily read Aesop's fables with no much attachment knowing only but too well that his suffering will end in a humorous way. Job's suffering is purposive in that he was so pious and upright that he had to be tested if he was upright because he was blessed. Coyote's problems are not purposive and just occur.

 

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