Understanding Allegory and Postcolonialism in Literature

ALLEGORY:

ALLEGORY: It is a way of expressing a complex idea by means of simple visual images. It is not the same as metaphor (compares two things that are not similar and shows what they actually have in common), or symbolism (the isolated items that put together make the allegory), or a simile (which compares two things by stating its nature of comparison) or analogy (compares two things that actually do have in common). Sometimes, it depends on the own author the meaning he wants to assign to his pictures. An allegoric story must have two parts: the literal story and the figurative story that readers interpret following the lead of the author (the passing of time may inflict in this matter, which could lead to multiple meanings). Also, allegories ca be personified (Ex. In the Wizard of Oz, each of the characters takes human traits, like the 'cowardly' lion or the 'brainless' scarecrow). Here are some allegories in literature:

• The Chronicles of Narnia: The Witch, The Lion and the Wardrobe: Aslan represents Jesus Christ (his resurrection and sacrifice) or the Stone Table represents the stone that Moses brought down from Mount Sinai, along with the animal characters that represent human attributes.
• Doctor Faustus: Characters named like the seven deadly sins (pride, guilt, sloth, etc.) the good angels that represent venture or the bad angels that represent the desire.
• Gulliver's Travels: An egg represents the division between Catholic and Protestants, and the people owned by Law and High Heels are the representation of an English party. With this, Swift wanted to reflect England's society at his time, criticizing King George I and the political condition.

POSTCOLONIALISM:

POSTCOLONIALISM: It is a literary study that analyzes the cultural attacks during and after the imperial time in the colonies by the British Empire, so it focuses on the viewpoint of both colonizers and colonized, although it differs depending on the nation. This study questions the actions of the Empire and the effects these actions had, so it raises themes such as racism and exploitation. Also, this theory gives intellectuals oppressed their own voice to express their experiences. Franck Fanor is said to be the first postcolonial author in the subject and initiated the debate by showing the colonized and their wish to be an individual. Edward Said is the most important postcolonial theorist and stated that the term 'the otherness' implied racist connotations. Colonized countries got a place in literature, so authors wanted to develop their national literature and raise awareness of the problems they had. Postcolonial literature features rewritten works with a changed point of view to show different perspectives on famous works. (Ex. 'Une Tempête' reflects 'The Tempest' under Caliban's standpoint, or 'The Lord of the Flies', which focuses differently on 'Coral Island' with the thought of one group being superior to another and dehumanization (humans turned into savages with the passing of time).