An allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.
Allegory #1
There’s a female Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at a widget company. She’s been involved with widgets since 1973. She has 235 employees working under her, and it’s her second time as CEO. She has a vast amount of experience. A new employee is hired. She was a former bartender and has absolutely no knowledge or experience with widgets, but she’s very active on Twitter. She has three buddies who are part of her “squad.” Only one of them has some widget experience. In less than six months on the job they start telling the CEO how to run things. The CEO gets irritated and dismissive. If you were the CEO, how would you react? Wouldn’t you tell them to STFU, even if their great-great-great-great grandparents came over on the Mayflower and they were so white they were practically transparent?
Allegory #2
The New York Jets professional football team finished last year with a record of 4 wins and twelve losses, one of the worst records in the National Football League (NFL).
But during the off-season they acquired three running backs who have the size and strength of rhinos and are as fast as cheetahs. To complement these Jim Brown throwbacks they drafted an offensive line whose members resemble elephants and who open holes in rival defenses wide enough to drive a trailer truck through.
The Jets run the ball on every down, dominating the clock and wearing out the opposition. They win all 16 regular season games and 2 playoff games. They’re about to play in the Super Bowl when a controversy arises. Some of the other players, a few administrators from the front office, and a number of fans insist that the Jets should abandon the run entirely and in the most important game of the year—of their franchise as well—just throw long passes, or “bombs.”
How does that make sense?
This is a typical assignment I’d give to my students when I taught at Quinsigamond Community College (QCC). They’d be instructed to write 250 words explaining the allegories and voicing their opinions on them. If you’ve read this far, perhaps you’d like to take a shot at it. Tomorrow I’ll give you my interpretation of the two allegories. I may even give you my opinion on them (insert smiley face here).
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