"Allegory" in simple terms...

[easybreakable]

Would you please explain it?

I think most of the online definitions are vague... I need something easy to understand.

[Raymott]

Would you please explain it?

I think most of the online definitions are vague... I need something easy to understand.

An allegory is a story that works on various different levels of meaning - like Aesop's fables, or Jesus' parables, or Orwell's Animal Farm.

[easybreakable]

I see.
Well I think now it's becoming clearer, though still I find difficulty in differentiating it from the term "metaphor" but I know for sure that they are not synonymous words and perhaps the latter commonly used regarding poetry... As always, I appreciate hearing your thoughts.

[Barb_D]

A metaphor is short: He is a pig.

An extended metaphor can be a bit longer: Too many cooks were involved in this project and not surprisingly we ended up with an over-seasoned, gloppy soup instead of an elegant main course.

An allegory is an entire story. You can read an allegory as a simple story. You can read Animal Farm and think it's about animals.