1. The WIZARD OF OZ IS A BOOK/FILM ABOUT…
THE POLITICAL CLIMATE OF LATE-NINETEENTH-CENTURY AMERICA
SCARECROWS, AND TINMEN, AND COWARDLY LIONS
LIONS, AND TIGERS, AND BEARS… OH MY!
FOLLOWING THE YELLOW BRICK ROAD
MELTING WITCHES
A YOUNG GIRL TRYING TO MAKE IT HOME TO KANSAS

2. ALLEGORY: What Lies Beneath

3. LESSON ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS
How and why are allegories used to convey an author’s purpose?
In what ways could an allegory enhance the effectiveness with which an author’s purpose is achieved?
How does a moralizing purpose either add to or detract from the entertainment value of a particular piece of art?

4. LANGUAGE ARTS: FLORIDA STANDARDS
Reading: LAFS.1112.RL.2.4 Writing: LAFS.1112.W.3.9 Speaking & Listening: LAFS.1112.SL.1.1 Language: LAFS.1112.L.3.5

5. DEFINITION
ALLEGORY…
a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

6. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!
NURSERY RHYMES
Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop When the wind blows, the cradle will rock When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall And down will come baby, cradle and all

7. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!
Son of James II of England
Stuart Monarchy
NURSERY RHYMES
Rock-a-bye baby, in the treetop When the wind blows, the cradle will rock When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall And down will come baby, cradle and all
Catholic-Protestant dissension
Throne, seat of power

8. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!
FAIRY TALES
SYMBOLISM = the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities
BIRDS
Messengers of higher realms/Death
WITCHES
Dark side of ourselves/Evil
FOREST
Inner struggle/Face our fears
MIRRORS
Gateway to other realms/Past or Future

9. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!
FABLES…
short stories, typically with animals, conveying a moral (a lesson, especially one concerning what is right or prudent)

10. The Fox and the Crow
A Fox once saw a Crow fly off with a piece of cheese in its beak and settle on a branch of a tree. “That’s for me, as I am a Fox,” said Master Fox, and he walked up to the foot of the tree. “Good-day, Mistress Crow,” he cried. “How well you are looking to-day: how glossy your feathers; how bright your eye. I feel sure your voice must surpass that of other birds, just as your figure does; let me hear but one song from you that I may greet you as the Queen of Birds.” The Crow lifted up her head and began to caw her best, but the moment she opened her mouth the piece of cheese fell to the ground, only to be snapped up by Master Fox. “That will do,” said he. “That was all I wanted. In exchange for your cheese I will give you a piece of advice for the future.”

11. The Fox and the Crow What is the moral of this story?
How is this story an allegory?

12. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!
MODERN-DAY FABLES
The Lorax by Dr. Seuss
Environmental Advocacy
Conservation of Nature
Dangers of Industrialization

13. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!

14. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!
MOVIES
AVATAR: The Modern-Day Lorax?
CONSERVATION ISSUES
HISTORICAL ALLEGORY
Na’vi = Native Americans
RDA = Western Expansion

15. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!
DOROTHY
THE COMMON AMERICAN
MAN/WOMAN
MOVIES
THE WIZARD OF OZ
TINMAN
INDUSTRIAL WORKERS
SCARECROW
WILLIAM JENNINGS BRYAN
AGRICULTURAL WORKERS
COWARDLY LION

16. ALLEGORIES ARE EVERYWHERE!
BOOKS
ANIMAL FARM

17. AND, OF COURSE… CHARLES DICKENS’ A CHRISTMAS CAROL
The work is an allegory in that it features events and characters with a clear, fixed symbolic meaning. In the novella, Scrooge represents all the values that are opposed to the idea of Christmas--greed, selfishness, and a lack of goodwill toward one's fellow man.

18. A CHRISTMAS CAROL MATCH THE ELEMENT WITH ITS ALLEGORICAL MEANING:
MIDDLE CLASS
MEMORY
FEAR OF DEATH
EMPATHY/GOODWILL
UPPER CLASS
LOWER CLASS
SCROOGE
FRED (SCROOGE’S NEPHEW)
CRATCHIT FAMILY
GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST
GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT
GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET-TO-COME

19. A CHRISTMAS CAROL MATCH THE ELEMENT WITH ITS ALLEGORICAL MEANING:
MIDDLE CLASS
MEMORY
FEAR OF DEATH
EMPATHY/GOODWILL
UPPER CLASS
LOWER CLASS
SCROOGE
FRED (SCROOGE’S NEPHEW)
CRATCHIT FAMILY
GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PAST
GHOST OF CHRISTMAS PRESENT
GHOST OF CHRISTMAS YET-TO-COME

20. THINK ABOUT IT… QUESTION…
Why allegory? What’s the point? The benefit? Why would an author choose to write an allegory, rather than just come right out and say what he/she means in the first place?
How does an allegory affect the entertainment value of a story? Does it add to or detract from the entertainment value? How so?
ANSWER…
Think about these questions and discuss them within your groups. Pen a one-paragraph response that represents the thoughts of the entire group.

21. ALLEGORY ASSIGNMENT
Your final assignment for the book will be to write your own allegory of a historical, political, or social issue that is important to you. What does this mean? To write this allegory you need to identify a problem that you want to bring attention to and then plan and write an allegory for it in the form of a story (like A Christmas Carol).

22. ALLEGORY ASSIGNMENT
To help you understand this task, think about this example. Your friend moves to another state and begins attending a school with a bullying problem. To make matters worse, the school’s administration isn't trying to fix it. The principal, in fact, laughs when he sees students being bullied. You could write an allegory of this issue by creating a cast of animal characters (common in allegorical stories). On a farm, the haughty stallions prance and tease the other animals. They dislike how the other animals are all smaller, weaker, and uglier than they are. So, they tease and torment them. The farmer enjoys this as the horses are his favorite. Well, you can see where this is going.
Now, think of your own issue and plan an allegory for it. It is ok to write about a resolution to the issue in your allegory even if one hasn't been found in real life.

23. ALLEGORY ASSIGNMENT REQUIREMENTS…
Your allegory should be a minimum of one handwritten page.
Your allegory should be a complete narrative with a beginning, middle, and end.
Your allegory should also include conflict (struggle between protagonist, or leading character, and antagonist, character in opposition to the antagonist) and resolution (part of the plot line in which the problem of the story is worked out).
Your story should include symbolic representations of people, places, and things from real life (i.e. a farm representing a school).
Your story must be an allegory of a familiar social, political, or historical issue that people will recognize.

24. ALLEGORY ASSIGNMENT LAST CLASS BEFORE WINTER BREAK
DUE (w/ JOURNAL ENTRIES & OPTIONAL EXTRA CREDIT)
LAST CLASS BEFORE WINTER BREAK