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Intro to Allegory, Fables, and Parables
Aesop's Fables
Aesop was a slave and story-teller believed to have lived in ancient Greece between 620 and 560 B.C.
He wrote hundreds of fables such as "The North Wind and the Sun".
The North Wind and the Sun
THE NORTH WIND and the Sun disputed as to which was the most
powerful, and agreed that he should be declared the victor who
could first strip a wayfaring man of his clothes. The North Wind
first tried his power and blew with all his might, but the keener
his blasts, the closer the Traveler wrapped his cloak around him,
until at last, resigning all hope of victory, the Wind called
upon the Sun to see what he could do. The Sun suddenly shone out
with all his warmth. The Traveler no sooner felt his genial rays
than he took off one garment after another, and at last, fairly
overcome with heat, undressed and bathed in a stream that lay in
his path.
Persuasion is better than Force.
Examples?
Can you think of fable and parable examples from your childhood?
Lessons or Morals
Characters often personify abstract concepts and the action of the narrative usually stands for something not explicitly stated.
This means you must infer to understand the lesson.
Other Characteristics of Fables and Parables
- Short in length
- Few characters
- Must go on journey
- Task to complete
- Simple Language
Allegory
"The Lottery"
Yesterday, we read "The Lottery" and discussed literary elements. Now think about the story as an allegory . For what could the actions or characters stand? What can we learn?
A story in which the characters and events are symbols that stand for ideas about human life or for a political or historical situation
Some Types of Allegories
These types of allegories teach lessons:
Parables - often focus on spiritual elements
Fables - often use animals or entities as characters
These terms are frequently used interchangeably.
"A Fable"
Let's look at Mark Twain's "A Fable" and analyze it. You will be doing something similar for a parable found within The Alchemist.
Next week during our Socratic Seminar, we can discuss the entire novel as an allegory.