Allegory, Paradox, Satire, Foreshadowing

2010

9th grade

Symbols

A symbol is an ordinary object that stands for something greater.

Many symbols have been handed down over time. The lion has been used repeatedly in flags,

banners, castles, art, and literature to represent power, courage, and domination.

A snake represents evil or sneakiness, an eagle--strength, an owl--wisdom.

Spring symbolizes hope and new beginnings

Allegory

You know a symbol is a person or object that stands for something else.

An allegory is a story in which the characters, settings, and actions stand for something else. In short, an allegory is a story that represents something else.

Allegories are usually straight-forward with simple characters and are meant to teach a lesson.

The Lion and the Mouse

In this story, a sleeping lion is disturbed by a mouse and threatens to kill it. The mouse begs his freedom and says he will return the favor one day. The lion laughs but lets the mouse go. Later, the lion becomes caught in a trapper’s net. The mouse returns and chews through the rope to free the lion.

What does this story represent?

Paradox

This is a statement or situation that seems to contradict itself, but it actually reveals a truth about something.

Example: Tim and Marci barely make enough money to pay their bills each month, yet they are two of the richest people on earth.

This sounds like a contradiction. What truth does it reveal?

Satire

This is a type of writing that ridicules something to persuade its audience to follow a certain course of action. Instead of explaining why we should do something, it makes a mockery of the opposing side.

Satires can ridicule a specific person, a group of people, humanity in general, a specific attitude, etc., and it usually involves a great deal of exaggeration.

Satire

Jonathan Swift’s A Modest Proposal, 1729 English were overtaking Ireland. In a very serious tone, he makes a proposal as to

how children could be used to help their parents and their country. They can be bred like cattle to provide food. Their skin can make gloves and boots. Don’t you wish you had been sold for food instead of

suffering as you are now?

Foreshadowing

A hint at what is to come in a story. That Was Then, This Is Now

“Man, if anybody ever hurt me like that I’d hate them for the rest of my life.”

“Nothing bad happens to you when you’re a kid. I don’t worry. I’m never scared of nothing, and I never will be, as long as I’m a kid.”

Mark says he’s never gonna break like Angela did when she was crying about her life.