Lesson 3: Allegory and Symbolism

Students discuss how stories can influence what people think or believe, or how they behave.

Think-Pair-Share

Prompt students to respond to the following question using the Think-Pair-Share routine.

Say these Directions: Follow the Think-Pair-Share routine and work with your partner to answer the questions:

• How can a story influence what people believe or how they act, even if it never directly says, “This is the lesson of this story”?

• What is an example of a story from your own background knowledge that might influence how people believe or act?

  • (Student responses may vary.) Stories can influence people by showing the consequences of certain choices instead of directly telling readers what to think or the lesson they should learn. For example, a character who ignores advice because they are overconfident and then fails might serve as a warning to readers not to act out of pride. For example, I think of Greek myths like the story of Icarus, who flies too close to the sun. It is a good example of a story that tries to influence people not to be overly ambitious. These kinds of stories help readers reflect on their behavior and consider how their own decisions might lead to certain outcomes.

Lead a whole-class discussion once partners have discussed the question. Explain that in this unit, students will learn that persuasion is not limited to speeches or posters. It can also happen through storytelling.

Introduce the word allegory and display the definition:

allegory: a text like a story or poem or a visual image in which the characters, objects, and events are symbolic and, together, represent an underlying message, idea, or lesson

• Say: Sometimes authors tell stories that mean more than what happens on the surface. An allegory may seem like a simple story, but it communicates a universal message about human behavior or society. Instead of stating the message directly, the author uses characters, events, and conflicts to represent ideas about human behavior or society. When readers analyze allegory, they move from what happens in the story to what the characters, events, and conflicts represent. Like propaganda, allegories are intended to shape how people think, not by directly telling them what to believe, but by showing ideas and outcomes through story.

• Say: Readers can analyze an allegory by asking themselves the following questions:

  • Who or what might these characters and events represent in the real world?

  • What larger idea or message is the author suggesting?

  • How does the conflict connect to real human behavior or how humans interact in society?

Introduce the word symbolism and display the definition:

symbolism: using objects, colors, or characters to represent abstract ideas or emotions that build theme; authors often do this through repetition and emphasis

Explain to students that symbolism shows up in their everyday lives all the time.

• Say: Symbolism is all around us. How many of you send emojis when you text? Certain emojis convey certain ideas and emotions. For example, if you send a heart emoji to your friend, what do you mean? What about the emoji in which the smiley face has a closed zipper for lips? What does that emoji stand for or symbolize?

  • (Student responses may vary.) The heart emoji means you love your friend or are sending them love. The emoji with the zipper for lips means you are willing to keep a secret.

• Say: Authors use symbolism when they write allegories. They use characters, events, and settings to symbolize specific messages, lessons, or ideas. Symbols help authors communicate deeper meanings, emotions, or themes.

Explain to students that in this lesson, they will analyze symbolism within allegories to determine the ideas or lessons the allegories are trying to convey.

Part A: Analyze Theme Development in Allegory (RL.8.2, RL.8.3) (20 minutes)

Students work in small groups to read two fables by Aesop and discuss how the fables might represent real-life situations and how each has a message that might influence human behavior.

Table Talk

Divide students into small groups and provide each student within the group a copy of “The Hare and the Tortoise” and “The Fox and the Crow.”

Say these Directions: Work with your small group to read two fables, which are a type of allegory. Then discuss the following questions. Use evidence from the text to explain what the characters and events represent. Remember that in an allegory, the characters, plot, and settings can symbolize emotions and abstract ideas. Add your ideas to the chart paper or a digital board.

• How do the characters act in “The Hare and the Tortoise”? What do their actions reveal about them? What kind of real-life person might each character represent? Give specific examples from the fable to support your ideas.

  • In “The Hare and the Tortoise,” the story begins with the Hare making fun of the Tortoise for being slow. He “was much amused” at the thought of racing the Tortoise. He takes the lead at first and, “to make the Tortoise feel deeply ridiculous,” the Hare decides to take a nap. But he does not awake in time and loses the race. His behavior shows that he is overconfident and arrogant about his abilities. The Tortoise, on the other hand, acts calm and takes his time to get to the finish line. He is not fazed by the Hare’s mockery. The story describes him “going slowly but steadily.” His character represents the benefits of being unaffected by taunts and by persisting in the face of a challenge. The Hare seems like a braggart and bully who thinks he is much better than he actually is.

• How do the characters act in “The Fox and the Crow”? What kind of real-life person might each character represent? Give specific examples from the fable to support your ideas.

  • In “The Fox and the Crow,” the Fox sees the cheese that the Crow holds and flatters the Crow in order to get her to drop the cheese. He says, “No need to search any farther” for breakfast. He lies when he says how he feels about her. It is all a trick. At first, the Crow “watched the Fox suspiciously,” as she should, but she lets his flattery trick her. The Fox could represent a person who tries to persuade you to do something for nothing or wants to trick you. The Crow represents a person who is vain and naive, falling for a trick because she believed in false flattery.

• What messages or lessons do these fables communicate about human behavior or actions? What details support this theme or message?

  • In “The Fox and the Crow,” the message is that flattery can be dangerous; the fox’s praise leads the crow to drop the cheese. If she didn’t fall for his trick, the Fox would be forced to work for his own food. The lesson about human behavior is that we need to be aware of our ego and not be blinded by flattery. In “The Hare and the Tortoise,” the lesson is that people should not be unkind and arrogant. The Tortoise can win the race because the Hare makes the mistake of taking a nap, because he truly believes he will win no matter what. The message to people is that being too prideful can cause you to fail.

Instruct each small group to share their table talk ideas with another small group. After the small groups have shared their responses and ideas with each other, lead a whole-class discussion of the questions.

Part B: Evaluating Allegory as Persuasion (SL.8.1) (10 minutes)

Students participate in a Four Corners Debate to evaluate whether or not they believe that allegory is more influential than propaganda.

Four Corners Debate

Transition students into a whole-class discussion activity called Four Corners Debate. Post four signs in the corners of the classroom (Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree).

Say these Directions: A Four Corners Debate is a discussion activity where you take a position on a statement and support it with evidence. Each corner of the room represents a different viewpoint—Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, or Strongly Disagree. After choosing a corner, you will collaborate with peers to explain your reasoning, listen to other perspectives, and decide whether new evidence strengthens or changes your thinking.

• Allegory can work like propaganda: it doesn’t just entertain. It pushes readers toward a belief about how people behave or how societies work. Choose a position on the following statement:

  • Allegories are more influential than direct propaganda.

• Say: If I agreed, I would stand in the “Agree” corner because when a lesson is shown through characters and events, readers often reflect on the message more deeply than if they were simply told what to think.

Invite students to move to the corner that best represents their position - Strongly Agree, Agree, Disagree, Strongly Disagree.

Once groups are formed, have students collaborate to develop one clear, evidence-based statement explaining their position. Encourage them to reference the fables they read to provide concrete examples of what makes the allegory effective or ineffective as a tool of persuasion.

Provide sentence supports, such as:

• “I chose this position because ___.”

• “The fable ___ clearly shows ___, which is a convincing lesson.”

• “Allegories can be ___, which makes them ___. For example, ___.”

• “I disagree with that idea because ___.”

Circulate and listen for students connecting the characters and events in the fable to the themes they present. They should use textual evidence rather than personal preference. Invite one volunteer from each corner to present their position and evidence.

• Ask: Which arguments were strongest, and why?

• Ask: Did anyone hear evidence that made you reconsider your position?

Allow students to move corners if their thinking shifts. Emphasize that revising one’s view based on evidence is part of strong analytical thinking.

• Say: In this unit, you will read another allegory—Animal Farm—that is much more complex than the fables you just read. In his allegorical novel, George Orwell comments on real-world systems of power and persuasion. As you begin Animal Farm, you will read on two levels—the literal story about the animals and the symbolic meaning that conveys important themes about humanity and society.

Provide students with a confidence continuum (i.e., 1–5). As needed, model how to demonstrate a level of confidence using the continuum.

Quick Write

Transition students into reflecting on their learning from the lesson by completing a Quick Write response.

Say these Directions: Respond to the following prompt based on today’s lesson.

• Identify one character or event from today’s allegories and explain in two to three sentences what real-world idea, issue, or type of person it might represent.

  • (Student responses may vary.) The hare could represent a person who relies on confidence and bullying instead of effort. The story suggests that pride can cause failure, which warns readers not to assume power or success is guaranteed.

Introduce the homework to complete before the next lesson:

Read Chapter I of Animal Farm (pp. 3–14) and annotate for key ideas that Old Major communicates in his speech.