Allegory digging deeper into the story What is

Allegory digging deeper into the story

• What is Allegory? An allegory is a story with 2 levels of meaning. The first level is the surface meaning: plot, characters, setting, etc. o The second level is the symbolic meaning, deeper meaning of the surface-level elements. o • An allegory is similar to a giant metaphor, which can be political, historical, philosophical, etc.

Key Words: audience rhetoric metaphor symbol theme imagery

Examples: We’re going to look at 2 major examples of allegory related to World War II: JK Rowling’s Harry Potter and Dr. Seuss’ Yertle the Turtle. But first, some background on WWII. . .

Harry Potter as an allegory of WWII

Lord Voldemort/Adolf Hitler • • Orphaned History of disappointment (Hogwarts/Art School) “Half Blood” (Part Muggle/Part Jewish) Obsession with blood purity (Anti-Muggle/Anti-Semitic)

Deatheaters/Nazi Soldiers

Albus Dumbledore/Winston Churchill • • Authority figures had alarmist views and were shunned by the public for them (warning of Voldemort’s return/warning of Hitler’s power)

Rita Skeeter & the Daily Prophet/War Propaganda

Dr. Seuss

Dr. Seuss’ Yertle the Turtle

• • • Can you see Dr. Seuss’ story as an allegory of WW 2? What symbols or metaphors do you see? Could Yertle the Turtle be an allegory of something else?