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| ALLEGORY EXERCISE |
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Consider the following story
line:
Once upon a time, there was a little girl who wanted to explore
the world, so, one day she packed up her things and set out
on a journey. She walked through the woods that surrounded her
hut until she reached a road. Standing on the other side of
the road was another traveler, a little boy. When asked, he
suggested that she go north, for that was where the big towns
and more interesting sights were. So she walked along the road
northward until she reached a large town. She spent several
days exploring the town and meeting all kinds of strange people.
Finally she grew bored, and found a new road along
which to travel. Standing at the edge of town was a young woman.
When asked, she suggested that the little girl go east, for
that was where the small cities and most interesting sights
were. So the little girl walked eastward along the road until
she came to a small city. She wandered through the city for
a few weeks and saw all manner of new inventions. Finally she
had seen everything, so she left and found a new road
along which to travel. Waiting at an intersection was a man,
who, when asked, suggested that the little girl go south, for
that was where the big cities were. So the little girl walked
along the road going south for quite some time, until she came
to a large city. There she talked with people from different
countries who spoke different languages and had entirely different
cultures. She learned a lot during her stay, but finally she
had had enough of the city, so she found another road along
which to travel. Resting in a nearby park was an old woman,
who, when asked if she could recommend any particular direction
for the little girl to travel, exclaimed, “Oh, there is
a lovely forest west of here. I love to wander through the trees
and enjoy the peace and quiet.” So the little girl went
west and after a while, found the very forest in which she lived.
She skipped through the trees to her hut, glad to be home. |
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How might we allegorize
this tale? We could, for example, make the story
symbolic of gaining experience (naming the little
girl “Innocence,” perhaps). Or we could
substitute animals for the human characters (the
little girl could, for example, be represented by
a baby chick, or a fawn, and the old woman by an
owl). Does allegorizing the story add a layer of
meaning? Does your version seem to have a moral?
Write your allegorical version of the story and
your responses to these questions in your notebook—this
will be collated so that you can print or e-mail
your work when you are finished.
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