Allegory & AllusionAllegory & Allusion

Mrs. GroomerMrs. Groomer

English IEnglish I

AllusionAllusion

• a figure of speech that makes a reference to people, places, events, or other things either directly or by implication

• a reference to or mention of something meant to be understood by the reader, listener, or viewer

Fahrenheit 451Fahrenheit 451AllusionAllusion

Volkswagen BeetleVolkswagen Beetle

Magna CartaMagna CartaReferences to these are made throughout the story.References to these are made throughout the story.

Allusion Number One

Volkswagen Volkswagen BeetleBeetle

References to the Beetle References to the Beetle are made several times are made several times throughout the book.throughout the book.

Historical Background • First sold in 1938 by a German company First sold in 1938 by a German company

called Volkswagen. called Volkswagen. • In 1933, Adolf Hitler gave orders to a man In 1933, Adolf Hitler gave orders to a man

named Ferdinand Porsche to create a car named Ferdinand Porsche to create a car that would hold two adults and three that would hold two adults and three children, and travel up to a speed of 100 children, and travel up to a speed of 100 mph. mph.

• The cars were created to be as simple as The cars were created to be as simple as possible, so there would be less to go possible, so there would be less to go wrong. wrong.

• They were designed to help the typical They were designed to help the typical European family.European family.

Connections to Fahrenheit 451 Beetles were made simple.

• The society in Fahrenheit 451 was an extremely simple environment that contained very dull people. – No one thought much about anything, and they didn't

take chances. – They were all just boring people who did the same

thing every single day. • The citizens that lived in this society were

basically forced to be simple just like the Volkswagen Beetle.

Allusion Number TwoMagna CartaMagna Carta

Historical Background• It was written in ancient Latin, in the year 1215.• A document that challenged King John's (The King

of England) powers, and secured citizens' privileges. • King John had unfair ruling, and the barons of

England could not find a way to get themselves a new king.

• They decided to write a formal document and force the king to sign it.

• This document was the Magna Carta. • It limited the King's powers, and forced him to have

fair ruling.

Connections to Fahrenheit 451• The Barons of England rebelled against the king in order

to do what was best for the country. • They fought for their opinion, and didn't take no for an

answer. • The "hobos" in Fahrenheit 451 rebel against the

government, and do what they think is right by preserving literature.

• They think the government is being unfair by eliminating reading from their society, so they stand up for it.

• They know the truth behind thinking, and they know it can benefit their world, so they take a chance, and start a revolution.

AllegoryAllegory

• A literary device in which characters or events represent or symbolize ideas and concepts

• The symbolization can usually be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one

Fahrenheit 451Fahrenheit 451AllegoryAllegory

Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave”

Plato’sPlato’sAllegory of the CaveAllegory of the Cave

Allegory of the CaveAllegory of the Cave• Socrates describes a group of people who have lived

chained to the wall of a cave all of their lives, facing a blank wall.

• The people watch shadows projected on the wall by things passing in front of a fire behind them, and begin to attribute forms to these shadows.

• According to Socrates, the shadows are as close as the prisoners get to viewing reality.

• He then explains how the philosopher is like a prisoner who is freed from the cave and comes to understand that the shadows on the wall are not representative of reality at all, as he can recognize the true form of reality rather than the mere shadows seen by the prisoners.

What does Plato mean by all this?What does Plato mean by all this?• Plato's main concept of the cave is that people view reality by

what they can actually see when it is really more than that.• With a fire behind them, the prisoners can only see shadows

of images, therefore they believe this to be reality.• However, if one of the prisoners was to climb out of the cave,

he would begin to see the true image and not just the shadow of the image.

• Then, if this prisoner was to go back to the cave, he would find that it would be impossible to conform back to his old world.

• And, if the returning prisoner were to tell the other prisoners about the light and that their shadows were not real images, they would not believe him and would accuse him of trying to disrupt their way of life.

Your AssignmentYour Assignment• Watch the video

“The Allegory of the Cave.”

• Answer Questions

• With your group, determine what lesson Plato was trying to teach us and how it relates to Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451.