What is an Allegory ?

1. What is an Allegory? a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one.

2. The Sneetches– Just a Dr. Seuss story? The Sneetches' stars are a pretty in-your-face symbol. In Sneetchville, they represent difference. In Humanville, they represent discrimination. Think back to all the times humans (and maybe Sneetches, too) have discriminated against people because of the way they look.

3. One example we will point to: Jewish people, who were made to wear stars (yep, stars) to distinguish themselves through various periods in history. Because "The Sneetches" was first published in 1961, during the Civil Rights Movement, we're pretty sure Seuss had all this discrimination jazz on his mind.

4. Differences between Sneetches and People Discrimination But there's a key difference between human discrimination and Sneetch discrimination: the Sneetches can pay to get their stars (or get rid of them). When the Plain-Belly Sneetches pay to get stars on their tummies, they exclaim, "We're all just the same, now, you snooty old smarties! / And now we can go to your frankfurter parties" (Sneetches.46-47). Skin color, religion, sexuality—these, on the other hand, can't be bought and sold.

5. What does all this mean? Maybe the prejudice isn't based on how the Sneetches look, but on what they own. Just as bad, to be sure, but it's an important distinction. In a way, Seuss might be warning us that these types of prejudices—based on class—are just as diabolical as others. Maybe more so since they can be harder to spot.

6. The Star of David The Star of David is a six-pointed star made up of two triangles superimposed over each other. In Judaism it is often called the MagenDavid, which means the "shield of David" in Hebrew

7. Symbolic Meanings of the Star of David There are many ideas about the symbolic meaning of the Star of David. Some Kabbalists thought that the six points represented God's absolute rule over the universe in all six directions: north, south, east, west, up and down. They also believed that the triangles represented humanity’s dual nature – good and evil – and that the star could be used as protection against evil spirits.

8. The structure of the star, with two overlapping triangles, has also been thought to represent the relationship between God and the Jewish people. The star that points up symbolizes God and the star that points down represents us here on earth.

9. Shape Symbol Review: Triangle facing up= Strength, stability Triangle facing down= Unstable

10. Symbols at the Concentration Camp Nazi concentration camp badges, primarily triangles, were part of the system of identification in Nazi camps. They were used in the concentration camps in the Nazi-occupied countries to identify the reason the prisoners had been placed there.The triangles were made of fabric and were sewn on jackets and trousers of the prisoners. These mandatory badges of shame had specific meanings indicated by their color and shape.

11. Such emblems helped guards assign tasks to the detainees: for example, a guard at a glance could see if someone were a convicted criminal (green patch) and thus likely of a "tough" temperament suitable for kapo duty.

12. Someone with an "escape suspect" mark usually would not be assigned to work squads operating outside the camp fence. Someone wearing an F could be called upon to help translate guards' spoken instructions to a trainload of new arrivals from France. Some historical monuments quote the badge-imagery; the use of a triangle being a sort of visual shorthand to symbolize all camp victims. Also, the modern day use of a pink triangle emblem to symbolize gay rights is a response to the camp identification patches.

13. Single triangles Red triangle—political prisoners: social democrats, socialists, trade unionists, Freemasons, communists, and anarchists. Green triangle— "professional criminals" (convicts, often working in the camps as Kapos). Blue triangle—foreign forced laborers, emigrants.

14. Purple triangle—Jehovah's Witnesses, though a very small number of pacifists (a person who believes that war and violence are unjustifiable) and members of other religious organizations were also imprisoned under this classification. Pink triangle—sexual offenders, mostly homosexual men but rarely rapists, andpedophiles.

15. Black triangle—people who were deemed "asocial elements" and "work shy" including • Roma (Gypsies), who were later assigned a brown triangle • The mentally ill • Alcoholics • Vagrants and beggars • Lesbians • Prostitutes • Some anarchists • Drug addicts

16. If a Jewish prisoner fell under another category, their badges would be sewn with a yellow triangle on the bottom, and other color inverted on top to make a star of David From 1938, Jews in the camps were identified by a yellow star sewn onto their prison uniforms, a perversion of the Jewish Star of David symbol.

17. The Nazis required Jews to wear the yellow Star of David not only in the camps but throughout most of occupied Europe. This set them apart from others during the Third Reich

22. How does this relate to the Sneetches?  “High class” versus “Low class”, black versus white, you could even go so far as to compare it to the superiority Hitler and The Nazis felt over Jewish people. In the beginning, the Sneetches are separated, star-bellies and plain-bellies. You see how the star-bellied Sneetches believe they are the best Sneetches there are, discriminating against the plain-bellied Sneetches simply because of their appearance. Sounds an awful lot like how minorities have been treated in the past, and how some are being treated today.

23. Sylvester McMonkeyMcBean  At first it appears that McBean plans on genuinely helping the plain-bellied Sneetches fit in. He charges them a small fee and gives them a star on their bellies. Once all the Sneetches have stars on their bellies, the original star-bellied Sneetches no longer want the stars on their bellies. Again, here comes McBean, offering a “solution” to the original star-bellied Sneetches.He charges them an even larger fee to remove their stars. You later see that McBean represents something more. You realize he is using their ignorance and prejudice to exploit them for his own financial gain

24. Offers a “help” to Europe after WWI • Offers a “ final solution” to reason for Europe demise • Finds prejudice for each other for personal gain • At first wants to help • Offers a “solution” • Egging on prejudice for each other for personal gain Stars are used to show separation and discriminate against each other Sylvester McMonkeyMcBean AKA “Hitler/Nazi-esqe” The Sneetches AKA “Jewish/People”

25. How does this relate to the Sneetches? Lesson Learned When McBean finally leaves, the Sneetches decide it's best that they all just get along and forget about who has stars on their bellies and who doesn't. They decide "no kind of Sneetch is the best on the beaches" (Sneetches.96). Of course, half of the reason might be that they're flat broke. Seuss might be hinting that only once money is taken out of the equation can we truly see each other for who we are. Maybe it's not stars but dollar signs that the Sneetches are no longer seeing.

26. Seuss might be hinting that only once money is taken out of the equation can we truly see each other for who we are What would have happened if Hitler never blamed the Jewish people for the downfall of Germany after WWI? They were ultimately his scapegoat for the country’s turmoil, which lead to others gaining trust in his political party.

27. The White Triangle Challenge For this challenge, you will be given a gray triangle with a number on it. The number on the triangle represents how many students are in your English class this semester. The H represents being an honors student

28. The White Triangle Challenge The white triangle represents you being a sophomore at WOHS. Assume that as a sophomore, you are not allowed to play on Varsity sports, go to prom or homecoming, drive a car, or get a license (even provisional). You cannot eat lunch outside, and you must each lunch on the stage in the cafeteria. You can only sit with other sophomores. You must ride the buses to and from school. You can only talk to other sophomores. You can only have a locker on the freshman hallway. You cannot take AP level courses until your junior year. Assume that the entire school also holds these assumptions to be true.

29. Social Challenge: Wear the triangle all day. • How long will you wear the triangle patch? • Why will you take it off (peers? Not in English anymore? Because you think this social experiment is just silly? Will you even put it on to begin with… just to see?) • I am not MAKING you wear it– but what if it was the law? How would you react?