How to Write an Apologue
In order to create an apologue,
- Think of a moral lesson.
- Use a brief story about animals to teach that lesson.
For example, imagine someone who lies a lot. A helpful apologue would be:
Moral Lesson 1:
Tell the truth.
Apologue 1:
The bunnies thought it would be funny to tell a young bunny that wolves were afraid of bunnies. Upon hearing this, the bunny hopped towards the wolf acting as if he was very scary. The wolf sprinted towards the bunny and nearly attacked him. The moral is to tell the truth, as lying can be dangerous.
For a second example, imagine someone who is very impatient. A helpful apologue would be:
Moral Lesson 2:
Be patient.
Apologue 2:
Two deer were very hungry, but their mother had told them to wait until the green berries had turned red, as then they would be ripe and good to eat. Unable to wait any longer, though, the deer ate the green berries and became very sick with the sour and bitter taste. The moral is to be patient, as good things are worth the wait.
When to Use Apologues
Apologues are useful when directly stating a moral idea is not effective. Whereas speaking about morals can sound preachy or offensive, telling a moral tale can teach the same idea in a less direct and more interesting way. Because apologues utilize animal characters, they should primarily be used with young audiences in the form of poems, stories, books, television shows, and movies.