SYMBOLISM WHAT YOU SEE IS NOT ALWAYS WHAT YOU GET… SOMETIMES YOU GET MORE!
A SYMBOL IS… An object that represents a greater idea Often an ordinary object, event, person, or animal to which we have attached extraordinary meaning and significance. An icon (picture) that stands for a bigger meaning
COMMON OBJECTS SUCH AS… A rectangle of dyed cloth to symbolize a country. A picture of a skull and crossbones to symbolize poison or danger. Red roses as a symbol of love.
EVEN TODDLERS RECOGNIZE COMMON SYMBOLS…
GROUPS USE SYMBOLS For example…
SYMBOLISM IN LITERATURE literary symbols work the same way, and because they have a previously agreed upon meaning, they can be used to suggest universal ideas. A symbol may appear in a work of literature in a number of different ways to suggest a number of different things. Most commonly, a symbol will present itself in the form of: a word a figure of speech an event the total action a character
WHERE DO THESE SYMBOLS COME FROM? Symbols can be inherited or invented. The most familiar symbols have been inherited; meaning they have been handed down over time
EXAMPLE: WHAT DOES THE LION REPRESENT IN LITERATURE? No one really knows who first thought of using a lion as a symbol of power, courage, and domination Once these qualities were associated with the animal, images of lions appeared on flags, banners, coats of arms and castle walls The lion became a public symbol that shows up in art and literature, even today!
COLORS OFTEN SYMBOLIZE MOODS Red : immoral; blood, passion, emotion, danger, or daring; often associated with fire Black: seen as a cold and negative aspect suggesting passivity, death, ignorance, or evil; black hens are used in witchcraft as are black cats Green : inexperience, hope; new life, immaturity; it is a comforting, refreshing human color; it is the color of plant life Yellow : rotting, heat, decay, violence, decrepitude, old age, and the approach of death; bright; happiness Blue : cool, calm, peaceful; an insubstantial color in the real world except as translucency, the void of heavens Pink : innocence, femininity Purple : royalty, bruising or pain Brown : a color somewhere between russet and black; it is the color of earth and ploughed land and soil, it represents humility and poverty Orange : the emblem of divine love or extreme lust; vibrancy, life Violet : composed of red and blue, it is the color of temperance, clarity of mind White : innocence, life, light, purity, or enlightenment
WHAT MIGHT THESE COLORS SYMBOLIZE? 1 2 3
HOW ABOUT A PINK RIBBON? 4
REMEMBER, ____________ ARE ITEMS THAT REPRESENT A ____________ IDEA OR MEANING.
WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE? 5
WHICH WOULD YOU RATHER RECEIVE? 6
SEASONS CAN ALSO BE USED AS SYMBOLS
OBJECTS HOLD IMPORTANT MEANING, SUCH AS…
SYMBOLISM IN THE WATSONS GO TO BIRMINGHAM A dove can represent many things such as peace, hope, innocence and in religious terms the holy spirit In chapter 6, Byron kills a dove and soon buries the small creature. Why do you think the author chose this type of animal? What do you think the significance of this event is?