1. SYMBOLISM RECAP- EXERCISE Exploring symbolism in Literature

2. What is symbolism?  Symbolism allows people to communicate beyond the limits of language.  Humans use symbolism all the time. Words themselves are mere symbols for something else.  A symbol is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself.

3. Symbolism Exercise  Use your imagination and take a short journey…  1) First, imagine a character (not yourself) walking down a road. Describe on your paper the road from the characters point of view.

4. Symbolism Exercise Continued…  2) As your character is walking, he or she encounters a key in the road. Describe the key and write what your character does with the key when he or she sees it.

5. Symbolism Exercise Continued…  Next, the character comes to a coin in the road. Describe the coin and tell what the character does when he or she sees it.

6. Symbolism Exercise Continued…  Next, the character comes to a body of water. Describe what the body of water looks like and what your character does upon encountering it.

7. Symbolism Exercise Continued…  Lastly, your character comes to a fence. Describe the fence and what your character does upon encountering it.

8. Symbolism Exercise Continued…  Now, pretend that you are an expert on dreams and and interpret what this dream might mean to the dreamer’s life…  ***remember you wrote about a fictional character, not yourself.

9. Explanation:  Each station on this trip is meant to symbolize something different.  How the character sees the road is indicative of how the character feels about life in general  The key and how it is perceived is meant to provide insight into the character’s view of education.  The coin is a symbol of wealth and property.  The body of water is a symbol of love.  The fence in the road is a symbol of death.  Source: http://voices.yahoo.com/literary-symbolism- exercise-high-school-middle-2217847.html?cat=4http://voices.yahoo.com/literary-symbolism- exercise-high-school-middle-2217847.html?cat=4