Transcript Elements of Literature: Character

Symbolism
Feature Menu
Symbol
Identifying Symbols
Practice
Symbol
A symbol is a person, place, thing, or event that
stands both for itself and for something beyond
itself. Symbols may be
• personal
• public
• literary
Symbol
Personal symbols have special meaning for an
individual.
Symbol
Public symbols are widely recognized throughout
a culture and sometimes even universally.
Note
Symbol
Literary symbols are created when writers assign
a special, symbolic meaning to something. They
appear in works of fiction, poetry, and drama.
Color symbolism
Symbol
Symbols, whether public or literary, work by
association.
red rose
apple on a desk
late night knock
Symbol
Authors can make use of well-known symbols,
create their own symbols, or combine elements of
both public and literary symbols.
Public
Symbol
white
+
Private
Symbol
whale
=
Literary
Symbol
Moby Dick
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Identifying Symbols
Not all literary works contain symbols. How do
readers know when something is symbolic in a
story and when it is not?
Characteristics of Symbols
Are often visual
Often reappear throughout the work
Are a form of figurative language and stand for
something essentially different from themselves
Usually relate to the work’s theme
Identifying Symbols
Quick Check
. . . there stood against the western wall a
gigantic clock of ebony. . . . and when the
minute hand had made the circuit of the
face, and the hour was to be stricken,
there came from the brazen lungs of the
clock a sound . . . of so peculiar a note and
emphasis that . . . while the chimes of the
clock yet rang, it was observed that the
giddiest [dancer] grew pale, and the more
aged and sedate passed their hands over
their brows . . . .
What might
the clock
symbolize?
from “The Masque of the Red Death” by Edgar
Allan Poe
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Practice
How many symbols can you find in
public life? Try identifying what the following
things stand for by tomorrow at the beginning of
class.
1. dove with an olive branch
2. blindfolded woman holding a pair of scales
3. yellow rose
4. yellow ribbon tied around a tree
5. dragon (dragons stand for different things in
the East and the West)
6. pink ribbon on a lapel
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The End