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Symbolism: What it is and Blog

Apr 7, 2022

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What's the significance of Symbolism?

If you're looking for what the purpose of symbolism, the clue's in the title"Symbolism" signifies something that suggests or represents something other beyond the literal meaning. Writing typically uses objects or words that have another purpose, that serve as a crucial part of the narrative.

Examples of Symbolism

The symbolism we see is evident all over literature as well as in our daily life, and there are many widely accepted meanings for different phrases or images that are beyond the evident interpretations. There are many examples:

The White Color: Clean and innocuous

White is often used as a symbol for purity or innocence. Think of white wedding dresses that are typical or waving an uncolored flag in give up. This is not an exclusive feature of white that suggests the significance of these words. However, with the passage of time , and the people who bring the significance of white to it and its deeper meaning, these have become part of the general awareness.

A Four-Leaf Cloveris Good Luck, or good Fortune

The "luck of the Irish" is usually attributed to the clover with four leaves. While the three-leaf clover is widespread, one with four leaves can be more difficult to find. This is why, if you're able to discover one, you're considered to be an extremely lucky.

Ravens: Prophecy, or even death

A bird that speaks ravens are frequently thought to be symbols of divinity or prophecy, an interconnection between the human and spiritual realms. Their dark, feathered wings and ominous appearance and the typical food of decaying flesh have been linked to death loss or luck. Edgar Allan Poe's infamous poem "The Raven" is a good illustration of this kind of symbolism in literature.

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Types of Symbolism

Religious symbols

Through the ages, religion has been a dominant force throughout the world. It's hardly a surprise to find that the symbols around religious beliefs have been all over the world of poetry and literature.

Shakespeare was a fan of religious symbolism, often employing words such as "pilgrim," "saint," and "shrine" to discuss the romance story of Romeo and Juliet. Not only did these phrases appeal to a religious audience during his time but they also allow modern readers to empathize with the pain of this couple, and feel the profound and unadulterated character of their relationship.

Romantic Symbolism

Other universally recognized concepts are love and romance , can be represented in a myriad of styles in literature and poetry. The white and red flowers of a swan, as an example, have come to be synonymous with love and devotion.

While some writers are more explicit in the romantic pictures they create (a candle-lit dinner or objects featuring hearts are obviously a reference to romantic love) Other writers like to keep their literary symbols somewhat obscure for the viewer. For instance, in John Keats' poem "Ode to Nightingale," the song of birds is a reference to the joy of communication between man and animals. In addition, it symbolizes love and romantic bond by drawing inspiration from classic images of romance and birds which originates directly from Greek mythology.

Emotional symbolism

In the past, authors make use of physical objects in order to communicate feelings. For instance, Lady Macbeth's hands stained by blood that didn't wash symbolized her guilt. Or Rose's Butterfly hair combs in Titanic to represent the feeling of freedom she felt from Jack.

The term is used also to symbolize emotions. A peaceful storm could signify sadness. On the other hand, rough water usually indicates trouble brewing. On the other hand fire is frequently utilized as a symbol of pain, anger or destruction. In the dystopian tale Fahrenheit 451 the book burning symbolizes symbolically and literally destroyed. The destruction of knowledge and freedom.

Different types of symbolism

Mythology

Myths comprise one of the genres of tales that is heavily grounded in symbolism. They typically tell tales of gods or creatures that are other than humans, interacting with the human world or having some impact on our life.

Mythologies from the past share a close relationship with various spiritual and religious groups around the world especially when it comes to tales of creation and the motivations behind traditions and cultural practices. These kinds of meanings can be seen within Greek, Chinese, Egyptian and Norse mythology. All you have to do is think of the gods of the pantheon. They are more than the names they bear.

Personification

Weather and building are among the most frequently personified symbols in the world of literature. Think about the phrase "the thunder thundered through the valley" for illustration. When it comes to poetic symbolic meaning, Emily Dickinson was known for her personification. Emily Dickinson often wrote "The heart wants to have what it wants or does not even care."

Literary Devices that don't involve symbolism

Metaphor

The famous Elf quotation, "you sit on a the throne of lies" can be thought of as symbolic at first (the chair represents the symbol of a chair) However, the truth is that it's an analogy. The chair can be interpreted as metaphor for an inexhaustible heap of lies, which will always be something which is intangible. It is also a direct reference made with this imaginary pile of lies as well as the chair.

Simile

Allegory

The second most comparable literary method is the use of symbolism that involves characters, actions or events characters to express specific concepts. Allegorical tales are standalone instances or characters without symbolism thought of, yet they're tightly connected to the larger notion or concept of the story. The majority of details have an element of symbolism. However, an allegorical tale does not necessarily an allegorical one.

One common (though controversial) instance is that of the protagonist Aslan From The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. Aslan is believed to symbolize Jesus who gave his life in order to save Edmund's life, and the resurrection in the closing chapters adds more evidence.

Poetry is a form of poetry that uses symbolism.

I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud by William Wordsworth

Wordsworth's poems are rich with poetic images. The poem in this case isn't an exception. The daffodils he mentions, when he describes his feelings of loneliness, represent a fresh beginning and a blossoming towards the year ahead:

I Wandered Lonely as I walked through the clouds
It floats over high o'er vales and hills,    
Then I saw an entire crowd of people
A host, of golden daffodils;
HTML0Near the lake, beneath the shade of trees
Moving and dancing with the breeze.

As I was unable put my foot down to mourn the loss of Emily Dickinson

The best instances of poetry's symbolic meaning are written by Emily Dickinson. The poem she wrote makes use of the concept of the car to suggest the speaker's movement towards death (which is also evident later on in her use of the sunset) in addition to the shift between death life, and an eternal life after death.

Since I was unable to end my journey to Death
He stopped kindly for me.
The Carrier was not held the way it was Ourselves We were the only ones to be held.
and immortality.

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