A symbol is defined as “something that stands for or suggests something else by reason of relationship, association, convention, or accidental resemblance” by the Merriam Webster dictionary. In literature, it can be either universal or personal or both in a number of different ways. In order to understand the relationship between universal and personal symbols, we need to know their distinct features.
Universal symbols have a previously defined meaning, agreed upon by the majority of people across cultures, they usually refer to concepts more universal than the physical aspect itself. Some examples are: spring symbols for a new beginning, the sun stands for power and warmth, the signs for a woman with skirt tells bathrooms.
On the other
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First, universal symbols usually develops from personal symbols. No matter how widely accepted the symbol is, it is not created and accepted by everybody at the same time. The peace sign and symbol of the was designed in the 1950s as a logo for the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. It has now become the symbol of a utopian hope for a world of global peace and widely adopted across the world. Second, there’s grey area between universal and personal symbols, some people call them cultural symbols. For instance, a dog can be viewed either as a loyal friend in one culture or ritually unclean in another. Third, there are usually many layers of meanings in symbolism. Universal and personal symbols can be used concurrently in different layers to provoke more thoughts from the readers. One perfect example is the nickname of the protagonist in “Life of Pi”. Pi is a letter in Greek Alphabet, which stands for an irrational mathematical number with too many decimals to be remembered by an ordinary human being. On the first layer, the name tells readers that the protagonist has a mysterious life that cannot be comprehended easily. This is more universal compared to the deeper layer in meaning. The author, Martel reminds us through the title both of the continuity of life and the openness of Pi's story. Like the value of Pi, what is written down in the story is never the most
These conventions are established and internalized arbitrarily by individuals, societies, and cultures. We can observe this situation in different interpretations of same stories. For instance, in ‘Rocking Horse Winner’, Paul’s rocking horse can be perceived as a symbol of his troubles over sexuality or be seen as an analogy since Paul fails to gain his mother’s love despite all his effort like the rocking horse remaining in the same place regardless of the rider’s effort. However, as mentioned in class, for Ray Bradbury it may be just symbolizing an autistic child rocking back and forth. Hence, the meaning of a symbol depends on the reader’s point of view.
Symbols are often characters, animals, objects, and or actions. In The Grapes of Wrath, a symbol that I first came across when reading was the turtle that was trying to continue its journey in the rough terrain. It was run over by a truck, that threw it on to the other side of the road and it still got up and continued its way. The turtle directly symbolizes the Joad’s. Like the turtle, the Joad’s are thrown off track by the harsh environment, but continue on their journey through the hardship.
As mentioned in How to Read Literature Like a Professor, symbols can have various interpretations which adds depth to the
One chapter in Thomas C. Foster’s book How to Read Literature Like a Professor that were not only extremely challenging, but was also enlightening and surprisingly engaging was Chapter 12: “Is That a Symbol?” In this chapter, Foster states that “So some symbols do have a relatively limited range of meanings, but in general a symbol can’t be reduced to standing for only one thing” (Foster, 105). This conveys that, generally, symbols have different symbolic meanings even though some symbols may have a very limited range of meanings. Essentially, this means that symbols in literature often have different symbolic meanings. The idea mentioned above is upheld by Cormac McCarthy’s book All the Pretty Horses, as the horses in the book are symbolic
You can see from these two works how the symbolism in literature can be used in different contexts, yet still be used in to help represent the same
A symbol, a word by definition means, a material object representing something immaterial. The character Jack Merridew, in Lord of The Flies symbolizes chaos, insanity, and ego. In Lord of The Flies Jack Merridew symbolizes chaos by demanding, “’ We want meat’” (51).
Also a symbol can mean something in real life. Could be a person or an object. In this story there were a lot of different symbols with different
Literary Term: Symbol Symbol: A symbol is an object, person, or event that has another meaning other than its own to represent an idea, object, or connection Example: “Yes, I did see this, with my own eyes… children thrown into the flames” (32). Wiesel, Night Function: Context: In Night by Elie Wiesel, Eliezer’s family had arrived in the Auschwitz concentration camp, where Eliezer was separated from his family and was only left with his father.
He eventually moves to Alaska and wants to run the Iditarod. He tells his stories and explains his relationships with the dogs. He explains the struggles using the literary concepts of symbols, theme, and metaphors to expand the reader’s understanding or the text. Symbol is an object representing something else. It is a concept or idea that uses something else to show it.
Anything in a novel can be represented as a symbol. Symbols are a representation of an item through an abstract concept. Surprisingly, a Union Stockyard could also be a symbol; The fictional Packingtown reveals many attributes about the real life Packingtown in the course of The Jungle. In The Jungle, by Upton Sinclair, Sinclair uses Packingtown to symbolize the corrupt government, the working class, and the condition of the United States.
The Peace Sign is a symbol originally designed during the cold war, and the three lines represent the letters N and D, for nuclear disarmament. Ganesh is a Hindu God worshipped since the 4th century CE, and it typically is depicted with an elephant head. Its meaning is to remove narcissism, selfishness, arrogance and
A literary symbol is usually defined as something to signify ideas and/or meaning by giving a symbolic meaning, contradicting or being different from the literal meaning. Usually these types of symbols are used to develop a more deep, and significant meaning. Just as a cathedral's literal meaning is to offer a place for the religious to worship, the narrator’s drawing of a cathedral has opened a door for him into a deeper place in his own world where he can see beyond what is immediately visible to him; Breaking free from the monotony of his every day life, and what he lacks to see and embrace because of
“Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their literal sense.” Symbols can add a deeper meaning than just an object itself that the author is trying to make. Symbols can also foreshadow what is yet to come. The audience can interpret a symbol in many ways it depends on their experience. In Southside Chicago the Younger family is struggling to have hope as they are always facing society.
Symbolism in general is the building blocks to all sources of literature and can shape a piece of writing in many ways. Symbols in general can portray what something or someone represents, giving a deeper and metaphorical meaning to a symbol. Symbolism is often used within poetry, literature, music, or even art. This is how an author conveys a different meaning to the audience. For example artists may use the color “red” not only because of the color theory, but to convey love, passion, and maybe even health.