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Unit 4

Symbolism & Allegory. Unit 4. C.P. 9 Lecture Notes. Symbolism. What is a symbol? Often an ordinary object, event, person, or animal to which we attach unusual meaning and significance. For example: Skull and crossbones represents a symbol of danger or poison Red roses

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Unit 4

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  1. Symbolism & Allegory Unit 4 C.P. 9 Lecture Notes

  2. Symbolism • What is a symbol? • Often an ordinary object, event, person, or animal to which we attach unusual meaning and significance. • For example: • Skull and crossbones • represents a symbol of danger or poison • Red roses • represents a symbol of love • Lion • represents a symbol of power and courage • Crown • represents a symbol of royalty

  3. Symbolism • Where do symbols come from? • handed down or inherited over time • invented by someone or something • For example: our school symbol – dawg print / Scottie head • However, we may not know the origin of many symbols, including common ones. • Writers often take a new object, character, or event and make it the embodiment of some human concern.

  4. Why use symbols? • Why don’t writers just come right out and say what they mean rather than using symbols? • Symbols allow writers to suggest various types of meanings. • Sometimes, literal statements can’t explain what something means on the same level that a symbol can. • Symbols may also allow for creativity and imagination. • You may remember the symbols, even long after forgetting parts of the story.

  5. Allegory • What is an allegory? • An allegory is a story in which characters, settings, and actions stand for something beyond themselves. • There is a literal meaning AND a figurative or symbolic meaning. • Allegories are often intended to teach a moral lesson or to make a comment about goodness. • For example: George Orwell’s Animal Farm • For example: Poe’s “Masque of the Red Death” • Characters and situations stand for something bigger • Seven colored rooms = seven deadly sins, stages of life, etc. • The Red Death = The Bubonic Plague / Black Death • Can have symbols inside an allegory: • Prince Prospero = represents wealth or greed

  6. Symbolism Practice… 1.) Identify what you think the items below stand for, symbolically. 2.) Then, explain: why is this symbol appropriate for what it stands for? • A snake • An eagle • Spring • An owl • A white flag • A heart • The color green • The American flag 3.) Be prepared to discuss your answers.

  7. Allegory Practice… • Read the following poem and answer the question below. I May, I Might, I Must If you will tell me why the fen appears impassable, I then will tell you why I think that I can get across it if I try. – Marianne Moore • Literal meaning of a fen: A fen is a swampy place. • What do you believe the fen symbolizes in this poem? • Be prepared to discuss your answer.

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