Little Fish Symbols

The Alchemist , by Paulo Coelho conforms to the idea that everything is a symbol and that the meanings for a symbol can vary depending on the person that is interpreting them. This book is filled with symbolism from the beginning to the end. Every object referenced in the book was significantly symbolic. In the beginning, the scene is set at a giant tree outside of a church, which clearly symbolizes the religious and personal growth that will occur to Santiago. Later, Santiago works at crystal shop trying to make money to go home. His job in the beginning was to clean all the crystal objects. Crystals symbolize clarity and he cleaning the crystal objects in order to make them clean, therefore, if this is connected to his personal journey, he is bringing clarity of the situation to himself and in the and decides to continue the journey rather than give up. One of the more debatable symbols in this book is the desert. To some it may symbolize the hardship and tragedy due to its climate, but to others it may be a journey with rewards at the end. Continuing through every page of the story,

In the novel The Awakening by Kate Chopin, the theme of escape is presented by the use of three symbols. These three symbols include looking out windows, riding carriages, and the movement of swimming and boat riding. All of these symbols help Mrs. Pontellier realize that she wants an escape from her life. Edna feels inclined to escape throughout the novel and three symbols that prove this are windows, carriages, and movement.

However, the artist used Christian meaning in symbols to celebrate their religion. Such symbols were a piece of garland meant victory over death, a tendril was the Eucharist, a nude figure is Christmas, a peacock is immortality, and a flying bird is a soul flying to heaven.

The pentacle is a well recognized symbol that has been used (and still is) within many religious practices. It can be dated back to Ancient Mesopotamia, Ancient Greece and Celtic times where it stood as a symbol for many different, earthly associations. Unfortunately, a dark period in history led the Catholic church to believe that the pentacle is associated with Satanic evil. Despite the misconceptions, however, the pentacle has been reclaimed by Neo-Pagan religious groups in an attempt to bring the original, positive spirituality back to its symbolism.

The golden carp symbolizes the pagan religion which ties into christianity. At the river, Cico is talking to Antonio and exclaims, “When the gods had turned the people into carp, the one kind god who loved the people

I wanted to give a brief introduction to the language of symbols by giving my opinion on some very common examples. Correlation does not equal causation but the pattern of association can often lead us to a more discerning perspective when examining usage of symbolism. Symbolism is used purposefully and with intent in many cases as we will see but it is also frequently used unintentionally as well. I chose a few simple examples for this video to get us started on the topic. Some of these images may be disturbing to you so now may be a good time to pause this

In addition to Shakespeare’s use of metaphors, he also utilizes symbolism throughout the play to prove that power does not lead to happiness. The most prominent symbol used is the owl, and many characters mention hearing, “the owl scream” (2.2.19). The owl symbolizes death in the play because whenever an owl screeches, someone dies. This common reoccurrence of “death” causes the reader to realize that with power comes temptations and problems. Another mention of the owl is when Banquo dies. Before his death, he tells his son, “Fly, good Fleance, fly, fly, fly!” (3.4.26). By saying “fly” Shakespeare alludes to the owl symbol again. Banquo tells his son to fly away from the murders so that he may not become a victim. This “flying” symbolizes

Allegory fails if there is obscurity between the i) emblem, ii) the figurative construct. iii) the thing it really represents

e) Symbol of the __word of God____ – Scofield Bible – water of the word from Eph. 5. The water of the word is the

In the painting The Immaculate Conception (Figure 1) painted by Antonio de Palomino y Velasco, there is a prominent central figure found in the middle of the canvas. The figure is a woman draped in white and blue garments with red accents and surrounded by cherubs and doves. The woman is the Virgin Mary and has a crown of 12 stars around her head. Both cherubs and doves are often used as religious symbols and this piece of art is Biblical in that it illustrates Mary very much like she is described in the book of Revelation. Revelation 12:1 reads that “…a great sign appeared in heaven: A woman clothed with the sun and, the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.” During the time period that Antonio Palomino created this piece, there were countless other artists painting similar works with their own spin on things. Notable artists include the likes of Juan de Valdes Leal and Bartolome Esteban Murillo. In this time period, the counter-reformation was taking place and I believe that, as a response to the protestant reformation, the painting of religious images was used to reignite growth in the Catholic Church.

The painting The ship of Patience was created by an unknown 18th-century painter in Cuzco, Peru. The purpose of the painting seems to demonstrate the movement and expansion of Christianity overseas. The striking angelic figure in the sky shows a clear contrast with the frightening devils on the ground. By labeling each figure and person the painter was able to create an easy visual image for the natives to learn from. Without knowing anything about Christianity the painting clearly has Jesus Christ in the sole center person of the painting. There aren’t just holy, famous people on the boat with him, there are people with diseases and those that look like workers. It is demonstrating the open and loving beliefs and image of Christianity.

During the Middle Ages, symbolism was a big part of the current day art because of the major focus on the church and theology. Jesus and Mary were big symbols during that time, which is evident in the numerous paintings of them from the Middle Ages (Class Notes). During the Middle Ages, Jesus, Mary, Angels, the devil and the cross were huge symbols. In the painting Duccio, Jesus

During the battle, Santiago exclaims, "Christ . . . I did not know he was so big . . . I'll kill him though . . . in all his greatness and his glory" (66). He states, "Significantly this is the only place in the story where the expletive, Christ, is used, and the echo in the [last] sentence is unmistakable--'for thine is the power and the glory forever'" (Wells 59). John Hamilton further illustrates this point by equating the fish with the Christian acronym , or Ichthus (Jesus Christ, Son of God, Savior): "it is inconceivable for one as widely read and travelled in fishing and Christian circles as was Hemingway . . . not to have become familiar with the fish as a God-Man symbol" (142). When Santiago finally kills the fish, he thrusts the harpoon into "the fish's side just behind the great chest fin" (94), thus reminding us of Christ's side being pierced while on the cross.

One notices that all of these symbols are from times nearing the end (or at the end) of Jesus' life. (Think of a point to do with this).

In both Luke and John, fishing and the image of the net allude to discipleship. In Luke Chapter 5, the disciples have fished all night and returned the next morning with nothing. Jesus tells them to put