My Totem Pole Research

Symbolism is a characteristic that stands out in a person or thing. People usually use symbolism for something that means to them or represents to them. The symbols are used for many things, for example the apple on the iphone, laptop or iPod symbolizes the brand. Symbols are also used in churches, for example the cross symbolizes Jesus Christ. It symbolizes how he was crucified, put to death on a cross. The colors symbolize something’s to for example the colors white, red and blue symbolize freedom in the United States, it also represents the United States flag. Symbols are also used in movies like the hunger games catching fire; their symbol is a mocking bird with an arrow on it.

The Gwaii Haanas Totem Poles represent and commemorate ancestry, histories, people, and or events. Each totem pole is designed differently with beings or crest animals. These markings show a family lineage and the rights and privileges that each family held during the time they lived in. Some totem poles honoured a specific event or person, and others are visual representation of kinship. These totem poles don’t really tell stories, they are documents of how each family lived or what they did. Totem poles were first brought up by the First Nations of the Pacific Northwest. During the First Nations they had what was called memorial or commemorative poles. These poles were often created, by their successor,

The dress represents Phoenix’s possessions. She is very careful not to ripe it because she doesn’t have many things. She cannot afford to get a new dress of new things that are essential. It can also represent the time when she was a slave and kept in one place. This could be because barbed wire is used to keep people from running away. The withered cotton fields represent what her life used to be. She was a slave and then the cotton grew, but because slavery was abolished the fields have withered. The scarecrow represents aging. This is because Phoenix cannot recognize what it is in the distance. In the story she says that her senses have gone. This is a sign that she is still aging. It can also represent happiness because she dances with it. The trees silver represent a safe place. This is where Phoenix feels like she can let her guard down and she feels that comfort. It also seems like a common place where she doesn’t even need her sight to get through that place.

In the story “Totem” by Thomas King, I believe that the totem pole portrays the identity of the ‘other’. Our immediate introduction to the totem pole, is when the receptionist at the art gallery begins complaining about the noises that are being made. From the beginning of this story, it is quite clear, to the reader, that this totem pole is viewed as a disruptive inconvenience to the individuals working at the art gallery, ““Gargling,” said Beebe. “It sounds like gargling.” (King, 1993).

Symbolism is a way we can express our beliefs or ideas through physical objects; however, they also divide people into groups. A paragon of this situation is the

My symbols are flowers, plants, and gardens. Flowers symbolize beauty, youth, strength, and gentleness (Melani 1). Gardens symbolize growth, feminine, protection, and miracles (Fraim). Plants symbolize life, afterlife, strength, and stability (Lipson).

If a totem was painted the colors would have symbolized directions. North was represented by the color yellow. Blue was symbolic of the west. Red was the south while the north was represented by white (Page 43).

For my symbol I decided to make the tree that Boo Radley used to give gifts to Jem and Scout. In To Kill A Mockingbird, the tree was Boo Radley’s only way to communicate with the world outside of his home. When Scout describes the trees she says that their roots reached out to the side-road and made it bumpy which symbolises the way Boo tried to reach out to the children by leaving gifts for them in the knothole of the tree. I think that the branches of the tree illustrate all of the rumours that surround Boo Radley in Maycomb County and the knothole at the centre of the tree was the real Boo who was nowhere near as scary and dangerous as everyone made him out to be. When Boo Radley’s brother Nathan plugged up the knothole with cement, it showed

The two heads with various images flowing out of their heads symbolizes my ability to think both critically and creatively. Finally, the person juggling clocks represents my ability to manage my time responsibly. When looking at the images that fill up the board game spaces, the light bulb represents the difficulty of finding and selecting a specific yet engaging topic to focus on for my project. The image with the credible stick figure symbolizes the

In my coat of arms, I have many symbols and things that relate to my family. I put them in for different reasons, but they all somehow relate back to me and my family. To start, I chose wolves for my coat of arms because wolves are very tight knight and care about their pack above all else. Just as my family is very tight knight, and care about each other more than anything. The two hands holding a heart and the fires under them, is meant to represent holding onto kindess, gently cradling it and letting the flames warm it until it can grow into something much bigger. Ever since I was a child my parents have taught me to be kind, no matter who or what it was. Now I am growing up and, and having been taught this it helped me form many other

A tattoo has different meanings and interpretations depending on the image created and whom it belongs to. It is a symbol where everyone sees and have different meanings to it. The outline of my tattoo is dirt for the foundation, the stem of a rose, and sunflower as the top flower. The important symbols that important to me now and in the future, are family, friends, a ball, sunflower, buildings and a book. These would be the symbols that I would be using if I were to have get a

One thing that I put on my family crest is an elephant. Although they are my favorite animal, I chose an elephant because they are strong, and I like how smart they are. Elephants represent a lot of things. For example, they represent strength, wisdom,

The last thing that I selected to portray me is a jar full of pretty oddities and ornaments. I believe this shows one of the most important things about me. In other words, it indicates my organization and thought process, which seems practically nonexistent to most people, but I find a lot of method to it. My room is usually like that jar on steroids. It makes no sense to whoever stumbles upon it by accident, but it is easy to unravel when you see it all the time. I feel like this represents the basics of me, as I

Symbols can be defined as; “a thing that represents or stands for something else, especially a material object representing something abstract.” (Google Dictionary) There are countless of symbols out there that are important and meaningful to my life. But there are a few symbols that is extra special and represents me as a person and who I am today. The four most important symbols in my life are a cross, a family, the Vietnam flag, and the piano which all connects back to one big symbol, a heart.

In my life I have had up and downs. In the poem “A Psalm of Life” I think it relates to me, in the poem it says “Trust no Future, Howe’er pleasant! Let the dead Past bury its dead!-act in the living present” (Longfellow). Everyone who I have learned from has taught me to live in the moment and to never give up. The three pictures I have, I believe that they represent what I want and who I am. The Turtle and the Bunny is from the story the Tortoise and the Hare, it shows that the turtle never gave up. The plant that is growing shows my growth as a person, first I started out small and didn’t know anything but as I grow up I plan on getting bigger and smarter and in the end when I’m at my highest point I can spread the knowledge I have learned. The next picture is a fist up in the air, this shows the success I have done and accomplished. For my legacy I want to leave wisdom and success for my family and friends and just hope they are happy.