Role of Symbolism Essay

     Poets have often used symbols to convey deeper messages that they were either too afraid or felt that normal language lacked the power to express. Often when a symbol is used, the reader digs deeper into the issue more than if the message was simply shot out in the open. These symbols and metaphors can be used to portray beautiful things, or could be used to create a more compelling argument in a more subtle way.

One example of symbolism is Odysseus’s bow during Penelope’s challenge. Only Odysseus has the strength to string the bow. This symbolizes how only Odysseus is capable of being Penelope’s husband and to be king of Ithaca. None of the suitors came close to doing what only Odysseus can do, and this is more than just string a bow. There is only one Odysseus and only he is anywhere close to being Penelope’s husband. Only he is qualified to rule Ithaca. During Penelope’s challenge Homer says, “...so effortlessly Odysseus in one motion strung the bow. Then slid his right hand down the cord and plucked it, so the taut gut vibrating hummed and sang a swallowed note” (695-696). This is important to the story of the Odyssey because it shows us that Odysseus is the true husband of Penelope and also that no one really amounts to him. This symbol clarifies that Odysseus is the hero of our story and he can not so easily be replaced.

To begin with, the use of symbolism creates obscurity, and causes the reader to examine the story. To further explain, the symbols also causes the reader to look deeper into the story's meaning, as it creates an interaction between the story and the reader. As a result, it enhances the effectiveness of the story. For example, a quote in the story states, “We all dancer an Owl dance, a Friendship dance, and a couple of Circle dances”(Sears 21).

Symbolism is used in many ways and writers use symbolism to “enhance their writing.” It can give their work “more richness and color and can make the meaning of the work deeper.” In literary work the actions of the characters, words, action, place, or event has a deeper meaning in the context of the whole story. The reader needs to look see the little things like a dove symbolizes peace, or like the red rose stands for romance. Mostly everything can have a symbolism meaning to it. For instance the flag symbolizes freedom and the stars represent the states. Even some signs are symbols like when a beaker has a skull with a bones placed like an ‘x’ behind it symbolizes that it’s toxic or bad. When people see the red light when driving that’s

Symbolism is usually used to represent things that are meaningful without actually saying so, you’ll sometimes have to read behind the lines. Symbolism can be used as an artistic or poetic way of writing to represent an idea. There is a lot of symbolism used in the novel “Kindred” by Octavia Butler, she uses symbolism through her character Dana’s constant physical and emotional pain, it’s a motif. The constant pain and abuse Dana goes through represents the fact that whenever Dana travels back in time and gets hurt weather emotionally or physically, she never comes back as she originally was, she brings back a reminder of the past with her.

Many authors use symbolism to help their readers grasp the concepts they are trying to convey. They take concrete items or ideas to represent something abstract.

Using symbolism can take your story to a whole new level by showing us how each character feels in additional it can make a person or even an objects stand out a whole lot more. In Eudora Welty they used symbolism in many different ways that you can even notice them right away.

Many authors through time and through this day and age have used symbolism in their works. Critics may say there is too much symbolism in some works. There is never too much symbolism in a work. Symbolism enhances the characters, words, places, and objects to levels that a average work could not reach without the use of symbolism. The more symbolism an author uses, the more attached a reader becomes to the story. Look at August Wilson 's Gem Of the Ocean play. It is loaded with symbolism and has a deep meaning to the story. Every main character has something that symbolizes them. It shows the character 's back rounds and what they have been through.

Symbolism is used to represent the deeper meaning of an aspect or rather unnoticeable part of the story. Using symbolism helps further the understanding of the story and it’s meaning. In the book Night by Elie Wiesel, symbolism is used to deepen and accentuate the theme of sadness and horridness that has been established throughout the story. Juliek’s violin, selection, and kaddish all show strong symbolism of despair, loss of hope and faith, and attempts to grasp what remains of humanity within oneself.

What is the purpose of symbolism? In general, symbols provide the audience with a deeper and enriched understanding of the thematic development of a literary work. In Tennessee William’s A Streetcar Named Desire, light and the paper lantern, along with the action of bathing, highlight the overarching theme of fantasy versus inevitable reality.

Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the author's intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader.

Albrecht Durer completed the “Master Engravings” in the years 1513 and 1514. With these three engravings (Knight, Death, and Devil, St. Jerome in His Study, and Melencolia I) he reached the high point of his artistic expression and concentration. each print represents a different philosophical perspective on the “worlds” respectively of action, spirit, and intellect. Although Durer himself evidently did not think of the three as a set, He sometimes sold or gave St. Jerome and Melencolia I as a pair.

Symbolism is when the author uses an object or reference to add deeper meaning to a story. There are hundreds of different symbols authors and poets use and even more ways for them to use each symbol. If you think about it anything really can be a symbol if the author wants it to be. There are some basic things to know about symbolism such as that the night often represents death and the morning usually represents the start of life, another big one to remember is that usually a storm is meaning that there is a conflict. There can be things as Broad as the sky or things as small as a cell used as a symbol. They enhance the theme, ideas, or characters in a story to make it interesting or help prove a point or

The Incapability of Handling Loss Everyday, some form of loss occurs, such as losing car keys, losing a dollar, or losing a loved one: loss is inevitable. However, regardless of what is lost, it is something that needs to be accepted in order to move on with daily life. Thus, loss is what humans have to learn to accept and cope with everyday; however, learning to accept the losses encountered on a daily basis is harder than one thinks. Every loss that occurs impacts the individual in some way. Whether it is something small like the loss of a dollar, or something big such as the loss of a loved one, it will still ultimately affect one’s life one way or another.

In Lord of the Flies, William Goldings formulates a story in our minds through the usage of symbolism and allegory. He does this by contrasting different situations and symbols, deepening the meaning of the text. Furthermore, he expresses important information as feelings to give the characters a wider background, getting to understand them more. This will enable the reader to efficiently interpret the plot/idea/moral of the story.