Symbolism In Under The Persimmon Tree

There are many symbols that represent coming of age in this book. The author hides the

"I have only one major theme for my work, which is the destructive impact of society on the sensitive non-conformist individual (Williams Netscape)." Symbols help to show the dreams and desires that the characters long for and also the restrictions that

What makes a child determine at such a young age to defy her mom on every hand for the rest of their life? The sad realization that Ni’Kan would rather see her mother angry at her than disappointed in her became her revelation.

In the nineteenth century, mockingbirds were kept in cages so they could sing their beautiful music. Because of this, mockingbirds were nearly almost wiped out of parts of the East Coast. All Mockingbirds do is bring beauty to the world. Mockingbirds symbolize innocence and do not deserve to be wounded by the cruelness of the world. In the story To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, Dill, Mayella Ewell, Mr. Dolphus Raymond, Tom Robinson and Boo Radley are all mockingbirds. They are innocent people that have been harmed or injured in the past and have learned the misery of the world.

Symbols have a major impact on both Things Fall Apart and The Poisonwood Bible. They help display the story in different perspectives and help us understand concepts we don’t always pick up on when first reading the novels. These symbols reveal more in depth detail about the themes of each novel as well as add to the development of characters. Some major symbols seen in Things Fall Apart are the locusts which make a reference to the Bible and are a metaphor for the coming missionaries, Okonkwo’s father, Unoka, who symbolizes Okonkwo’s failures, and fire which symbolizes destruction. The major themes in The Poisonwood Bible are the snake which represents a character from the bible, Methuselah who symbolizes the fate of the Congo and the poisonwood tree which symbolizes Nathan’s mistakes.

In David Almond’s magic realist novel Skellig, the story follows the protagonist Michael, a young boy who is facing many difficulties and challenges in his young life, the author uses a number of language devices to tell his story, including puns, metaphors and similes. However one of the most powerful devices are symbols. The author strongly uses symbols to reinforce character traits and to show the connections between characters throughout the novel. The author constantly refers to the symbols of evolution, death, birds and wings.

In Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Anne Burns, there are various symbols throughout the story. In literature, a symbol is a physical object that represents an idea, or a feeling. The majority of the symbols in Cold Sassy Tree have to deal with love, grief, and change to their local town. Some symbols from this novel include the famous Cold Sassy Tree in their local town, the rose blanket prepared by Will’s Grandpa, and many more. The symbols in this story really help the audience understand the novel’s theme, and plot overall.

“Mockingbirds don’t do one thing but make music for us to enjoy they don’t do one thing but sing their hearts out for us that is why it is a sin to kill a Mockingbird” -Harper Lee Mockingbirds are only here to sing their songs and to bring us joy. A Blue Jay is someone or something that preys on the week. Mockingbirds have to be shielded from the Blue Jays. Although Mockingbirds don't always need to be protected they do have to be protected from Blue Jays because they are gentle creatures whereas the Blue Jay is territorial and corrupt.

Another symbol to acknowledge in the story is the serpent. The serpent came in the story in a stick figure way. “This is a dull pace for the beginning of a journey”. The sneaky serpent confided this saying to

(AGG) Losing a loved one is an immeasurable pain that many experience throughout their life, but from the darkness, something beautiful always emerges with more strength than ever before. (BS-1) The death of Nusrat’s sister, Margaret, caused a variety of different changes in her life. (BS-2) The loss of Margaret led Nusrat to discover a new way of life and find her true love, Faiz. (BS-3) Faiz’s passing causes Nusrat’s void to reopen, but is disclosed after an important realization. (TS) In Under the Persimmon Tree, one strong message is that people are shaped by those who they lose in their lives.

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

Throughout the book, Beah uses certain symbols for something then bigger than what they actually are. For example, throughout his whole journey until he reaches military camp, Beah carries rap cassettes that him and his friends listened to in his pocket. These cassettes not only got him out of numerous situations where people thought he was a rebel, but they also represented a part of his past, when he was happy, as he struggled to stay alive. Another example he uses would be the moon. As a child, Beah used to look up to the moon and see images in the shapes of the moon. After everything he went through as a boy, he was able to look at the moon as adult and still see these images which represented that Beah was able to keep some of his innocence with him. The last major example of symbolism is his shoes. Some rebel soldiers took Beah’s shoes from his which symbolizes his house, family, and even his good health being taken from him. All these symbols had impacts on Beah’s life, some good, some bad. He uses the positive symbols to show that even through a bad experience, you as a person don’t change. He uses his negative symbols to show that the society he lived in was horrible and something needs to

Themes and symbols are key components to a writing a novel. In the novel A Long Way Gone: Memoirs of a Boy Soldier by Ishmael Beah, Beah utilizes a variety of themes and symbols throughout the book some more dominant than others. Beah uses symbols to underscore his central theme of freedom. Three symbols that he uses effectively include guns, his cassettes and the moon.

Having the right to choose outfits, go shopping, and have fun with friends may seem like normal, everyday enjoyments. This is not the case for women in Afghanistan. For many people, the crisis of women's rights and the Taliban is an unfamiliar topic. It is so foreign, that it may seem unreal. Although it is strange to think about it, it is real, and it is happening to women in Afghanistan.

Her husband refuses to believe that she has rebelled against him without Nagib's influence. She responds to this by asking "Was it Nagib who gave birth to me or I to him?"(95) It was with difficulty but her husband accepts his new wife. This empowers the mother to begin school, cut her hair, smoke, even learn to