Symbolism

Symbolism

Symbolism

• when an item is both its literal self and represents something else

• symbols can be objects, people, names, settings, and colors

• author's use symbolism to convey a deeper meaning in the text. They add layers of meaning.

Multiple Choice

What is a symbol?

• a sign

• an object

• characters in a story

• something that is both itself and represents something else

Multiple Select

Symbols represent...

• abstract concepts

• something other than the object itself

• layers of meaning

• a famous person

Symbols in what we've read

Try to explain the following symbols in past works that we've read.

Multiple Choice

Lady Macbeth obviously attempts to wash her hands before committing suicide. How is hand washing symbolic?

• This action reflects the guilt she inevitably feels

• This action shows that her hands are bloody and she's grossed out by it

Multiple Choice

In "The Yellow Wallpaper," the color yellow is most associate with feelings of...

• happiness

• disgust

• optimism

Multiple Choice

The room the narrator is trapped in is called a nursery to symbolize(in "The Yellow Wallpaper)...

• that she is unwell and needs to be taken care of

• that she has lost her mind and is simply stupid to think it's actually a nursery

• the fact that the narrator is treated like a helpless child

Practice

Practice identifying symbols and what they represent in the following sentences.

Multiple Choice

The writer describes a person in a jail yard intently watching a bird fly overhead. What might the bird be symbolizing?

• freedom

• knowledge

• the chosen one

• birth

Multiple Choice

After struggling to escape a hard life, a character is described as twirling around on a spring day surrounded by newly budding trees and blooming flowers. What might this passage symbolize?

• sadness that the new season has started

• excitement to hear the birds chirping

• optimism that life is restarting; representing a new birth

• disappointment that summer is so close

One hot summer day, a weary fox padded down a dusty road, desperate for food and drink. He had traveled for miles without finding so much as a berry to nibble or a puddle of water to sip from.

Suddenly, a beautiful aroma filled the air. The fox sniffed and sniffed, his mouth watering in anticipation. Then he looked up. Several feet above him, trailing along a trellis, was a vine full of juicy grapes.

The fox jumped up, but he could not reach them. Then he backed up, took a running start, and leaped as high as he could. Still, the grapes remained out of reach. Again and again, he tried, with no success.

Finally, exhausted and faint from his efforts, the fox gave up and went on his way. "Oh, well," he sneered, "no big loss. I could tell those grapes were sour anyway."

Multiple Choice

In the passage, the grapes symbolize--

• something that a person wants but can't have

• a desire to be happy and independent

• a delicious, satisfying meal

• a decision that is difficult to make

Multiple Choice

_{Ana had spent an unhappy night of tossing and turning. Yesterday, the wrong move had caused her to lose the volleyball match. As she sat up in bed the next morning, she could see the sun just peeking over the bushes in her back yard. As the sun rose higher and shined more brightly, Ana felt her spirits lifting. Feeling her confidence return, Ana thought to herself, I know I can work harder, and I'll make the team forget yesterday ever happened.}

In this passage, the rising sun symbolizes—

• Ana's house

• voyellball

• a second chance

• a sleepless night