Explain the symbolisation of the following:

1 White hairs
2 Cricket
3 Elephant
4 Sandpiper bird
That found in *Anthem for doomed youth * and
also *Cold in the Earth*

White hairs: In this text, white hair symbolizes the

realization about ageing with time. The father
assumes that since he is older and hence, older he
might not get the job he is applying for. It seems
he thought his appearance influenced his
interview the most. Maybe the father was plain
inefficient and was trying to hide it by plucking his
hair as he is reluctant to accept that he is, in fact,
old.

Cricket: The symbolization of cricket is a

continuation of white hair, as the author realizes
the concept of ageing when he understands why
his father stopped playing cricket. This is where
the white hair connects with cricket and the
realization is now felt both ways as the son, at this
point, still calls his father Daddy which shows his
immaturity at that point of time. It also
symbolizes the author’s longing of being a child
again as when he stopped playing cricket is when
he lost his innocence.

Elephant: in this text, elephant is the climax of the

story, the author suddenly realizes how his father
carried the load of an entire family, but when he
carried the author on his back he didn’t think of it
as a load but a responsibility the father was more
than willing to fulfil which is the symbolization of
elephant.

Sandpiper bird: The author describes herself as

the sandpiper, as she is struggling between the
water and the beach. She is at constant war with
herself because she no longer loves her husband
but loves her daughter dearly and so, must
struggle between her baren relationship with her
husband as opposed to the affection she carries
for her child. Her realization of the emptiness she
feels also is a symbolization of the realization that
she must have freedom now, which the sandpiper
bird is symbolized as. She wishes to cut free from
a straining relationship and environment that she
is in, as she feels unaccepted in the society she is
living in currently.

Anthem for doomed youth: the word youth

symbolizes the innumerable deaths that have
taken place and the word anthem seems more of
sarcasm the poet is using to demonstrate how the
people have dehumanised these deaths and
connoted slaughter. Doomed describes the
insatiable desire of war.

Cold in the earth: another name for this poem is

remembrance, and yet the irony is that the poet
describes how she has moved with her life and
now doesn’t really remember. Cold in the earth,
suggests it is about a body buried in a grave. She
not only says she has forgotten the person she
loved but also the feeling of it altogether.