Symbolism

A symbol is an image that suggests or represents something other than itself.

(In other words, when you use something tangible to represent something intangible)

Underneath these four symbols write what they symbolize

In the boxes below state what these colors might be used to symbolize in literature
White
Blue
Red
Yellow
Black

Let’s practice writing some symbolism sentences of our own!

Intangible (something you can’t touch) Tangible (something you can touch)
“Is like a” “Because”
Love (what is symbolized) Blue stone (the symbol)
Love is like a blue stone because it is tough, yet breakable at the same time. It is tough to love a blue stone
Hate

Friendship

Envy

Commitment

Confidence

Death

Life

Sadness

Evil

Danger
 "The Flowers" by Alice Walker
It seemed to Myop as she skipped lightly from hen house to pigpen to smokehouse that the days had never been as
beautiful as these. The air held a keenness that made her nose twitch. The harvesting of the corn and cotton, peanuts
and squash, made each day a golden surprise that caused excited little tremors to run up her jaws.

Myop carried a short, knobby stick. She struck out at random at chickens she liked, and worked out the beat of a song
on the fence around the pigpen. She felt light and good in the warm sun. She was ten, and nothing existed for her but
her song, the stick clutched in her dark brown hand, and the tat-de-ta-ta-ta of accompaniment.

Turning her back on the rusty boards of her family's sharecropper cabin, Myop walked along the fence till it ran into
the stream made by the spring. Around the spring, where the family got drinking water, silver ferns and wildflowers
grew. Along the shallow banks pigs rooted. Myop watched the tiny white bubbles disrupt the thin black scale of soil and
the water that silently rose and slid away down the stream.

She had explored the woods behind the house many times. Often, in late autumn, her mother took her to gather nuts
among the fallen leaves. Today she made her own path, bouncing this way and that way, vaguely keeping an eye out for
snakes. She found, in addition to various common but pretty ferns and leaves, an armful of strange blue flowers with
velvety ridges and a sweet suds bush full of the brown, fragrant buds.

By twelve o'clock, her arms laden with sprigs of her findings, she was a mile or more from home. She had often been as
far before, but the strangeness of the land made it not as pleasant as her usual haunts. It seemed gloomy in the little
cove in which she found herself. The air was damp, the silence close and deep.

Myop began to circle back to the house, back to the peacefulness of the morning. It was then she stepped smack into his
eyes. Her heel became lodged in the broken ridge between brow and nose, and she reached down quickly, unafraid, to
free herself. It was only when she saw his naked grin that she gave a little yelp of surprise.

He had been a tall man. From feet to neck covered a long space. His head lay beside him. When she pushed back the
leaves and layers of earth and debris Myop saw that he'd had large white teeth, all of them cracked or broken, long
fingers, and very big bones. All his clothes had rotted away except some threads of blue denim from his overalls. The
buckles of the overall had turned green.

Myop gazed around the spot with interest. Very near where she'd stepped into the head was a wild pink rose. As she
picked it to add to her bundle she noticed a raised mound, a ring, around the rose's root. It was the rotted remains of a
noose, a bit of shredding plowline, now blending benignly into the soil. Around an overhanging limb of a great spreading
oak clung another piece. Frayed, rotted, bleached, and frazzled--barely there--but spinning restlessly in the breeze.
Myop laid down her flowers.

And the summer was over.

 Symbolism in Alice Walker’s “The Flowers”

Flowers

Summer

Autumn

Noose

Sunlight

White teeth that are now cracked and broken

Leaves and layers of earth

Summarize briefly what this story symbolizes:

 Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night" by Dylan Thomas
(Dylan Thomas wrote not only poems but also stories. His poem "Do Not Go Gentle into That Good Night" was written for
his father who was ill and dying. Dylan Thomas died in 1953 in New York City.)

Directions:
Highlight the words that symbolize death
Do not go gentle into that good night,
Old age should burn and rave at close of day;
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Though wise men at their end know dark is right,
Because their words had forked no lightning they
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Good men, the last wave by, crying how bright -
Their frail deeds might have danced in a green bay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Wild men who caught and sang the sun in flight,
And learn, too late, they grieved it on its way,
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Grave men, near death, who see with blinding sight
Blind eyes could blaze like meteors and be gay,
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
And you, my father, there on the sad height,
Curse, bless me now with your fierce tears, I pray.
Do not go gentle into that good night.
Rage, rage against the dying of the light.
Use the box to create 2 symbolism sentences based on the poem
 The Road Not Taken" by Robert Frost
(American poet, Robert Frost, was born in 1874 in San Francisco, California. He died in 1963. He was awarded four
Pulitzer prizes. He was invited to read a poem at the inauguration of John F. Kennedy. is poem "The Road Not Taken" is
about choices and the decisions people make.)

Directions:
Highlight the words that symbolize contemplation/choices
Two roads diverged in a yellow wood, And both that morning equally lay
And sorry I could not travel both In leaves no step had trodden black.
And be one traveler, long I stood Oh, I kept the first for another day!
And looked down one as far as I could Yet knowing how way leads on to way,
To where it bent in the undergrowth; I doubted if I should ever come back.

Then took the other, as just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that the passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I--
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

Use the box to create 3 symbolism sentences based on the poem

 "O Captain! My Captain!" by Walt Whitman
(Walt Whitman, an American poet, was born in 1819 on Long Island, New York. He had many careers. He was a school
teacher, a propagandist, a carpenter, a printer, and a newspaper editor. He was also a volunteer hospital nurse during the
Civil War. His poem "O Captain! My Captain!" was written shortly after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. Walt
Whitman died in 1892.)

Highlight the words that symbolize death/funerals

O Captain! my Captain! our fearful trip is done,
The ship has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is
won,
The port is near, the bells I hear, the people all exulting,
While follow eyes the steady keel, the vessel grim and
daring;
But O heart! heart! heart!
O the bleeding drops of red,
Where on the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.
O Captain! my Captain! rise up and hear the bells;
Rise up--for you the flag is flung--for you the bugle trills,
For you bouquets and ribbon'd wreaths--for you the
shores a-crowding,
For you they call, the swaying mass, their eager faces
turning;
Here Captain! dear father!
This arm beneath your head!
It is some dream that on the deck,
You've fallen cold and dead.
My Captain does not answer, his lips are pale and still,
My father does not feel my arm, he has no pulse nor will,
The ship is anchor'd safe and sound, its voyage closed and
done,
From fearful trip the victor ship comes in with object
won;
Exult O shores, and ring O bells!
But I with mournful tread,
Walk the deck my Captain lies,
Fallen cold and dead.

Use the box to create 3 symbolism sentences based on the poem


Free Bird-Lynard Skynard
If I leave here tomorrow
Would you still remember me?
For I must be traveling on, now
'Cause there's too many places
I've got to see
But, if I stayed here with you, girl
Things just couldn't be the same
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now
And this bird, you'll can not change
And the bird you cannot change
Lord knows, I can’t change
Bye, bye, baby it's been a sweet love
We were taken by surprise when the floes under our feet bled into the sea
Yeah, yeah
Though this feeling I can't change
But please don't take it so badly
'Cause the Lord knows
I'm to blame
But, if I stayed here with you girl
Things just couldn't be the same
'Cause I'm as free as a bird now
And this bird, you'll can not change
And this bird you cannot change
Lord knows, I can't change
Lord help me, I can't change
Lord I can't change
Won't you fly high, free bird, yeah?
The Ice Is Getting Thinner-Death Cab for Cutie
We're not the same, dear, as we used to be.
The seasons have changed and so have we.
There was little we could say, and even less we could do
To stop the ice from getting thinner under me and you.
We bury our love in the wintery grave
A lump in the snow was all that remained.
But we stayed by its side as the days turned to weeks
And the ice kept getting thinner with every word that we'd speak.
And when spring arrived
And nothing was left for you and me.
We're not the same, dear,
And it seems to me
There's nowhere we can go
With nothing underneath.
And it saddens me to say
But we both know, well, it's true
That the ice was getting thinner
Under me and you.
The ice was getting thinner
Under me and you.
 Dusty Road- Missy Higgins
Inever told you I don't know why,
So I gotta tell you, I need you to know,
All those years, all those lies,
You were my ruin when you took hold.
Cling to my body like oil and fire,
You made me believe the lies you told,
And they will not sleep, they will not tire.
But you wont get away with the pride you stole.
Getting off this dusty road.
So we have a problem you see, my dear,
'cause I can't move on and I can't stay here.
And Im trading in my sympathy for sanity,
I gotta fix it, I need your tears,
So hear me because I-
But mostly now I need your ears.
I gotta tell you, I need you to know,
See I gotta tell you, I need you to know,
You were my ruin when you took hold.
You were my ruin when you took hold.
You made me believe the lies you told,
You made me believe the lies you told,
But you won't get away with the pride you stole.
But you wont get away with the pride you stole.
Getting off this dusty road.
Getting off this dusty road.

Girls never tell you I dont know how,

But sometimes men you abuse your power.
We are strong and we do rebound,
But bruising tends to break us down.
 Bless the Broken Road- Rascal Flatts
I set out on a narrow way many years ago
Hoping I would find true love along the broken road
But I got lost a time or two
Wiped my brow and kept pushing through
I couldn't see how every sign pointed straight to you
Every long lost dream led me to where you are
Others who broke my heart they were like Northern stars
Pointing me on my way into your loving arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
I think about the years I spent just passing through
I'd like to have the time I lost and give it back to you
But you just smile and take my hand
You've been there you understand
It's all part of a grander plan that is coming true
Now I'm just rolling home
Into my lover's arms
This much I know is true
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you
That God blessed the broken road
That led me straight to you.
 Little Sparrow- Preformed by David Cook
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Precious fragile little thing
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Flies so high and feels no pain.
All ye maidens, heed my warning
Never trust the hearts of men
They will crush you like a sparrow
Leaving you to never mend.
They will vow to always love you
Swear no love but yours will do
Then they'll leave you for another
Break your little heart in two.
If I were a little sparrow
O'er these mountains I would fly
I would find you, I would find you
Look into your lying eyes.
.
I would flutter all around you
On my little sparrow wings
I would ask you, I would ask you
Why you let me love in vain.
I am not a little sparrow
I am just the broken dream
Of a cold, false-hearted lover
And your evil, cunning scheme.
All ye maidens fair and tender
Never trust the hearts of men
They will crush you like a sparrow
Leaving you to never mend.
Little sparrow, little sparrow
Oh the sorrow never ends
 Over the Rainbow/What a Wonderful World- Israel Kamakawiwo Ole'
Somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dream of once in a lullaby
Somewhere over the rainbow
Bluebirds fly
And the dreams that you dream of
Dreams really do come true
Someday I wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemondrops
High above the chimney top
That's where you'll find me
Well I see trees of green and red roses too
I'll watch them bloom for me and you
And I think to myself
What a wonderful world
Well I see skies of blue and
I see clouds of white
And the brightness of day
I like the dark
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
The colors of the rainbow
So pretty in the sky
and also on the faces of people passing by
I see friends shaking hands saying
How do you do
They're really saying I, I love you
I hear babies cry and I watch them grow
They'll learn much more then we'll know
And I think to myself what a wonderful world
world...
Someday I wish upon a star
Wake up where the clouds are far behind me
Where trouble melts like lemondrops
High above the chimney top
That's where you'll find me
Oh somewhere over the rainbow
Way up high
And the dreams that you dare to
Why oh why can't I...
 Symbols found in music
Bless the Broken Road

Free Bird

Summary of song with symbol

Summary of song with symbol

Little Sparrow
The Ice was Getting Thinner
Summary of song with symbol

Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World

Summary of song with symbol

Dusty Road Summary of song with symbol

Summary of song with symbol

 Symbols found in music- Possible answers

Free Bird
Bird Freedom
A bird is like freedom because it can come and go as it wishes
Summary of song with symbol:
The song “Free Bird” is about a man who is in an unhappy relationship and wishes he could be free like a
bird.

The Ice was Getting Thinner

Ice Relationship
Ice is like a relationship because it can easily break
Seasons Relationship
The seasons are like a relationship because they can change
Lump of Snow Relationship
A lump of snow is like a relationship because it can melt away
Wintery Grave Relationship
A grave is like a relationship because some need to be buried
Summary of song with symbol:
The song “The Ice was Getting Thinner” is about a couple whose relationship is getting thinner and
thinner and will eventually break.

Dusty Road
Dusty Road Broken Relationships
A dusty road is like a broken relationship because eventually you can’t take it anymore
Summary of song with symbol:
The song “Dusty Road” is about a woman who has become disillusioned in her relationship and wishes to
leave it behind like a dusty road.
 Bless the Broken Road
Broken Road Past Relationships
A broken road is like broken relationships because it is rocky and hard
Northern Stars Old girlfriends
Northern Stars are like old girlfriends because they point you towards “the one”
Summary of song with symbol:
The song “Bless the Broken Road” is about a man who learned from his pass mistakes and has
traveled the broken road to find his true love.

Little Sparrow
Sparrow Fragile Girl
A sparrow is like a fragile girl because they both need protection
Summary of song with symbol:
The song “Little Sparrow” is about a fragile young girl who is compared to a small sparrow and who
needs to protect herself.

Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World

Rainbow Dreams
Rainbows are like dreams because if you follow them you will find a pot of gold at the end!
Star Wishes
A star is like a wish….fleeting but magical
Lemon Drops Trouble
Lemon drops are like trouble because they both eventually melt away
Babies Innocence
Babies are like innocent because they have never sinned or seen trouble
Summary of song with symbol:
The song “Over the Rainbow/Wonderful World” is about a man who is viewing all the wonders of
the world, while hoping to follow his dreams over the rainbow