Unit 3: Elements of Creative Nonfiction II

Lesson 3.1
Symbols and Symbolism
Contents
Introduction 1

Learning Objectives 2

Let’s Begin 2

Discover 3
Defining Symbols and Symbolisms 4
Types and Examples of Symbols and Symbolisms 8
Importance of Symbols and Symbolisms 10

Wrap-Up 11

Try This! 11

Practice Your Writing Skills 12

Bibliography 17
Unit 3: Elements of Creative Nonfiction II

Lesson 3.1

Symbols and Symbolisms

Introduction
As children, one of the first things that were taught in our Social Science classes is to
respect and honor the Philippine flag. We learned what to do and what not to do with it,
and that there are even laws to ensure that these protocols will be followed at all times.
This is because the Philippine flag represents our country’s history and identity. It
embodies our ideals and encapsulates the freedom our people have mightily fought for.
Along with the flag are other national symbols that express our values and culture. They
are important because they remind us of the qualities that unite us as a nation and the
principles we should live by to become good citizens of our land.

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The national symbols are just some of the symbols we encounter throughout our lives.
There are countless images, figures, marks, and colors that may provoke our thoughts or
stir our emotions. Most importantly, there are symbols that allow us to communicate more
effectively and efficiently with others. Through symbols, we could mean more despite
saying less.

Learning Objectives DepEd Learning Competency

In this lesson, you should be able to do the
following:
● Identify symbols and symbolisms
used in creative nonfiction.
At the end of this lesson, you should be able to
analyze factual/nonfictional elements (plot,
characters, characterizations, point of view, angle,
setting and atmosphere, symbols and symbolisms,
irony, figure of speech, dialogue, scene, other
elements and devices) in the texts.

● Write a nonfiction work using

symbols and symbolisms.

Let’s Begin

Impactful Symbols 10 minutes

Just as how a flag represents a country as a national symbol, literary works also feature
symbols that represent important ideas from the text. Let us recall the most impactful
symbols you have encountered in different texts you have read.

Instructions
1. Recall some of the literary works you have read before that you enjoyed the most or
that have made an impact on you. Think of one memorable object or concept that
was used to represent something in one of these texts.
2. Draw a picture of this as it was presented or used in the literary text you have
chosen.
3. Once you are finished, exchange works with a classmate. Try to interpret each other’s

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symbols and share what you think your classmate’s symbol means and represents.
4. After sharing guesses, reveal the meaning of the symbol and the work it came from.

Guide Questions
1. How will you describe the symbols that you and your partner chose?
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2. What are the similarities and differences between the symbolisms you and your
partner chose?
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3. What makes your chosen symbol impactful or memorable for you?

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Discover
Creative writers use symbols and symbolisms in varied ways for different purposes. In this
lesson, you will know what these elements are and how to use them in writing creative
nonfiction.

Why do writers use symbols and symbolisms in their

works?

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Defining Symbols and Symbolisms

A symbol is defined in dictionaries as something that represents or stands for something
else. It usually takes the form of a concrete object associated with an abstract concept—like
how the flag represents a nation and its history. Whenever an object (the symbol) is used to
represent another concept beyond its literal meaning, a symbolism is formed. When you
look around, you can easily identify a lot of symbolisms. For example, you may see a cross
hung on a wall and know that it symbolizes the Christian religion, or you may spot a printed
image on your brother’s shirt and recognize what brand he is wearing.

In literature, however, symbolisms may not be as obvious as it is in everyday life. Unlike

symbols we see in real life, which often have a one-to-one correspondence, literary symbols
may have multiple meanings. Often, symbols are connected to general themes such as
nationalism, friendship, and inequality, but they may also be used to represent a specific
feeling or state of mind. Writers use symbols in varied ways so it is important to examine
them in relation to the other text elements.

Remember that symbolisms are always contextualized. Meanings from symbols must go
hand in hand with other meanings presented in the text. We should be careful not to
overinterpret things as symbols because sometimes, there are parts of the text that should
be taken as it is and not for something else. For instance, a writer may use the weather,
such as “a cloudy day”, to symbolize the character’s state of mind, but it may also be used as
nothing more than a simple description of the weather.

Read the following essay and try to identify the symbolisms used by the author.

The Death of the Moth

Virginia Woolf

Moths that fly by day are not properly to be called moths;

they do not excite that pleasant sense of dark autumn nights
and ivy-blossom which the commonest yellow-underwing
asleep in the shadow of the curtain never fails to rouse in us.

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They are hybrid creatures, neither gay like butterflies nor

sombre like their own species. Nevertheless the present
specimen, with his narrow hay-coloured wings, fringed with
a tassel of the same colour, seemed to be content with life. It
benignant
was a pleasant morning, mid-September, mild, benignant,
(adjective):
yet with a keener breath than that of the summer months.
serenely mild and
The plough was already scoring the field opposite the
kindly
window, and where the share had been, the earth was
pressed flat and gleamed with moisture. Such vigour came
rolling in from the fields and the down beyond that it was
difficult to keep the eyes strictly turned upon the book. The
rooks too were keeping one of their annual festivities;
soaring round the tree tops until it looked as if a vast net
with thousands of black knots in it had been cast up into the
air; which, after a few moments sank slowly down upon the
trees until every twig seemed to have a knot at the end of it.
Then, suddenly, the net would be thrown into the air again
in a wider circle this time, with the utmost clamour and vociferation
vociferation, as though to be thrown into the air and settle (noun): loud cry or
slowly down upon the tree tops were a tremendously noise
exciting experience.

The same energy which inspired the rooks, the ploughmen,

the horses, and even, it seemed, the lean bare-backed
downs, sent the moth fluttering from side to side of his
square of the window-pane. One could not help watching
him. One was, indeed, conscious of a queer feeling of pity
for him. The possibilities of pleasure seemed that morning
so enormous and so various that to have only a moth's part
in life, and a day moth's at that, appeared a hard fate, and
his zest in enjoying his meagre opportunities to the full,
pathetic. He flew vigorously to one corner of his

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compartment, and, after waiting there a second, flew across

to the other. What remained for him but to fly to a third
corner and then to a fourth? That was all he could do, in
spite of the size of the downs, the width of the sky, the
far-off smoke of houses, and the romantic voice, now and
then, of a steamer out at sea. What he could do he did.
Watching him, it seemed as if a fibre, very thin but pure, of
the enormous energy of the world had been thrust into his
diminutive
frail and diminutive body. As often as he crossed the pane, I
(adjective):
could fancy that a thread of vital light became visible. He was
exceptionally small
little or nothing but life.

Yet, because he was so small, and so simple a form of the

energy that was rolling in at the open window and driving its
way through so many narrow and intricate corridors in my
own brain and in those of other human beings, there was
something marvellous as well as pathetic about him. It was
as if someone had taken a tiny bead of pure life and decking
it as lightly as possible with down and feathers, had set it
dancing and zig-zagging to show us the true nature of life.
Thus displayed one could not get over the strangeness of it.
One is apt to forget all about life, seeing it humped and
bossed and garnished and cumbered so that it has to move
with the greatest circumspection and dignity. Again, the
thought of all that life might have been had he been born in
any other shape caused one to view his simple activities with
a kind of pity.

After a time, tired by his dancing apparently, he settled on

the window ledge in the sun, and, the queer spectacle being
at an end, I forgot about him. Then, looking up, my eye was
caught by him. He was trying to resume his dancing, but

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seemed either so stiff or so awkward that he could only

flutter to the bottom of the window-pane; and when he tried
futile
to fly across it he failed. Being intent on other matters I
(adjective):
watched these futile attempts for a time without thinking,
completely
unconsciously waiting for him to resume his flight, as one
ineffective
waits for a machine that has stopped momentarily, to start
again without considering the reason of its failure. After
perhaps a seventh attempt he slipped from the wooden
ledge and fell, fluttering his wings, on to his back on the
window sill. The helplessness of his attitude roused me. It
flashed upon me that he was in difficulties; he could no
longer raise himself; his legs struggled vainly. But, as I
stretched out a pencil, meaning to help him to right himself,
it came over me that the failure and awkwardness were the
approach of death. I laid the pencil down again.

The legs agitated themselves once more. I looked as if for

the enemy against which he struggled. I looked out of doors.
What had happened there? Presumably it was midday, and
work in the fields had stopped. Stillness and quiet had
replaced the previous animation. The birds had taken
themselves off to feed in the brooks. The horses stood still.
Yet the power was there all the same, massed outside
indifferent, impersonal, not attending to anything in
particular. Somehow it was opposed to the little
hay-coloured moth. It was useless to try to do anything. One
could only watch the extraordinary efforts made by those
tiny legs against an oncoming doom which could, had it
chosen, have submerged an entire city, not merely a city, but
masses of human beings; nothing, I knew, had any chance
against death. Nevertheless after a pause of exhaustion the
legs fluttered again. It was superb this last protest, and so

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frantic that he succeeded at last in righting himself. One's

sympathies, of course, were all on the side of life. Also, when
there was nobody to care or to know, this gigantic effort on
the part of an insignificant little moth, against a power of
such magnitude, to retain what no one else valued or
desired to keep, moved one strangely. Again, somehow, one
saw life, a pure bead. I lifted the pencil again, useless though
I knew it to be. But even as I did so, the unmistakable tokens
of death showed themselves. The body relaxed, and
instantly grew stiff. The struggle was over. The insignificant
little creature now knew death. As I looked at the dead
moth, this minute wayside triumph of so great a force over
so mean an antagonist filled me with wonder. Just as life had
been strange a few minutes before, so death was now as
strange. The moth having righted himself now lay most
decently and uncomplainingly composed. O yes, he seemed
to say, death is stronger than I am.

In this essay, Virginia Woolf talks about her musings as she watched a dying moth by her
window pane. What do you think the death of the moth symbolizes? Were you able to
identify other symbolisms in the essay?

Types and Examples of Symbols and Symbolisms

Symbols in creative nonfiction come in various forms. The most typical ones are symbols in
the form of physical objects, characters, and events.

A physical object is often used to symbolize the overarching theme of a text. For example,
an author who is trying to write an article about resilience may use the bamboo tree to
represent flexibility and strength. Like the bamboo tree, a lot of physical objects have gained
conventional symbolic meanings since writers mostly use physical objects in symbolism.

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On the other hand, characters may represent good or evil traits, ideologies, and universal
values. While character symbolism is more common in fiction writing, creative nonfiction
writers may also use characters to highlight opposites in values and ideologies.

Lastly, events could also be used in creating symbolisms in nonfiction texts. A biography
author, for instance, may highlight a seemingly mundane event in the subject’s life, such as
cutting one’s hair, to signify a meaningful change or breakthrough. Changes in the seasons
are also commonly used as symbols in both fiction and nonfiction works.

Below are some examples of conventional symbolisms found in literary texts.

Table 1. Examples of conventional literary symbolisms

Symbol Meaning Example in Literature

rain rebirth, a turning point In the biblical story of Noah’s Ark, the rain
was used to renew life on earth.

winter death, stagnation In C.S. Lewis’s popular fantasy novel, the

winter symbolized despair and lack of
hope during the reign of the main
antagonist.

plant life, hope, survival In the popular novel by Suzanne Collins,

plants often helped the characters
survive. The main character herself was
named after a plant.

raven loss, an ill omen Edgar Allan Poe used the symbol of the
black bird in the poem The Raven to
represent death and loss.

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Writing Tip
Use symbolisms in your writings to convey important ideas in a
more concise and powerful manner. Symbols compel people to
think more deeply and lead to creating more impact on the readers.
However, be careful not to overuse symbolisms as this may affect
the clarity of your work.

Importance of Symbols and Symbolisms

Symbols and symbolisms are literary devices used by writers to add depth and nuance to
their works. By using symbols, writers allow their readers to understand and evaluate texts
given their own beliefs and values, making texts more complex. It makes literature open to
more possibilities because no one set of meanings could be derived from the work.

Symbolisms also help in establishing themes in a text. Themes are big ideas that may
sometimes be difficult for authors to convey or for readers to grasp, so using symbols to
make these abstract ideas more concrete helps achieve better communication between the
author and the audience.

Finally, symbols add visual elements to the text. Through the use of symbols, writers can
show more and tell less. The imagery created by symbolisms makes works more interesting
and entertaining.

Check Your Progress

How do you think writers choose the best symbolism for the theme
or message they wish to convey in their works?
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Wrap-Up
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● A symbol is something that represents something else.
● Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent concepts or ideas.
● Symbols typically take the forms of physical objects, characters, or events.
● Symbols and symbolisms are important because they add depth and nuance to
the text, help in establishing themes, and add imagery to the text.
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Try This!
A. True or False. Write true if the statement is correct. Otherwise, write false.

________________ 1. When a symbol is used to represent something, a symbolism is

formed.

________________ 2. Symbols must always be physical or concrete objects.

________________ 3. A symbol and the concept it represents always have a one-to-one

correspondence.

________________ 4. Symbols and symbolisms may be used in both fiction and

nonfiction writing.

________________ 5. Themes become more abstract through the use of symbols.

B. Identification. Identify the concept being described in each statement.

____________________ 1. It is anything that stands for something else beyond its literal
meaning.

____________________ 2. It is a type of symbolism wherein a person, animal, or any

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creature in the text is used to represent an idea.

____________________ 3. An example of this type of symbolism is the changing of the

seasons.

____________________ 4. These are universal ideas found in texts that are usually
symbolized to be more concrete or understandable for the
readers.

____________________ 5. This is a literary device that uses symbols to represent ideas.

Practice Your Writing Skills

Write two nonfiction works with at least three paragraphs, each using the given symbol or
topic. Read carefully the specific instructions given below.

1. Write a three-paragraph essay using the symbol you chose in Let’s Begin. You may
choose to write either a narrative essay or a descriptive essay about a topic of your
choice.
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2. Write a three-paragraph editorial using a symbol of your choice. You may choose to
write your opinion about a topic on either health or education.
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Suggested Rubric for Grading

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Unit 3: Elements of Creative Nonfiction II

The rubric below is a suggested one. Your teacher may modify the rubric based on your
needs. Consult your teacher for the final rubric.

Performance Levels

1 2 3 Suggested
Criteria Score
Beginning Proficient Advanced Weight
Proficiency Proficiency

Content The text attempts to The text uses a The text effectively
use symbolism to symbolism to convey uses symbolism to
convey ideas. The ideas, although not in convey meaningful
topic barely relates a very concise and ideas in a concise
to the given list of impactful manner. and impactful
×3
options in the The topic somehow manner. The topic
instructions. relates to the given clearly adheres to
list of options in the the given list of
instructions. options in the
instructions.

Organization The text does not The text somehow The text
demonstrate demonstrates demonstrates
coherence and coherence and excellent coherence
cohesion of ideas, cohesion of ideas. and cohesion of
making it difficult to Transitional devices ideas. Transitional ×2
follow the logic of the are seldom used in devices are
text. Transitional the text. appropriately used
devices are not or in the text.
barely used.

Mechanics The text contains The text contains The text contains
many errors in some errors in few to no errors in
grammar, spelling, grammar, spelling, grammar, spelling,
punctuation, and punctuation, and punctuation, and
×1
capitalization that capitalization. capitalization.
hinder the readers’
understanding of the
text.

Total Possible Score 18

Teacher’s Feedback
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Unit 3: Elements of Creative Nonfiction II

Bibliography
Barron, Kaelyn. "Symbolism: Common Examples in Life and Literature." TCK Publishing.
September 30, 2020. Accessed April 05, 2021.
https://www.tckpublishing.com/symbolism-examples-in-literature/.

Elbom, Gilad. "What Is Symbolism?" College of Liberal Arts. March 03, 2021. Accessed April
05, 2021. https://liberalarts.oregonstate.edu/wlf/what-symbolism.

Mahler, Adam. "Symbolism." LitCharts LLC, May 5, 2017. Accessed April 4, 2021.
https://www.litcharts.com/literary-devices-and-terms/symbolism.

MasterClass. "How to Use Symbolism in Your Writing - 2021." MasterClass. November 08,
2020. Accessed April 05, 2021.
https://www.masterclass.com/articles/how-to-use-symbolism-in-your-writing#what-i
s-symbolism.

Woolf, Virginia. “The Death of the Moth, and Other Essays.” Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1974;
Project Gutenberg, 2012. http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks12/1203811h.html#ch-02.

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 Unit 3: Elements of Creative Nonfiction II

3.1. Symbols and Symbolisms

Let’s Begin
1. How will you describe the symbols that you and your partner chose?
Answers may vary depending on students’ previous outputs. Students may
discuss the form of the symbol such as whether it is an object, an animal, a person,
etc., and how the author used it in the work.
2. What are the similarities and differences between the symbolisms you and your
partner chose?
Answers may vary. Students’ similarities or differences may be related to the form
and purpose of the symbol in the work.
3. What makes your chosen symbol impactful or memorable for you?
Answers may vary depending on students’ previous outputs. Students may
discuss how they find the symbol interesting for them or how they were able to
relate to the idea represented by the symbol.

Check Your Progress

How do you think writers choose the best symbolism for the theme or message they wish
to convey in their works?
Answers may vary depending on students’ previous outputs. Students’ answers
should revolve around the connection of the symbol to the context and other elements of
the text, such as the setting and characters.

Try This!
A. True or False. Write true if the statement is correct. Otherwise, write false.

true 1. When a symbol is used to represent something, a symbolism is formed.

false 2. Symbols must always be physical or concrete objects.

false 3. A symbol and the concept it represents always have a one-to-one

correspondence.

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 Unit 3: Elements of Creative Nonfiction II
true 4. Symbols and symbolisms may be used in both fiction and nonfiction
writing.

false 5. Themes become more abstract through the use of symbols.

B. Identification. Identify the concept being described in each statement.

symbol 1. It is anything that stands for something else beyond its literal
meaning.

character 2. It is a type of symbolism wherein a person, animal, or any creature

in the text is used to represent an idea.

events 3. An example of this type of symbolism is the changing of the

seasons.

theme 4. These are universal ideas found in texts that are usually
symbolized to be more concrete or understandable for the
readers.

symbolisms 5. This is a literary device that uses symbols to represent ideas.

3.1. Symbols and Symbolisms 19