Metaphorical and symbolic representations of ‘place’

Learning Intention: To design unique and engaging metaphorical and symbolic ‘places’ for creative writing
responses
When choosing a ‘place’ for your assessment; you are not bound by a literal, physical
representation; you are able to explore how feelings, thoughts and experiences can be
reflected in creative and unique ‘places’ that don’t truly exist!
Let’s recap… What is a metaphor?
Metaphor provides similarity between two things by comparing them together
saying something IS what it is not.

Eg: “John’s office was a prison,” demonstrates how John felt about his
workplace. The reader would conjure imagery suggested by their knowledge of
a prison cell: that John felt trapped, cramped, solitary, stifled, oppressed—even
frightened and threatened in this ‘place’.

Do you know what it means to have a ‘symbolic’ setting?

Symbols are objects, characters, figures, or colours used to represent abstract
ideas or concepts. Symbolism is important because it turns an ordinary object,
place, colour, person, etc. into something that goes beyond its literal meaning.

Eg: A home could symbolise safety, a river might symbolise a forbidden

boundary, a lighthouse might symbolise hope… These locations can not only
make your story interesting but also represent important ideas you are trying to
share with the reader.
Using
Metaphor to
describe a
‘place’
• Word association around the
picture; what feelings do we
get when we look at this
image? Aim for a MINIMUM
of 10 words! Come and share
your words around the image
on the board.
• When we look at this image;
what other locations could
we compare it to in order to
evoke these feelings we just
identified?
• Compare this location to
another place using an
extended metaphor eg: The
hotel hallway stretched on
endlessly, a walk towards the
dungeon that awaited my
fate. It’s stone barricades….
Using
symbolism When I close my eyes and think of the word
through the comfort, I think of these colours, images, words
representation of & places…
‘place’

If your mind was a place; what would it look

like? A jungle, a desert, a castle? Why would it
look like this place?

Evoke these feelings through a place; eg -does

fear look like an abandoned house?
Inspiration
Euphoria
Doubt
Taking ONE of the ideas you generated today; write
a creative response where you either compare a
location to something else using a metaphor OR you
design a symbolic setting to reflect a ‘bigger’ idea.

Don’t forget… to use your language

techniques to make your writing engaging
and interesting!