SYMBOLISM RECAP-EXERCISE

Exploring symbolism in Literature

What is symbolism?

Symbolism allows people to communicate beyond the limits of language.

Humans use symbolism all the time. Words themselves are mere symbols for something else.

A symbol is a person, place, or object that stands for something beyond itself.

Symbolism Exercise

Use your imagination and take a short journey…

1) First, imagine a character (not yourself) walking down a road. Describe on your paper the road from the characters point of view.

Symbolism Exercise Continued… 2) As your character is walking, he or

she encounters a key in the road. Describe the key and write what your character does with the key when he or she sees it.

Symbolism Exercise Continued… Next, the character comes to a coin in

the road. Describe the coin and tell what the character does when he or she sees it.

Symbolism Exercise Continued… Next, the character comes to a body of

water. Describe what the body of water looks like and what your character does upon encountering it.

Symbolism Exercise Continued… Lastly, your character comes to a fence.

Describe the fence and what your character does upon encountering it.

Symbolism Exercise Continued… Now, pretend that you are an expert on

dreams and and interpret what this dream might mean to the dreamer’s life… ***remember you wrote about a fictional

character, not yourself.

Explanation:

Each station on this trip is meant to symbolize something different. How the character sees the road is indicative of how

the character feels about life in general The key and how it is perceived is meant to provide

insight into the character’s view of education. The coin is a symbol of wealth and property. The body of water is a symbol of love. The fence in the road is a symbol of death. Source:

http://voices.yahoo.com/literary-symbolism-exercise-high-school-middle-2217847.html?cat=4