In some ways symbolism can be viewed as both stop signs and/or green lights. I know when I read something symbols tend to lead me into rabbit holes because I am a deep thinker, but symbols are also why I want to be an English teacher one day. Symbols create passion in a story. For example, Sonny's blues was a deep story for me, why? Because the music invoked a long ago passion that was restored within only reading a few words about the effects music had on the people in that story.
Symbols can help a story develop sometimes more than the characters/plot can. Another example is in Waiting for Godot. The symbols of the hats, shoes, tree and other props make it seem like the set itself is useless, but in reality...without it, we wouldn't understand the outside surroundings and how they effect the inward emotions. What would the story in Waiting for Godot be like if the characters didn't look inside their hats? What would the story be like if it didn't start off with one of the main characters trying to take of his boot?
Symbols can also hinder some stories. When watching a movie like The Labyrinth the title itself seems like a symbol. We all know what a labyrinth is, but in that movie it becomes too literal until the end, when you realize why the labyrinth was there in the first place and why the people (or symbols) were strategically placed throughout the storyline. The main character's journey is filled with props that she must use to her advantage, while also interacting with the symbols around her.
I wondered about symbols that surround me everyday. Something as simple as a handicap sign, I can understand. But then I thought, what if I were blind? What new form would such a simple sign like a handicapped symbol change into? While walking down El Prado I see many people holding books and book bags; because of that I assume that they are going to class or teaching one, but I'm probably wrong 45% of the time. Symbols can also be misleading. I know when I say something it can mean something else. Symbols are also like that. When most see a green light it means go, but in other countries it could mean something completely different.
wow :) I really like the way you think! Symbols creating passion...so true!
ReplyDeleteI also know what you mean about saying something when it means something else. This can always mean that. I like that comparison! :) Awesome!
I agree with Breanna. This was a great post, Brittney!
ReplyDeleteIts interesting how symols can have such different effects depending on who is saying them, who is reading them, where they are, how they described or seen etc. Symbols are powerful - and when truly understood can change one's perspective significantly.
ReplyDeleteI like how you say that the set for Godot could seem useless, but its not. I agree that that is the point of that symbol. I love the air of seemingly useless futility that is evoked by the sat. it feels barren, and maybe it is. but the world the characters crate in it is so full of symbols and ideas that it hardly feels barren.
ReplyDeleteGreat job recognizing symbols not only in literature but also identifying them in the real world all around us.
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