2.10: Symbolism and Figurative Language
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Symbolism
Symbolism is a practice of using symbols, or anything that represents something larger than itself. Common examples of symbols are a country's flag and a heart symbol, which represent the country, and love. Each has suggestive meanings--for example, the flag brings up thoughts of patriotism, a unified country.
What is the value of using symbols in a literary text? Symbols in literature allow a writer to express a lot in a condensed manner. The meaning of a symbol is connotative or suggestive rather than definitive which allows for multiple interpretations.
Video \(\PageIndex{1}\): Symbols in Literature
Other Common Rhetorical and Literary Devices
How do you tell which words you should examine closely? If you were to spend time doing a close reading of every word in a story, you would never finish. Thus, you want to look for rhetorical devices when you read. Rhetorical devices are words that serve a special function in the text. Authors include them in order to convey a meaning to the reader. Listed below are some of the most common rhetorical devices.
Allegory
An allegory has a fixed meaning. According to Dictionary.com, an allegory is "a representation of an abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another." Usually didactic (meant to impart a lesson), an allegory is a kind of story in which abstract concepts (such as love, war, or death) became objects, characters, or places in the story. For example, consider Plato’s “Allegory of the Cave,” where light symbolizes knowledge and darkness symbolizes ignorance.
Allusion
An allusion is an indirect reference, usually to another work, outside of the text, without explicitly naming the reference point. For example, in Hamlet, the scene of Old Hamlet being poisoned in the castle garden by his brother -- who is referred to as a “serpent” -- would likely be a familiar allusion to the Biblical Garden of Eden for highly religious Elizabethan readers (1.5.36).
Imagery
Imagery is language that makes an appeal to the senses. It can apply to any of the five senses or a combination of multiple senses. Although imagery often comes in phrases or complete sentences, a word can evoke the senses.
Here are some examples.
| Touch | The dog's fur was smooth and silky, as though it had just been brushed. |
|---|---|
| Smell | The delicious scent of freshly-baked cookies wafted out of the window. |
| Taste | Dinner was mouthwatering! We ate buttery rolls, and a savory chicken dish with a side of rich gravy. |
| Sound | 1st Street was a cacophony of car horns, people on cell phones, and police sirens. |
| Sight | The apple was a deep red, like the sky moments before the sun comes up. |
Every time you find imagery in a text, it brings up a set of connotations. For instance, the scent of freshly-baked cookies might bring up connotations of childhood, comfort, or home. When you see a particularly striking image in a text, think of what it denotes to you. Ask yourself, “Why describe this thing in detail instead of describing something else?” An author often uses imagery to call attention to a particular idea, character, setting, or plot point. Imagery can also be used to create the mood of a text. For instance, a story that includes a great deal of rain imagery might have a very dark, dreary mood.
Irony
Irony is a meaning or outcome contrary to what is expected. A fire station burning down would be considered ironic. In Raymond Carver's short story "Cathedral," one of the characters is a blind man. The blind man demonstrates irony when he says, "My dear, I have two TVs. I have a color set and a black-and-white thing, an old relic. It's funny, but if I turn the TV on, and I'm always turning it on, I turn on the color set. It's funny, don't you think?"
There are three different types of irony that can be included in a literary work.
- Verbal irony: when a speaker or narrator says one thing and means the reverse (e.g., sarcasm)
- Dramatic irony: when the reader or audience knows something characters don’t
- Situational irony: when a character holds a position or has an expectation that is reversed or fulfilled in an unexpected way
Metaphor and Simile
Two of the most common rhetorical devices are metaphors and similes. These are both means of comparison. A metaphor compares two things by saying they are the same, while a simile uses the words “like” or “as.”
Table
| Metaphor | Simile |
|---|---|
| My Great Dane is a vacuum. | My Great Dane is like a vacuum. |
| That linebacker is a wall. | That linebacker is like a wall. |
| She is a cheetah. | She runs as fast as a cheetah. |
In the first example, we know that the Great Dane isn't really a vacuum. Both the metaphor and simile, however, imply that the dog consumes a large amount. The main difference is that the metaphor creates a stronger comparison. However, in the last example, only the context will tell you that the metaphor is not talking about a real cheetah. If we were talking about a runner, saying “she is a cheetah” would carry the denotations of speed, grace, agility, litheness, etc. But if we are looking at the simile, we only see that the runner is fast.
Personification and Anthropomorphism
Personification is giving human qualities to animals or objects for the sake of imagery. For example, “the trees’ branches reached towards the sun like arms.” This is similar to anthropomorphism: imbuing a nonhuman entity with human behaviors or attributes. For example, the daffodils in Wordsworth’s “I wandered lonely as a cloud” are described as “dancing,” which is a distinctly human behavior (6).
Repetition
Repetition is another powerful rhetorical device. When you read, you should always keep your eyes open for repeated words and phrases. This can be tricky, as sometimes the repeated words appear close together and other times they are spread out in a text as a motif. For instance, in F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, a green light is mentioned repeatedly; however, these references are spread throughout the text, never appearing more than once or twice per chapter. Therefore, you will need to keep your eyes open for repetition while reading a story. If you see a word or phrase appear more than once, make a note of it--it is likely that the author included the repetition intentionally.
Exercise \(\PageIndex{1}\)
Ralph Waldo Ellison was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Ellison’s father, Lewis, a manual laborer who delivered ice and coal, was an avid reader who named his son after Ralph Waldo Emerson and who hoped that his son would grow up to be a poet. Unfortunately he died of a work-related accident when Ellison was three, which left the two brothers, Robert and Herbert, to be raised by their single mother, Ida. The absence of his father would remain a recurring theme in Ellison's owrk.
Read the first chapter of Invisible Man, Battle Royal by Ralph Ellison.
Questions
1.What is the significance of the protagonist’s dream? What does his grandfather’s appearance symbolize?
2. Why do you think the protagonist still gives his speech even after he’s been humiliated?
Contributors and Attributions
- Adapted from Writing About Literature: The Basics by CK-12, license CC-BY-NC
- Adapted from Ralph Ellison, authored by Berke, Bleil, & Cofer, originally sourced from the University of North Georgia Press.