Symbolism & Imagery
Using Pictures in Poetry
In this module, you will be examining poets' use of imagery and symbolism in their poems. You will be watching a video and filling out a paper copy worksheet.
The worksheet for this module will be due Tuesday, September 29th, at 4:00pm.
1. To warm up, read the poem "Barter" above. Answer the questions on your worksheet.
2. Watch this video on imagery. You will use the paper worksheet as a guide as you view it. Answer the questions on the worksheet. Pay attention: you don't have to watch the whole video. Stop when the worksheet tells you to.
3. Watch this video on symbolism.
4. Look at the pictures below. Pick three to respond to on your worksheet. (See directions on worksheet.)
The worksheet for this module will be due Tuesday, September 29th, at 4:00pm.
1. To warm up, read the poem "Barter" above. Answer the questions on your worksheet.
2. Watch this video on imagery. You will use the paper worksheet as a guide as you view it. Answer the questions on the worksheet. Pay attention: you don't have to watch the whole video. Stop when the worksheet tells you to.
3. Watch this video on symbolism.
4. Look at the pictures below. Pick three to respond to on your worksheet. (See directions on worksheet.)
5. Read through the following notes on symbolism, and then take the quiz in eBackpack over the notes.
Symbolism
A symbol is something that represents something else, either by association or by resemblance. It can be a material (concrete) object or a written sign used to represent something invisible (abstract).
Symbolism can be used by writers in many ways:
1. When a writer uses an event, item or a character to stand for something else.
2. A character can be a symbol. Often characters are used to symbolize good or evil.
Examples: Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter symbolizes evil. Luke Skywalker in Star Wars represents good.
Symbolism
A symbol is something that represents something else, either by association or by resemblance. It can be a material (concrete) object or a written sign used to represent something invisible (abstract).
Symbolism can be used by writers in many ways:
1. When a writer uses an event, item or a character to stand for something else.
2. A character can be a symbol. Often characters are used to symbolize good or evil.
Examples: Lord Voldemort in Harry Potter symbolizes evil. Luke Skywalker in Star Wars represents good.
3. Objects can also be symbols, such as the ring in Lord of the Rings. It symbolizes a desire for power and greed.
4. Authors might use symbolism, as a form of imagery or metaphor, when they want to portray something to the reader without using the narrator.
5. When an item is mentioned frequently throughout a story, especially a personal item belonging to one of the principal characters, the reader must ask what it might symbolize.
Example: Katniss's bow in The Hunger Games is a symbol of her strength and power.
Why use symbolism?
Symbolism is often used to intensify a feeling or idea.
Symbolism can take place by having the theme of a story represented on a physical level.
For example, the occurrence of a storm at a critical point, when there is conflict or high emotions. The storm might come to symbolize these emotions.
Check out this slideshow for more examples of symbols and how and why they are used in literature.
DON'T FORGET TO TAKE THE QUIZ!
Symbolism is often used to intensify a feeling or idea.
Symbolism can take place by having the theme of a story represented on a physical level.
For example, the occurrence of a storm at a critical point, when there is conflict or high emotions. The storm might come to symbolize these emotions.
Check out this slideshow for more examples of symbols and how and why they are used in literature.
DON'T FORGET TO TAKE THE QUIZ!
Symbolism in Poems
Read the poems below. Then use the worksheet to analyze the use of symbolism in each poem.
Poem Writing
The final step of this module is to write a poem that uses imagery and symbolism.
This time you will be writing a free-verse poem. The details of this assignment are in eBackpack. Your poem must use imagery (sensory details) and symbolism.
The poem is due Wednesday, September 30th, at 4:00 in eBackpack.
To develop the symbol for your poem, I suggest choosing a topic and then thinking about what kinds of objects could symbolize that topic. For instance, if I want to write a poem about friendship, I should consider a symbol that would represent a relationship between friends. I could look it up to find commonly used symbols for this topic, or come up with my own.
For example, if I were writing about a friend that lived far away, I could use the symbols of the moon and the ocean to represent my relationship with her. The moon and ocean are far away from each other, but the moon still has influence over the tides, so they are somehow connected, even from a distance.
My poem could describe this relationship of the moon and the tides and my relationship with my friend.
Don't forget, too, that your poem should use imagery--sensory details--to help your readers experience your poem.
Here's an example based on the ideas above:
The Moon and the Tide
I sit on the beach, my phone cradled in my hand
Your voice in my ear
Carried across the air, on waves I cannot see
I stare out at the sea,
Listening to you speak,
Thinking about how
every night the moon strides over the sky
Spinning in her own sphere
And the ocean below glitters
Swells, reaches up and crashes back down--
The distance is far,
Insurmountable
But even with all that distance,
the moon calls down
calls to the ocean,
And the tide flows in and out
A tiny connection
Across all that space.
This time you will be writing a free-verse poem. The details of this assignment are in eBackpack. Your poem must use imagery (sensory details) and symbolism.
The poem is due Wednesday, September 30th, at 4:00 in eBackpack.
To develop the symbol for your poem, I suggest choosing a topic and then thinking about what kinds of objects could symbolize that topic. For instance, if I want to write a poem about friendship, I should consider a symbol that would represent a relationship between friends. I could look it up to find commonly used symbols for this topic, or come up with my own.
For example, if I were writing about a friend that lived far away, I could use the symbols of the moon and the ocean to represent my relationship with her. The moon and ocean are far away from each other, but the moon still has influence over the tides, so they are somehow connected, even from a distance.
My poem could describe this relationship of the moon and the tides and my relationship with my friend.
Don't forget, too, that your poem should use imagery--sensory details--to help your readers experience your poem.
Here's an example based on the ideas above:
The Moon and the Tide
I sit on the beach, my phone cradled in my hand
Your voice in my ear
Carried across the air, on waves I cannot see
I stare out at the sea,
Listening to you speak,
Thinking about how
every night the moon strides over the sky
Spinning in her own sphere
And the ocean below glitters
Swells, reaches up and crashes back down--
The distance is far,
Insurmountable
But even with all that distance,
the moon calls down
calls to the ocean,
And the tide flows in and out
A tiny connection
Across all that space.