Figurative Language and Symbolism

SYMBOLISM AND
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

In literature, a symbol is a person, place, thing, or
event that has a meaning larger than itself.



A symbol has a literal meaning as well as an
abstract meaning.
A literal meaning is a symbol’s unimaginative,
“boring” meaning.
An abstract meaning is a symbol’s “meaning larger
than itself.” This meaning is what the symbol stands
for and represents.
Conventional symbols


There are many symbols that we are probably
familiar with.
Can you determine the literal meanings and
abstract meanings of the following things?


Literal meaning: A flag with 50 stars in the top lefthand corner and red and white stripes covering the rest
of the surface.
Abstract meaning: Freedom, liberty, independence,
patriotism, etc.

Literal meaning: A dove carrying an olive branch.

Abstract meaning: Peace, safety


Literal meaning: A clover with four leafs instead of
the traditional three.
Abstract meaning:

Literal meaning: A snake wrapped around a rod.

Abstract meaning:
Tips for identifying symbolism

When reading, if you believe a person, place,
thing, or event has a meaning larger than itself, ask
yourself the following questions:
 What
is the literal meaning of the symbol?
 What
is the abstract meaning of the symbol?
 What
words or phrases help you determined this
abstract meaning?
Practice


In the following passage, does anything in the passage have a meaning
larger than itself?
Growing up, I never went down to my basement after it got dark outside. I
was too scared. I lived with this fear well into my teenage years. Sometimes
my parents would ask me to go down there, to grab an extra roll of paper
towels for the kitchen or other times to return a tool to my dad’s workroom,
and always I would come up with an excuse. I would pretend I didn’t hear
them. I would hide the tool and return it to the basement the next day, when
it was no longer dark. I hated that place. On the rare occasion when I was
forced to make a trip down there in the dark, I would run as fast as I could,
holding my breath, wasting no time. I got out as quick as I could. The place
was a dungeon, with hidden traps and secretive murderers waiting to grab
me. My imagination predicted gruesome outcomes. Even now, when I’m
home visiting my parents, I try to avoid the basement at night. If I’m down
there, I still walk a bit quicker than normal, still check around corners, still
find myself holding my breath.

Symbol:

Literal meaning:

Abstract meaning:


Read “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes
Determine one symbol in the poem. Then, explain
both the literal and abstract meanings of the
symbol.

Figurative language is any word or phrase that
describes something in a way that exaggerates or
alters the original meaning of the word(s).
 The
most common examples of figurative language are
similes, metaphors, and personification.
Similes and metaphors


Many poems and stories use similes and
metaphors to compare two similar things.
For example, earlier we read Langston Hughes’
“Mother to Son.” In the first two lines of the poem,
we read that the narrator was comparing life to a
staircase.


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Whenever two things are being compared, we are
using similes and metaphors.
A simile is a comparison using the words “like” or “as.”
In this way, a simile says that one thing is similar in
some way to something else.
A metaphor is a comparison of two things without using
the words “like” or “as.” In this way, a metaphor says
that one thing is in fact another thing.
Examples

The following is a simile from The Prophet by Khalil
Gibran.
“When you part from your friend, you grieve not;
For that which you love most in him may be clearer
in his absence, as the mountain to the climber is
clearer from the plain.”

What two things is Gibran comparing? What makes
them similar?

The following is a metaphor from The Prophet by Khalil
Gibran.
“Your reason and your passion are the rudder and the
sails of your seafaring soul.
If either your sails or your rudder be broken, you can but
toss and drift, or else be held at a standstill in midseas.”

What two things if Gibran comparing? What makes
them similar?

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
Which of the following would be a simile? Which would
be a metaphor?
As the match began, the wrestler slowly approached his
opponent. The wrestler was strong like an ox, and he
had no trouble easily pinning his opponent.
As the match began, the wrestler slowly approached his
opponent. The wrester was a strong ox, and he had no
trouble easily pinning his opponent.
Personification


Personification is the giving of human qualities to
non-human things.
For example, being able to hate or love something
is a uniquely human quality. If you were to say:
“My computer hates me.”
this would be an example of personification.
Further examples

Personification or not?
 During
the earthquake, the photographs danced on the
shelves.
 The
car moved slowly down the driveway.

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