Synthesizing Sources
A
symbol is often an ordinary object,
event, person, or animal to which we have
attached extraordinary meaning and
significance.
 For example, we use a rectangle piece of
dyed cloth to symbolize a country. We
use a picture of a skull and crossbones to
represent poison or danger. We send red
roses as a symbol for love.
 Symbols
can be inherited.
 The most familiar symbols have been
inherited—meaning they’ve been handed
down over time.
 For example, no one knows who first
associated the lion with pride and courage,
but once those qualities were associated
with the animal, the lion became a public
symbol, one that shows up on flags, coats of
arms, castle walls, etc…
 Symbols
can be invented.
 You probably have a symbol that
represents your school.
 Writers often take a new object,
character, or event and make it the
symbol of some human concern.
 Some invented symbols in literature have
become well-known public symbols such
as Peter Pan, who symbolizes eternal
childhood.
 Why
don’t writers just come right out and
say what they mean?
 Symbols allow writers to suggest layers
and layers of meaning—possibilities that
a simple, literal statement could never
convey.
 A symbol is like a pebble cast into water:
It sends out ever-widening ripples of
meaning.
 An
allegory is a story in which
characters, settings, and actions stand for
something beyond themselves.
 Sometimes the characters and settings
represent abstract ideas and moral
qualities.
 Sometimes the characters and situations
stand for historical figures and events.
 An
allegory can be read on two levels.
 Allegories can be read on a literal,
straightforward meaning or for its
symbolic or allegoric meaning.
 Allegories are often intended to teach a
moral lesson or to make a comment
about goodness and vice.
A.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Think about the number of symbols we’re
surrounded by in everyday life. For starters,
identify what the items below stand for. Then,
see if you can explain the basis for the
symbol—why is this symbol appropriate for
what it stands for?
A snake
An eagle
Spring
An owl
A white flag
B. Here is a brief poem that works on two
levels: a literal level and a symbolic level.
A “fen” is a swampy place. What does the
fen symbolize in this poem?
I May, I Might, I Must
If you will tell me why the fen
appears impassable, I then
will tell you why I think that I
can get across it if I try.
--Marianne Moore
 Think
of another piece of literature, a
movie, or a song that includes a
distinctive symbol. Explain the ideas
associated with that symbol.
 Pride
is an overriding them in “The
Scarlet Ibis” by James Hurst. Generate a
list of situations that might make
someone feel proud. Is pride positive or
negative—can it be both? Jot down your
thoughts about what it means to be
proud.
 sullenly
 Imminent
 Iridescent
 Serene
 Infallibility
 Blighted
 Doggedness
 Reiterated
 Precariously
 mar
 As
you read “The Scarlet Ibis,” keep track
of the little things—color, gesture,
weather—and see what larger meanings
they might point to.