Is That a Symbol?
(probably..)
chapter 12
students should know how to find correct symbols
Dictionary Definition...
SYMBOL: a thing that represents or stands for something else.
Something that suggests something else.
According to Thomas Foster...
SYMBOL: "a network of meanings that permits a limitless range of possible interpretations" (Foster 103)
(all depending on the reader)
We bring our indivisual history to our reading.
Which includes:
- gender
- race
- faith
- social involvement
- education
Pg. 103: "Every reader's experience of every work is unique; people don't usually come from the same angle"
"Emphasize various elements differently"
(opinion-based)
Identifying symbols: (3 parts)
- questions
- your experience
- preexisting knowledge
Katniss Everdeen's bow & arrows
Ask yourself...
- Is it relevant? yes.
- Significant? yes.
- What is the author using it for? (its up to you!)
use Your knowledge...
It was given to her by her father; Katniss uses her bow daily.
Generally used for:
- hunting
- practicing archery
- survival
- protection
(defense)
"CONSIDER YOUR PAST"
Native americans used them for war and hunting.
NOW CONCLUDE...
Bow= freedom, security, violence, etc.
(Depends on reader's point of view)
*Sometimes the author will directly state a symbol and what it represents
symbolic actions
- Symbols can be events or actions.
- Different actions can represent different things
Example:
Apple picking: represents Autumn, Thanksgiving, cold weather.
Symbols vs Allegories
Symbol: Represents many things; immaterial (Ex: freedom/Peace).
Allegory: "a representation through concrete forms"
can be reduced to standing for ONE thing.
FOR EXAMPLE: SOMEONE NAMED CHRISTIAN
have one mission to accomplish:
"Convey a certain message"
- Allegories- get to the point
- Symbols- get to a point.
summary
- find a symbol: questions, your experience, and pre-existing knowledge
- Actions can be symbolic
- Allegories and symbols are not the same
questionnaire
- students will read the excerpt from Mockingjay
- students will identify a possible symbol
- students will use what they learned to approve of the symbol by answering the questions provided
citations
Collins, Suzanne. Hunger Games. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2008. Print
Collins, Suzanne. Mockingjay. New York: Scholastic Inc., 2010. print
Foster, Thomas C., How to Read Literature Like a Professor. New York: HarperCollins Publisher Inc., 2003. print.
n.p. The Hunger Games Wiki. Wikia, 2012. web. 2 November 2013