Symbols have been used often in the history of our planet. Cultures such as Egyptians used literal symbols in their writing to represent objects such as animals and water. However, symbols don’t always mean a written figure. Often the word symbol means a metaphorical representation of something using something completely unrelated in literature or in speech. In fact, almost any work that has lasted all these years contains major symbolism in some way or another. William Butler Yeats, a great writer of the early twentieth century, wrote many incredibly symbolic and meaningful literate works. The following five poems of William Butler Yeats all have important symbols in them that are crucial to the poems, whether the symbols are personal or cultural: When You Are Old has a small symbol of the night sky; The Lake Isle of Innisfree uses the symbol of a log cabin; The Wild Swans at Coole uses the obvious symbol of swans; The Second Coming uses a beast as a symbol; and Sailing to Byzantium uses sailing. To begin, Yeats uses the universal symbol of the night sky to symbolize unimportance and anonymity in his poem When You Are Old. This poem is about Yeats personal life. The whole point of this three stanza short poem is to make the girl he loved when he was young remember him when she grew older. Starting in line 1 and skipping to line 2, he says, “When you are old. . . And nodding by the fire, take down this book.” He put this poem in a book for her and her alone, as a profession of his love for her that cannot die. The symbol itself, however, is not a personal one but more a universal relator. In the last line of the poem, referring to her view of him and all of the other young men in her life, he says he “hid his face amid a crowd o... ... middle of paper ... ...g as it is referred to in this poem is a cultural symbol because of how easily relatable it is to people. However, the poem itself seems to be very personal toward Yeats and his realization of old age and the things that become more important to you as you get older. It can be assumed, though, that the use of the mental picture f sailing was used for a specific reason, to help the culture understand he is talking about a trip where there is no coming back, to a place with perfect balance, just like Byzantium. Obviously, William Butler Yeats used very meaningful symbols in his poetry. It seems as though he is great at picking the best object to represent an idea or a feeling, whether it be swans with companionship or a log cabin with peace. Also, he is great at using cultural ideas such as the sky, sailing, and the birth of Jesus Christ to get other points across.
There are many writers like James Joyce, Patrick Kananach and Thomas Moore who use symbolism to convey and support indirect meaning in their writings. J.D. Salinger and F. Scott Fitzgerald both use symbolism in similar ways. In both “The Catcher In The Rye” and “The Great Gatsby”, the authors used symbolism to convey emotions and reality.
Poets have often used symbols to convey deeper messages that they were either too afraid or felt that normal language lacked the power to express. Often when a symbol is used, the reader digs deeper into the issue more than if the message was simply shot out in the open. These symbols and metaphors can be used to portray beautiful things, or could be used to create a more compelling argument in a more subtle way.
Keats’ poetry explores many issues and themes, accompanied by language and technique that clearly demonstrates the romantic era. His poems ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ and ‘Bright Star’ examine themes such as mortality and idealism of love. Mortality were common themes that were presented in these poems as Keats’ has used his imagination in order to touch each of the five senses. He also explores the idea that the nightingale’s song allows Keats to travel in a world of beauty. Keats draws from mythology and christianity to further develop these ideas. Keats’ wrote ‘Ode To A Nightingale’ as an immortal bird’s song that enabled him to escape reality and live only to admire the beauty of nature around him. ‘Bright Star’ also discusses the immortal as Keats shows a sense of yearning to be like a star in it’s steadfast abilities. The visual representation reveal these ideas as each image reflects Keats’ obsession with nature and how through this mindset he was able
O. Henry once said, “The true adventurer goes forth aimless and uncalculating to meet and greet unknown fate.” The poem goes a lot a deeper than the words on the page, the items and decisions within it really make you see things differently. Three symbols really stuck out to me; adolescence, sadness, and timelessness.
In English literature symbolism has been used to offer readers an extensive and open minded meaning for simple words. “A symbol is a word, phrase or, other expression having the complex of associated meaning; in this sense, a symbol is viewed different from those as whatever being symbolized” (Fadaee 19). Tony Morrison in Song of Solomon uses symbols such as peacock, geography book, cave, eggs, ginger smell, darkness, and flying to add more depth and sense to the story. Using these symbols does not only extend the meanings of some words, but coverts them into a important tool for thoughtful interpretation.
The symbols aren’t just inanimate objects but characters also. For example; Piggy an overweight asthmatic kid who cannot see without his glasses, represents mental strength and physical weakness. With his keen mental strength Piggy tries to enforce a governmental system. “What’s better--- To have rules and agreeing or to hunt and kill?” (164) Piggy tries one last time to knock some sense into the unruly boy’s right before Roger murders him. Piggy is a rational boy who tries to think about the way that adults would handle this situation. Piggy is the outsider of the group, and many o...
Shippey, T.A. “Symbols in the World of the Poem”. Bloom’s Literature. Facts on File, Inc. Web.
Many authors often use symbolism to express a deeper meaning. They use the symbols to connect an unrelated thought or feeling into the literary work they are writing. Edgar Allan Poe frequently uses this literary device in his works. Symbols are often seen in his poems and in his short stories. Many symbols are evident in Poe’s works “The Raven,” “The Tell-Tale Heart,” and “The Black Cat.”
Symbols in poetry can be a person , place , thing or idea . In the poem titled “ Love Poem to Los Angeles by Luis J. Rodriguez the poet uses the Hollywood Sign as a symbol to represent famous people . In another poem titled “Santa Ana of Grocery Carts “ by Aracelis Gimary the poet uses schoolyard boys as a symbol to represent young men who have died . The meaning of these symbols is similar because they both can represent people and how they’re special . However, the difference of these symbol is that the hollywood sign represents something only positive in the poem and on the other hand the schoolyard boys represent only something negative because it is related to death .
In many stories, symbols included by the author add deeper meaning. Nathaniel Hawthorne is one author who mastered the skill of using symbols effectively. The Scarlet Letter is regarded as a "symbolic masterpiece" due to Hawthorne's exceptional use of the scarlet letter, the setting, and Pearl as symbols.
then what is the true nature verse and why is it a ?toil? for the poet? Also, if Yeats cannot use poetry to influence the world around him, then what is his role as a poet? As ?
Poems such as “Ballad of Birmingham,” “London,” and “My mistress’ eyes are nothing like the sun,” use the literary element symbolism to explain the authenticity of a segment in a person’s life.
Imagery and symbolism merged to express his imagination, he became a unique poet in an evolving world where Romanticism was quickly expanding globally, not into a movement, but a way of thinking. Keats’ mother and brother, and eventually he too, passed away of tuberculosis. At the time of his brother 's passing, he developed ‘La Belle Dame sans Merci’. ‘La Belle’ expressed Keats’ intellect and creativity, although at the same time he himself expressed his angst and depression for the loss of his brother. His poem ‘Bright Star’ was written in a part of his life in which a woman had influenced Keats’ greatly, so much in fact that he was driven to write ‘Bright Star’ in appreciation and celebration of the love of his life. These poems reflect Keats’ intellect, originality, creativity, and his ability to merge the contextual aspects of his life and his imagination with the ideals and concepts of Romanticism to create powerful
This refrain enforces his disgust at the type of money hungry people that the Irish have become. In the third and fourth stanza, however, Yeats completely changes the tone of his poetry. He praises the romantics of Irish history, such as Rob...
There are many people in the world that follow the literature art of poetry. There are clubs for poetry and people who aren’t that crazy about it. Some people think it is a way of expressing emotions or feelings and some simply think that it sounds pretty or has a certain elegance to it. A poet that is well known for expressing emotions with a little bit of elegance is Robert Browning. Robert Browning is one of the best if not the best Victorian era poets. He is known for his love poems to his wife, as well as some of his other works. His poems vary from love to cavaliers to even walls. Of course in poetry such things as walls or cavaliers can be used to symbolize certain things. A wall for instance, can be a symbol of someone going through a hard time in their life and and they need to climb a wall in order for their life to become better, yet the top of the wall is simply out of reach. Robert Browning was born in 1812 and lived to the year of 1889. He was born in the united kingdom and died in Italy. During his lifetime there were many wars going on which would possibly could be one of the reasons he always writes about love. He was married to another famous poet by the name of Elizabeth Browning. Together they had one child and his name was Robert Barret Browning. Some extraordinary life lessons can be learned from studying Roberts life, his works of poetry, and even his surrounding areas to see if this inspired him.