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Use of Symbolism
Use of Symbolism
Essay on symbolism in literature
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Within “The Mummy’s Foot” by Théophile Gautier, there are a wide range of themes that are introduced. One theme that is addressed is that messing with the unknown can lead to uncertainty. Another one is that some things are more valuable than they appear. Those two themes are related to each other throughout the story as a young Frenchmen encounters this mysterious mummy’s foot to utilize it for a paperweight, but only to realize that there is more value to it than it appears to have. Despite the Frenchman’s true intentions for the foot’s purpose, bringing in this mysterious object introduces the unknown into his home and he would not have a clue of what could possibly happen. Bringing the foot home would not only bring the physical
Edwidge Danticat's novel, The Farming of Bones is an epic portrayal of the relationship between Haitians and Dominicans under the rule of Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo leading up to the Slaughter of 1937. The novel revolves around a few main concepts, these being birth, death, identity, and place and displacement. Each of the aspects is represented by an inanimate object. Water, dreams, twins, and masks make up these representations. Symbolism is consistent throughout the novel and gives the clearly stated and unsophisticated language a deeper more complex meaning. While on the surface the novel is an easy read, the symbolism which is prominent throughout the novel complicates the audience's interpretation. The reader is left to look beyond the language and uncover the underlying themes of the novel. Through symbolism Danticat is able to use inanimate objects to represent each of her character's more deeply rooted problems. In order to prove this theory true, I will thoroughly examine the aforementioned symbolic devices and provide a clear interpretation of their significance in the novel.
There's a great deal of symbolism through out the story given: through the culprit's (Montressor) family crest;"A huge human foot d'or, in a field azure; the foot crushes a serpent rampant whose fangs are imbedded in the heel." a foot in a blue background crushing a snake whose fangs are embedded in the foot's heel, with the motto Nemo me impune lacessit (No one attacks me with impunity). The nam...
In the novel Fountain and Tomb by Naguib Mahfouz, the reader is thrown into a small alley in Cairo, Egypt in the 1920s. The narrator is an adult reliving his childhood through many random, interesting vignettes of his youth. We learn about many different aspects of Egyptian life from political rebellion, to arranged marriages, to religious devotion, to gang warfare. We are led to conclude that one of the major themes of the book is Truth. We come to question whether Truth is something that always needs to be known. Will the Truth ultimately do more harm than good? Is there ever a time when the Truth must be told? Are there times when it’s better for the Truth to never be known?
Jonathan, Bate. "Alexandre Dumas, beyond the Grave - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk.I N.p., 11 May 2008. Web. 8 May 2010.
No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived. (Shelley, 235)
It is obvious in this photograph that this soldier is taking great pride in guarding the Tomb of the Unknown. The first thing noticed when looking at this photograph from D. Myles Cullen is the white marble sarcophagus, or stone coffin. This is located in the very center of the photograph and is an important and well-respected monument. Engraved on the sarcophagus are the words
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a story of horror, suspense, and repulsion. The main antagonist, Count Dracula, is depicted as an evil, repulsive creature that ends and perverts life to keep himself alive and youthful. To most onlookers that may be the case, but most people fail to see one crucial element to this character. Dracula is a character that, though it may be long gone, was once human, and thus has many human emotions and motives still within him. Let us delve into these emotions of a historically based monster.
The “Monkey’s Paw” reveals an intriguing story of destiny and death. The Theme challenges the classical ideas of destiny and fate.
No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endured with animation could not be so hideous aas that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived.2 (51)
The bronze ornament perched on the mantelpiece poses an immediate threat to Joseph Garcin’s concept and acceptance of his death. He understands his fate, but the ornament already beings to symbolize the meaning that Garcin cannot find in his life or death. The ornament subtly highlights Sartre’s existentialist themes in the play, but only Garcin interacts with the prop. “I assure you I’m quite conscious of my position,” he tells the valet. “A man’s drowning, choking, sinking by inches, till his eyes are just above water. And what does he see? A bronze atrocity…” (Sartre 4) That the ornament, amongst the other props resting in the room, appears to have no purpose or meaning confounds Garcin. What is he to do with his ornament? His first instinct, while alone in the room, is to touch and embrace it, as he has to embrac...
As these materials have magical means, often seen in Egyptian religious beliefs, a magical mean of the ushabti followed after-life of its deceased. The figurine appears to be inscribed with a special spell that contains summons; the intent of figure is placed in the tomb to act as substitute for its deceased body. This magical figurine was detailed to respond in the
As she begins her journey, she talks to herself and warns "Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!…Keep out from under these feet, little bob-whites”, because as she says, "I got a long way.” She is determined to go down that path despite anything that might come between her and getting the medicine for her grandson. This shows that her body may be worn out, but the attitude that she takes and desire that she has in order to get the medicine for her grandson are not. In addition, her shoelaces “which dragged from her unlaced shoes” adds to the chance of her falling on the path.
In ‘The Outsider’, the society continually brings back Meursault’s past actions against his will, such as his behaviour at his mother’s funeral. Under the rule of the French Colonialists, the French Algerian court is a microcosm of the society with the Roman Catholic belief, in value as in determination. Because of this, Meursault, who alienates himself from the Roman Catholic expectation in society, was condemned for murdering the Arab. He was announced to have “no place in society whose most fundamental rules [he] ignored” , which was mostly based on his emotions and behaviour in the funeral rather than the actual murder.
...the French toys that Barthes talked about. It enters a world where imagination is not only encouraged, but required. It makes usual the unusual. Whether Carroll’s reader is a young child or an adult, the imaginative and unconventional ideology of nonsense and sound can be understood. The poem reminds readers to not limit the use of language and imagine the seemingly impossible.
Begun in 1942, while Camus was working as an editor for Le Combat, the underground resistance paper, The Stranger is the story of one Monsieur Meursault, a resident of French Algeria cursed with a brutal and unabashed honesty. This trait, being the only truth that he can accept, is therefore the basis of his life. Holding no belief in speaking of the “benign indifference” of the world around him, Meursault is caught in a plethora of social absurdities for which no understanding nor need. For instance, in speaking of the his mother, whose death opens the novel, he states: “I loved her as much as anyone loves their mother,” and, when criticized for his decision to place her in the Home for Aging Persons, notes that “for years she had nothing to say to me.. .she was moping around with no one to talk to.” It is this sort of behavior, honest, ultimately pragm...