What Is Symbolism? A Literary Device to Enhance Your Writing

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Have you ever seen the symbol with a skull and crossbones as a road sign? You instantly get the idea from it that ahead of you, the road can be dangerous. But, it is because you know that the sign of the skull is symbolizing danger. That's how we use symbolism as a literary device in writing and literature. Students pursuing literature struggle with this device; they can not easily spot it in the write-up. So, do you also wonder, what is symbolism? Well, let us take our discussion further and briefly discuss it. Let's start with a quick overview of symbolism in the next section.

What Is Symbolism? A Quick Brief

Symbolism is a literary device that can help you represent an idea or an inanimate object as something other than its literal meaning. Writers use it to convey more profound meaning and communicate complex concepts. Below are some examples of common symbolism that writers use. Read to understand it in a better manner.

• Chains= Bondage
• Wings = Freedom
• Red= Danger
• Rose= Love
• Lion= Royalty
• Rainbow= Hope

Simply putting it, symbolism is a device that can help you represent something from different things, just like you read above. It is mostly used in poetry, literature, and screenwriting for elevating and communicating ideas in a better manner. It can be used for almost everything, a place, thing, color, or anything else. For readers it is open to interpretations and also differs from person to person. Now, let us move forward to discover different types of symbolism that are used in literature.

5 Types of Symbolism

Before we dive deep in to usage and examples of symbolism, it is crucial to look at some of its different types to provide you with better idea. So, in this section we will delve deep into different types of symbolism that are used in literature. Read the following pointers to understand about what is symbolism in a better manner.

You must have heard about the how people use red as the sign of danger and green as an opposite one. So, this is simply the usage of color symbolism. Assigning any idea to colour or narrative is where the writer is using color symbolism. This type of technique is mostly popular in storytelling.

Romantic Symbolism

In this type of symbolism the writer connoted romance through different type of things. Moreover, it may also depict romantic relations and acts through inanimate objects. For example, rose is being used a symbol of love since ages.

Religious Symbolism

Religious symbolism is a frequently used symbolism that was used most commonly in historic literature. John Milton was the writer who used this type of symbolism in many of his famous poetries. One of the most common example of this is the book, "Paradise Lost" where Milton has took various symbols from bible to retell the story.

Emotional Symbolism

Emotional symbolism is used for developing a emotion in any piece of writing. Several poets and authors have used this as a literary device for conveying their emotions through words. Moreover, it is mostly used for delivering a message that can not be easily said, you can also try paraphrasing tool to frame it in a better manner.

Character Symbolism

When you communicate any idea through a character or person, this is known as character symbolism. It involves using any character to embody an idea or communicate one through it. Moreover, it can represent the traits of the person or the growth of the story.

The above are some of the common types of symbolism that are used by writers and authors to make their writing creative and communicate their message. Therefore, you must read the above pointers properly to understand how to use symbolism, so that you can employ them in your writing as well. Moreover, in the upcoming section, we will discuss some examples of symbolism that can help you learn how to use them properly. So, if you are wondering how to use symbolism in literature or in your writing, then you must move to the next section to some practical tips from experts.

How Is Symbolism Used in Writing?

Symbolism in writing is being used by writers since many years now, you can easily spot when reading poems from Victorian age or the recent ones also, have you seen how smoothly they use it in their writing? This art requires practice and experience, and you must know what is symbolism in a proper manner. But, with some expert's tips you can improve your skills. So, to master this art you must read the following pointers.

Define Characters

You should define the character first to build the story more appropriately. It would help you assign symbols more quickly to the character or anything that is associated with it. Focusing on the main character also gives you the leverage of using different kinds of symbols with it. That is why you should not preoccupy yourself with symbolism; instead, start with the description of the characters and build the storyline.

Balance Out Symbols

You can use symbols to infuse emotions or different types of feelings in the story. It helps you provide depth to it and it also makes the lasting impact upon the readers. However, it is necessary to strike that balance between different types of symbols. Do not overly infuse emotions, but shuffle them to create a more vivid write-up. Try making up broad statements like love or death. It would give it a deeper sense.

Connect with Theme

It is crucial to connect your symbol with the theme. It is significant to help the reader understand the context of the symbol that you are using. Most students commit this mistake and fail to make that connection. Hence, symbolism in writing lacks connectivity in its content. That is why you must connect your symbolism with the central theme.

Avoid Common Symbols

Do not use overly used symbols like colour or animal symbolism; you can instead curate your own. It is not necessary that the colour red always defines danger. You can also use it to denote love. Trying out different symbols not only improves your creativity but also makes your write-up interesting. Thus, try this effective technique to use symbolism in literature.

The above are some of the techniques that are used by expert writers to use symbolism in their write-up. All these tips are tried and tested for best results, thus, you must try them for enhancing the flow of your document by using proper types of sentence and employing symbolism.

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Example of Symbolism

In this section, you will read a sentence with an example of symbolism. The following example is taken from a famous novel by Ralph Ellison, "The Invisible Man". So, you must read it properly to understand it and learn how to use it correctly. Thus, read the following example to understand what is symbolism properly and gain insightful knowledge.

Example of Symbolism in Literature:

Title: The Invisible Man

~Ralph Ellison

"The idea is to open each bucket and put in ten drops of this stuff," he said. "Then you stir it 'til it disappears. After it's mixed, you take this brush and paint out a sample of one of these." He produced several small rectangular boards and a small brush from his jacket pocket. "You understand?"

"Yes, sir." But when I looked into the white graduate I hesitated; the liquid inside was dead black. Was he trying to kid me?"

Here, see how the author has used the black paint as the symbolism to refer "invisibility" of black people in America. Just as those people, the black paint also disappears into white.

So, you must have understood how you can use symbolism in your writing correctly and the art of conveying a message through it. So, what are you waiting for? Use it in your writing or easily spot it in poetries you read. However, if you need a helping hand in this, then we are here for your assistance with everything, including your MLA citation generator queries. Please move to the next section to learn how to get our help.

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So, after reading the above description of what is symbolism, you must have understood all about it. We have tried to cover everything from head to toe about this literary device. However, if you still have any doubts about it, then do not worry; you can contact us today to solve any doubts that you have. At Global Assignment Help Australia, you can get expert assistance with any kind of academic write-up. Our staff of experts will help you by providing a flawless document worthy of an A+ grade. So, what are you waiting for? It's time to shine on your scorecard with our help.

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