Element Five: Symbolism
Hey there!
Today’s post is about using symbolism in your creative writing. Symbolism is defined as “[1] the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature, art, etc., [2] the particular idea or quality that is expressed by a symbol,” (merriam-webster.com) In creative writing, the correct use of symbolism adds immense depth to your novel. It provides your readers with layers and layers of interesting material to enjoy. To fully understand how to use symbolism in our writing, we need to understand two things: what a symbol is and how to weave it into our writing.
What is a Symbol?
A symbol is “[1] an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality, [2 …show more content…
In an effort to keep things succinct, we’ll focus on three:
Option 1: Repetition
Authors use repetition of ideas and objects to form symbolism. They bring the idea or object up multiple times in multiple scenarios to show it’s far-reaching implications on the story. Examples might include the Mockingjay pin and President Snow’s white rose in The Hunger Games series (I think both are in all three books), the red rose in Beauty and the Beast, the clothing colors in Divergent and the Bliss in The Maze Runner series.
Option 2: Anaphora
Anaphora, pronounced “a-NAFF-ra,” is the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of sentences or phrases within a sentence,” (Myers, 95). The purpose of this technique is to reiterate the surrounding idea. An (overly-exaggerated) example anaphora might be something like this:
It was then that they realized Sarah would always be wild. She would always be rebellious, always be inconsiderate and always be completely, unapologetically her. And that was all
Hey there!
Today’s post is about using symbolism in your creative writing. Symbolism is defined as “[1] the use of symbols to express or represent ideas or qualities in literature, art, etc., [2] the particular idea or quality that is expressed by a symbol,” (merriam-webster.com) In creative writing, the correct use of symbolism adds immense depth to your novel. It provides your readers with layers and layers of interesting material to enjoy. To fully understand how to use symbolism in our writing, we need to understand two things: what a symbol is and how to weave it into our writing.
What is a Symbol?
A symbol is “[1] an action, object, event, etc., that expresses or represents a particular idea or quality, [2 …show more content…
In an effort to keep things succinct, we’ll focus on three:
Option 1: Repetition
Authors use repetition of ideas and objects to form symbolism. They bring the idea or object up multiple times in multiple scenarios to show it’s far-reaching implications on the story. Examples might include the Mockingjay pin and President Snow’s white rose in The Hunger Games series (I think both are in all three books), the red rose in Beauty and the Beast, the clothing colors in Divergent and the Bliss in The Maze Runner series.
Option 2: Anaphora
Anaphora, pronounced “a-NAFF-ra,” is the repetition of words or phrases at the beginning of sentences or phrases within a sentence,” (Myers, 95). The purpose of this technique is to reiterate the surrounding idea. An (overly-exaggerated) example anaphora might be something like this:
It was then that they realized Sarah would always be wild. She would always be rebellious, always be inconsiderate and always be completely, unapologetically her. And that was all