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1. Symbolism and
Allegory
Layers of Meaning

2. What Symbols Stand For
A symbol is often an ordinary
object, event, person, or animal to
which we have attached meaning
and significance.

3. Rectangle flags of different colors &
designs symbolize different
countries

4.  We use a picture of a skull and
crossbones to symbolize
poison or danger.
 We send red roses as a symbol
of love.
Red roses
symbolize love
and romance

5. Where Do Symbols Come From?
Symbols can be inherited or invented
The most familiar symbols have been
inherited, meaning, they have been
handed down over time

6. Public and Inherited Symbols
 For example: no one
really knows who first
thought of using a lion
as a symbol of power,
courage and domination
 Once these qualities
were associated with the
animal, images of lions
appeared on flags,
banners, coats of arms
and castle walls
 The lion became a public
symbol that shows up in
art and literature, even
today!
 Can you think of some
examples of how lions
are used as a symbol of
courage and power?

7. People throughout history have endowed
ordinary objects with meanings far beyond
their simple meaning.
A crown symbolizes
royalty
Five linked
rings
symbolize
the
Olympics

8. Invented Symbols
Writers often take a new object,
character, or event and make it
the embodiment of some human
concern.
Some invented symbols in
literature have become so widely
known that they often have
gained the status of public
symbols.
For example:
Peter Pan is a
symbol for eternal
childhood

9. Why Create Symbols?
You may ask why writers don’t just come right out and say
what they mean.
 Symbols allow writers to suggest layers and layers of
meaning-possibilities that a simple, literal statement
could never convey.
 A symbol is like a pebble cast into a pond: It sends out
ever widening ripples of meaning

10. How do I know if it’s a symbol?
Repeated appearance
Seems to be connected with a character or
event
Author spends a long time on description

17. Symbolism vs. Allegory
A symbol is a word, place, character, or object
that means something beyond what it is on a
literal level.
An allegory involves using many interconnected
symbols or allegorical figures in such as way
that in nearly every element of the narrative has
a meaning beyond the literal level, i.e.,
everything in the narrative is a symbol that
relates to other symbols within the story.

18. Allegory: Split Level Stories
 An allegory is a story in which characters, settings
and actions stand for something beyond
themselves.
 In some types of allegories, the characters and
setting represent abstract ideas of moral qualities.
 In other types, characters and situations stand for
historical figures and events.

19.  An allegory can be read on
one level for its literal or
straightforward meaning
 And on a second level for
its symbolic, or allegorical,
meaning.
 Allegories are often intended to
teach a moral lesson or to make
a comment about goodness and
vice.

20.  In an old English play called Everyman, the main character is named Everyman
(he stands for exactly what his name indicates).
 One day, Everyman is summoned by Death to give an accounting of his life
 Everyman asks his friends Fellowship, Beauty, Strength and Good Deeds to go
with him to tell Death that he has led a good life.

21.  Only Good Deeds stays with him until the end
 The allegory in Everyman doesn’t get in the way of a very good story
 In fact Everyman written in the 1400s, is still revived in theaters today and it still
gets good reviews!

22. What Are Some More Allegories?
Here we have a picture of a
serpent (snake) and an apple.
What are some things that come
to mind when you see this
image?
Often times, a serpent or snake is used to symbolize
temptation or trouble. This allegory stems from it’s biblical
reference.
What does the apple stand for?

23. Fables
 Fables are a type of allegory that usually use animals as symbols.
 They teach a lesson/have a moral

24. Tortoise and the Hare
 There once was a speedy hare who bragged about how fast he could
run. Tired of hearing him boast, Slow and Steady, the tortoise,
challenged him to a race. All the animals in the forest gathered to
watch.
 Hare ran down the road for a while and then and paused to rest. He
looked back at Slow and Steady and cried out, "How do you expect
to win this race when you are walking along at your slow, slow pace?"
 Hare stretched himself out alongside the road and fell asleep,
thinking, "There is plenty of time to relax."

25.  Slow and Steady walked and walked. He never, ever stopped until he
came to the finish line.
 The animals who were watching cheered so loudly for Tortoise, they
woke up Hare.
 Hare stretched and yawned and began to run again, but it was too
late. Tortoise was over the line.
 After that, Hare always reminded himself, "Don't brag about your
lightning pace, for Slow and Steady won the race!"

26.  What does the tortoise symbolize? The hare?
 What is the moral?

27.  Try to come up with a symbol for an abstract concept
 Justice
 Honesty
 Loyalty
 Equality
 Responsibility