What is symbolism and tone?

1. SYMBOLISM

2. What does each of these symbols stand for? Why
do you think they have taken on the meanings
they have?
justice luck
love
Where Do We Get Symbols?

3. Writers use symbols to
• suggest layers of meaning that a simple, literal
statement could never convey
• speak more powerfully to the reader’s
emotions and imagination
• make their stories rich and memorable
• Symbols are inserted into writing to allude to a
feeling, mood or attitude without directly
sating the perspective or mood intended
Symbols in Literature

4. A symbol is an ordinary object, event, person, or
animal to which we have attached a special
meaning.
What Is a Symbol?

5. Author uses an object or reference to add
deeper meaning to a story.
 Can be subtle or obvious
 Can be used sparingly or heavy-handedly.
 Same object may be used repeatedly to convey
deeper meaning
 Or, variations of the same object may be used to
create an overarching mood or feeling.
What Is Symbolism in
Literature?

6. What Are Some Examples of Symbolism?
Common Symbols in Literature
 Damnation: Fire, flames, heat, hot temperatures
 Salvation: Crosses, angels, haloes, clouds, churches
 Reincarnation or Reinvention: Phoenix rising from flames,
crosses, rainbows, passing storms, dawn, sunrise, broken
chains
 Death or Endings: Gravestones, cemeteries, Grim Reaper, Day
of the Dead, skulls, candle blowing out, coffin, ringing of bell

7. THEME

8. What makes a story linger in our hearts and minds
long after we’ve read it? Often it is the idea on
which the story is built—its theme.
What Is Theme?

9. Theme—the central idea, or insight, about life or
human behavior that a story reveals
Genres
Living a simple life leads to
greater personal freedom.
The deepest loneliness is
sometimes felt when we are
among friends.
What Is Theme?

10. In most stories, the theme is not stated directly.
Instead, it is revealed to us through the characters’
experiences.
[End of Section]
What Is Theme?

11. Keep the following guidelines in mind when you
want to find and state the theme of a work.
The theme is not the same thing as the
subject.
• The subject is simply the topic. It can be
stated in a single word, such as loyalty.
• The theme makes some revelation about the
subject and should be expressed in a sentence:
“Loyalty to a leader is not always noble.”
Finding the Theme

12. Conflict helps reveal theme.
• What is the conflict, or struggle between
opposing forces, that the main character faces?
• How is the conflict resolved?
Two friends find a
wallet. One friend
wants to return it to
the owner; the other
wants to keep it.
People are often
rewarded for
making the right
moral decision.
They return the
wallet and share a
small reward.
Conflict Resolution Theme
Finding the Theme

13. TONE

14. Tone is the AUTHOR’S attitude towards
audience, the subject, or the character.
*Tone is shown through
Dialogue - talking
Descriptions – author’s diction [word
choice]
TONE

15.  Amused
 Angry
 Cheerful
 Critical
 Clear
 Formal
 Gloomy
 Humorous
 Informal
 Ironic
 Light
 Matter-of-fact
 Mocking
 Resigned
 Optimistic
 Pessimistic
 Playful
 Pompous
 Sad
 Serious
 Sincere
 Suspicious
 Quizzical
 Witty
Words that describe TONE

16. There is no one
That can be better
Because you are brilliant.
There is nothing
That you cannot you do
Because you are unbeatable.
There is no place
That you cannot go
Because you are always welcomed.
There is no person
That can hold you back
Because you are unstoppable
The TONE of the passage is _____________
The author’s _______________ relays the tone.

17. There is no one
That can be better
Because you are brilliant.
There is nothing
That you cannot you do
Because you are unbeatable.
There is no place
That you cannot go
Because you are always welcomed.
There is no person
That can hold you back
Because you are unstoppable
The TONE of the passage is INSPIRING
The author’s DESCRIPTIONS relay the tone.

18. Lola sat on the old, lumpy couch crying. She could
let it all out here, alone in her mother’s small,
quiet apartment in Galesburg, Illinois. The
familiar walls were covered in rose pink
wallpaper. Goldie, her mother’s eleventh fish,
seemed to stare sympathetically at Lola
through the fishbowl sitting on the counter.
The smell of her mother’s vanilla candles
comforted her aching heart.
The TONE of the passage is ______________
The author’s _______________ relay the tone.

19. Lola sat on the old, lumpy couch crying. She could
let it all out here, alone in her mother’s small,
quiet apartment in Galesburg, Illinois. The
familiar walls were covered in rose pink
wallpaper. Goldie, her mother’s eleventh fish,
seemed to stare sympathetically at Lola
through the fishbowl sitting on the counter.
The smell of her mother’s vanilla candles
comforted her aching heart.
The TONE of the passage is SAD/HEART BROKEN
The author’s DESCRIPTIONS relay the tone.