THEMES AND SYMBOLS - crossword puzzle

SYMBOLS - first input

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SYMBOLS - further explanations

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SYMBOLS AND IMAGERY

Metaphors: A metaphor is a comparison between two things which are basically quite unlike one another without using the words as or like. Ex. There are daggers in men’s smiles (from Shakespeare’s Macbeth)

Similes: Like a metaphor, a simile is a type of comparison. But while a metaphor says that something is something else, a simile says something is like something else and uses the words as or like. Ex. The storm had blown itself out like a candle.

Symbolism: Something which has two or more meanings. For example a sword may be just a sword, or it may also symbolise justice.

-       universal symbols = symbols anybody can understand, ex. a skull symbolises death; light symbolises wisdom and knowledge

-       constructive symbols are given symbolic meaning by the way an author uses them in a text.

Ex. A red rose is a symbol of love.

Personification is the technique of representing animals or objects as if they were human beings or possessed human qualities. Ex. There was a nasty jolt as the wheels touched the ground, then a sort of shudder seemed to run through the body of the plane.

Recognising symbols in literary works requires careful reading. Symbols will often only become important to you when you fully understand the story on a literary level.