♥ Symbol ♥

DEFINITION:

Something that has meaning in itself and also stands for something else

EXAMPLE:

                                        Symbol

The winter apples have been picked, the garden turned. Rain and wind have picked the maple leaves and gone. The last of them now bank the house or have been burned. None are left upon the trees or on the lawn. Green and tall as ever it grew in spring the grass Grows not too tall, will not be cut again this year. Geraniums in bloom behind the windowglass Are safe. Fall has fallen yet winter is not yet here. How warm the late November sun although how wan. The white house stands a symbol of fulfillment there, Housing one old woman, a cat, and one old man After abundance but before the earth is bare. [In my opinion, this might represent family. The first few sentences represent the children being born young and innocent, and in the next stanza is how the grow. After they become grownups, the leave their home and all left are their parents - an old woman and an old man. Also, the seasons represent different periods of a life time in this poem; ex: winter - death]

SIGNIFICANCE:

Symbol derives from the Greek verb symballein – meaning to throw together. Symbol can be straight forward, such as winter represents aging, decay, and death; spring is often used to represent energy, birth, and hope; summer is symbolic of childhood, fun, and laughter; autumn stands for maturity, wisdom, and fulfillment. However, they could get more complicated when the poet creates the symbols himself, and therefore symbols are rich and complex and have many layers of meaning. For that reason, rather than using the words "stands for" or "points to" when we discuss them, we should try to use words like "suggests" or "expresses" or "represents."