There are many different things that can have two meanings in life. Whether it is a certain look that someone gives you, that can mean something special. Or even in a literary way, for example, in the novel series, The Chronicles of Narnia, the Lion, Aslan, symbolizes God! In the Chronicles of Narnia series, Aslan does many different acts that prove that he is symbolized as God. For example, in the most popular book of the series, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, Aslan breathes the breath of life onto many creatures that brings them back to life, and turns them back to normal after the witch turns them into stone. In relation, the works of William Butler Yeats also includes many different symbols. In William Butler Yeats’ poems, Sailing to Byzantium, The Second Coming, The Wild Swans at Coole, The Lake Isle of Innisfree, and When You are Old, there are symbols that have special meanings. In Yeats’ Byzantium, there is the symbol of the boat, and or sailing. This poem talks about aging. The opening line, “That is no country for old men” (Pg. 1147 Line 1) even states that the speaker, an old man, is leaving the country because he is too old now. In lines 15-16, the speaker states, “And therefore I have sailed the seas and come to the holy city of Byzantium.” This basically means that the speaker has lived, and now he is old, and he is going to die, and go to a better place. Although we think that Yeats is talking about Heaven, but he believed in reincarnation, so the speaker would be reincarnated into something better. In the poem, Coming, by Yeats, Yeats uses a falcon and a falconer as a symbol. This whole poem is all about how the world is changing. According to Yeats’ philosophy, the world goes through 2000 year periods w... ... middle of paper ... ...g by the fire, and thinks about him and their past together, and how she didn’t accept him. In conclusion, Yeats obviously uses symbols in all of his texts! He is an absolute animal when it comes to using symbolism in his poems. First of all, Yeats uses the boat, or sailing to symbolize death in his poem Byzantium. Second, the falcon and falconer is used in Coming to represent the world losing touch with faith. Third of all, in Swans, the swans are a symbol for younger experiences, which will one day leave and you won’t be able to remember. Next, in Innisfree, the place Innisfree is a symbol for peace, because that is basically the speaker’s happy place, and it is perfect and peaceful. Lastly, Yeats uses the book in Old to represent the past, when the woman sits down with the book and dreams. In the end, Yeats is the winner of the greatest symbol using poet!
Poets have often used symbols to convey deeper messages that they were either too afraid or felt that normal language lacked the power to express. Often when a symbol is used, the reader digs deeper into the issue more than if the message was simply shot out in the open. These symbols and metaphors can be used to portray beautiful things, or could be used to create a more compelling argument in a more subtle way.
In English literature symbolism has been used to offer readers an extensive and open minded meaning for simple words. “A symbol is a word, phrase or, other expression having the complex of associated meaning; in this sense, a symbol is viewed different from those as whatever being symbolized” (Fadaee 19). Tony Morrison in Song of Solomon uses symbols such as peacock, geography book, cave, eggs, ginger smell, darkness, and flying to add more depth and sense to the story. Using these symbols does not only extend the meanings of some words, but coverts them into a important tool for thoughtful interpretation.
...arly, these poems all have a statement to make about the opposition of stasis and change. Old says that false love is always changing, but true love is constant. Lake states that nature is much more desirable than city life, become it is unchanging, whereas people change things constantly. Wild gives us the realization that things that have always been one way may at any time become different. In Second, we see how people change the world too fast, and sorrow ensues. Finally, the great poem Sailing to Byzantium makes clear the faults of humanity in our pursuit for the physical, ever-changing aspects of life, when what really matters are the ever-constant aspects of the metaphysical world. From this week of reading Yeats, and some deep thought into the matter, I have come to this very simple conclusion about the world we live in. Nature doesn’t change, until it does.
If we are, as Yeats postulates, merely symbols of something greater then how are we to uncover first what that symbol represents, and second, how that symbol represents our true self? It seems to me that as people become symbols they become abstract, something ideal rather than real. Thus, we are all living an illusory existence, an existence created by others. Dick says further, “At some time, every creature which lives must do so. It is the ultimate shadow, the defeat of creation; this is the curse at work, the curse that feeds on all life. Everywhere in the universe” (156). I agree with Dick’s assertion that every person who lives is handed a metaphor but I also believe that the majority of those persons do not even recognize or acknowledge that they are living as a metaphor.
In a literary work, a symbol can represent numerous things to a character and also a story as a whole. In Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston often used the recurring symbol of beauty/ appearance and hair throughout Janie’s life through illuminating incidents.
The use of symbols in today’s culture has become so widespread that they often go unrecognized as symbols. Things like the American flag are a great example of a symbol, but they are seen so often that they become overlooked. Symbols are also incredibly common in literature, and authors love to use them to add a second meaning to many things in their stories. Nathaniel Hawthorne was a huge fan of symbols, and made that apparent in his short story Young Goodman Brown. The story is flush with symbols, and they can be easily grouped into three categories. Hawthorne uses some of his symbols to give a negative vibe to things such as characters or settings, as well as using the names of his characters to add an additional layer to the story. Lastly,
A symbol is any “‘object, act, event, quality, or relation which serves as a vehicle for conception’” (230). Peyote Hunt: The Sacred Journey of the Huichol Indians by Barbara Myerhoff is a very intricate text which involves numerous aspects of symbolism. Myerhoff not only applies a much deeper meaning to deer, maize, and peyote, but she also uses these objects as a representation of divine beings and spirits. The deer, maize, and peyote are very powerful entities but together they form the deer-maize-peyote complex, which is central to the Huichol life. The unification of these disparate objects can be easily understood once they are analyzed on three different levels: exegetical, operational, and positional.
Symbols in poetry can be a person , place , thing or idea . In the poem titled “ Love Poem to Los Angeles by Luis J. Rodriguez the poet uses the Hollywood Sign as a symbol to represent famous people . In another poem titled “Santa Ana of Grocery Carts “ by Aracelis Gimary the poet uses schoolyard boys as a symbol to represent young men who have died . The meaning of these symbols is similar because they both can represent people and how they’re special . However, the difference of these symbol is that the hollywood sign represents something only positive in the poem and on the other hand the schoolyard boys represent only something negative because it is related to death .
Symbolism had a large impact on the writers of the nineteen century similar to the effect it places in literature today. Symbolism is explained in these terms, “Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object representing another to give it an entirely different meaning much deeper and more significant.”(Batova) The more significant meaning is often overlooked upon first inspection but when read again a new understanding can be developed. One symbol often used in poetry during this gothic time period of the nineteenth was the use of a bird as a type of omen. The Albatross in Coleridge’s The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, is shot from the sky and many terrible things ensue after it’s death and it is seen as an omen to the sailors aboard the ship. Yet another poem contains an omen presented in the form of a bird, namely a raven from Edgar Allan Poe’s The Raven which contains a foreboding air and creates an ominous feeling as to the impending death or doom of the narrator. The two birds can be compared by their appearance, the actions, and the influence they have upon the narrator of their respective poems, creating an image of a bird representing much more than another living creature.
There are many archetypical symbols used in hundreds of works, new and old. Some of these symbols include: war, peace, love, nature, birds, mountains, and darkness. These symbols have deep meaning which help embellish a certain work. They also help the reader to better understand the theme or plot of a work. They are used freely and abundantly in most modern and pre-modern works.
The fact that he uses an image of Falcon escaping the falconer, as seen before, shows that the world is in the critical process of swinging out of control. It may probably be because of the deeds of its inhabitants. It also goes ahead to frame a period of 2000 years. It is a great historical evolution beginning from Christ's birth while war concludes it all. It, therefore, shows how the poem is inclined to religious matters, especially those that are documented in biblical contexts. (Yeats &Peter, p. 30)
Examples of symbolism are clear through out the epic poem Beowulf. It clear these events are not supposed to be taken literally, but its the symbolism behind these events that make up the story. From the formation of the mead halls, and the defeat of Grendel and his mother. Finally, Beowulf's last battle with the dragon are all symbols that are in the story. The mead hall is a symbol of power, Grendel's claw is a symbol of pride, and the dragon is a symbol of greed and sacrifice. And while there are many more in the story, these are three that are particularly noteworthy.
It is uncertain what mysteries the Second Coming will entail. Through the use of symbolism and allusion, Yeats has described how one world meets its horrid demise. However, the birth of the new world's fate will also bring dark repression and havoc. In Yeats' eyes, history well repeats itself, which is evident of the looping spires of the gyre. In addition, the "ceremony of innocence is drowned," indicates that faith, like the act of communion, no longer exists. Although life is full of hopes and dreams for a better world, Yeats makes us speculate if that could ever be possible. It is evident that Yeats' pessimistic view on the Second Coming shows that he is fearful of change as well as the uncertainties of the future. However, one must go on believing and living one's dreams, or one too, will see life as Yeats so boldly foretells.
Yeats' poetry is very dramatic because he usually creates dramatic contrasts within his poems and because his tone changes regularly. When he wasn't in conflict with the world around him he was in conflict with himself. He was never satisfied with modern Ireland, even when he was younger. As he grew older, his dissatisfaction became even greater.
Having a view of something that is different from what is traditional can often be frowned upon. During the Romantic period, the writers were swaying away from what was considered normal writing at that time. The church was a big influence on everyone during the Renaissance and if any one so much as “stepped out of line” the church made sure they were punished. Going against them was seen as going against God. A man named William Butler Yeats created a unique philosophical system woven from his own insights and the ideas of many thinkers. Yeats expressed himself using symbols which stand for something beyond itself, give rise to a number of associations, and intensifies feelings and adds complexity to meaning by concentrating these associations together. Using vivid language and rich symbols to make his argument, Yeats relies on the emotional impact of specific word choices and symbolic images to convey meaning and “convince” his readers. William Butler Yeats shows in “The Second Coming” and “Sailing to Byzantium” that the elements, gyres, and idea of a perfect place all add up to h...