Paula Vogel’s play, How I Learned to Drive, artistically tackles the disturbing issue of incestual pedophilia. The play’s protagonist Li’l Bit narrates the action as she goes through her memory of specific events. Much like stream of consciousness, her narration does not lead chronologically to scenes in her past. Rather it jumps back and forth between the present and different points in her life. She tells of her memories of youth and her sexual and emotional relationship with her Uncle Peck. Rather than simply telling about her experiences, though, Li’l Bit shares her memories through vignettes which show the audience her role in the affair within the context of learning to drive (Greene 425). Vogel’s writing exudes symbolism from the first word of the script to the last – from the rise of the curtain to its close. The glimpses into Li’l Bit’s past are sometimes explicitly and literally described, but Vogel also often uses extended metaphors to act as a detailed commentary on the action. Why, however, did the playwright choose symbolism to convey the effects of sexual abuse – as heavy as its subject matter may be – during the late twentieth century when seemingly nothing is censored in America? In order to answer this and better understand the way in which Vogel uses symbolism –in the smaller elements of the play and extended metaphors – the terms must first be defined. Symbolism can be defined as “the representation of a reality on one level of reference by a corresponding reality on another” (“Symbolism” 564). The word symbol comes from the Greek word "symballein," which translates literally into “to throw together” and suggests the combining of two unrelated worlds. Much... ... middle of paper ... .... Boston: Bedford/St. Martin’s, 2003. 1617-19. Houchin, John H. Censorship of the American Theatre in the Twentieth Century. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 2003. “Metaphor.” Dictionary of World Literature: Criticism - Forms - Technique. Ed. Joseph T. Shipley. New York: Philosophical Library, 1943. 377-8. Pellegrini, Ann. “The Plays of Paula Vogel.” A Companion to Twentieth-Century American Drama. Ed. David Krasner. Malden, MA: Blackwell, 2005. 473-84. Redmond, James, ed. Drama and Symbolism. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge UP, 1982. Vol. 4 of Themes in Drama. 1982-1986. 7-10, 37. Savran, David. “Paula Vogel.” The Playwright’s Voice. New York: Theatre Communications Group, 1999. 267-88. “Symbolism.” Dictionary of World Literature: Criticism - Forms - Technique. Ed. Joseph T. Shipley. New York: Philosophical Library, 1943. 564-9.
The play, “Riley Valentine and the Occupation of Fort Svalbard”, by Julia- Rose Lewis is an exploration of the resilience of teenagers. The play is heavily symbolic and supports the dramatic meaning of the show. Throughout the Queensland Theatre Company’s interpretation of this play, the director, Travis Dowley, expresses forms of dramatic elements to articulate three types of manipulations. These manipulations include the manipulation of body and voice, space and the creation and manipulation of dramatic mood. Through these types of manipulations, it portrays the dramatic meaning towards the performance. Although, the use of space throughout Travis’s performance allows the audience to identify this dramatic meaning.
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221-220. The. “Symbol” Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. Eds. X. J. Kennedy and Dana Gioia. 3 rd.
Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities by giving those meanings that are different from their literal sense. Symbolism can take different forms, generally, it is an object representing something that gives an entirely different meaning that is much deeper and more significant. F. Scott Fitzgerald uses symbolism is The Great Gatsby to show the true identity of his characters. It also gives more meaning to things that would be seen as ordinary objects throughout the novel. There are many more symbols used throughout The Great Gatsby, in fact there might too much to even list.
In this part I would like to analyse what purpose do metaphors and symbols have regarding to the theme.
Wheeler, Kip. "Literary Terms and Definitions M." Literary Terms and Definitions "M" Carson-Newman University, n.d. Web. 12 May 2014.
Symbolism In "The Things They Carried" In Tim O'Brien's story "The Things They Carried" we see how O'Brien uses symbolism in order to indirectly give us a message and help us to connect to what the soldiers are thinking and feeling. During a war, soldiers tend to take with them items from home, kind of as a security blanket. The items they normally take with them tend to reveal certain characteristics of their personality. Henry Dobbins is the guy who loves to eat, so he made sure he took some extra food. Ted Lavender was the scaredy cat of the group, so he carried tranquilizers with him.
Symbolism is a literary technique that is used to clarify the author's intent. Sometimes it is used to great effect, while other times it only seems to muddle the meaning of a passage. In "Young Goodman Brown," Nathaniel Hawthorne uses objects and people as symbols to allegorically reveal his message to the reader.
The analysis argues the use of symbolism as it applies to the aspects of the characters and their relationships. Henrik Ibsen’s extensive use of symbols is applied to capture the reader’s attention. Symbols like the Christmas tree, the locked mailbox, the Tarantella, Dr. Rank’s calling cards, and the letters add a delicate meaning to the characters and help convey ideas and themes throughout the play.
Symbolism is the use of symbols to imply thoughts are unique in relation to their literal sense. Authors often use this literary element to create a certain emotion and relay a more profound meaning into a work of writing. As we go through the story, this utilization can be easily found in the classic tale of Rip Van Winkle as symbolism plays a major part.
Pulitzer prize finalist Sarah Ruhl is well known for her unique writing style and magical approach to realism. Through the use of extraordinary imagery and poetic language, Ruhl puts a modern spin on the traditional styles of language found in most plays. Passion Play is one of her most epic works, spanning from Elizabethan England to present day in a length of over three hours. In each of the three acts, Ruhl uses theological symbolism to connect the play with the Bible and its apocalyptic themes. With fish puppets coming onstage and the sky changing colors on numerous occasions, one might argue that her frequent use of imagery driven symbolism can be disruptive to the plot and overall meaning of the play. However, I argue that Ruhl’s use
Over the past few months in class we have learned about many aspects of literature. Some examples of them are characterization, setting, style, tone, allegory, theme, and symbolism. I chose to write this essay about the symbolism aspect that is featured in so many great works of literature. Two such stories that we have read in which symbolism is demonstrated is in The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck, and The Worker in Sandalwood by Majorie Pickthall.
igurative language is the language that expresses one thing in terms of another by analogy, extension, or other association. A critical approach to drama written in verse requires the knowledge of not only of metre but also the function and purpose of the various figures of speech. These should never be only decoration because they are one of the means by which the playwright can develop and express his meaning. The various figures of speech have often been made interchangeable, thus a satisfactory definition of them is difficult to provide. There is a tendency to include symbols, similes, and metaphors making up the imagery. Metaphorical is used to mean figurative and symbolical or symbolizes is often applied to almost any of the figurative