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Use of Symbolism
Use of Symbolism
Essay on symbolism in literature
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Within “The Mummy’s Foot” by Théophile Gautier, there are a wide range of themes that are introduced. One theme that is addressed is that messing with the unknown can lead to uncertainty. Another one is that some things are more valuable than they appear. Those two themes are related to each other throughout the story as a young Frenchmen encounters this mysterious mummy’s foot to utilize it for a paperweight, but only to realize that there is more value to it than it appears to have. Despite the Frenchman’s true intentions for the foot’s purpose, bringing in this mysterious object introduces the unknown into his home and he would not have a clue of what could possibly happen. Bringing the foot home would not only bring the physical
Part I of The Stranger begins with Meursault's attendance at his mother's funeral. It ends with Meursault on the beach at Algiers killing a man. Part II is concerned with Meursault's trial for that same murder, his ultimate sentencing to death and the mental anguish that he experiences as a result of this sentence. Several curious parallels emerge here, especially with regard to Meursault's perception of the world.
Jonathan, Bate. "Alexandre Dumas, beyond the Grave - Telegraph." Telegraph.co.uk.I N.p., 11 May 2008. Web. 8 May 2010.
No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endued with animation could not be so hideous as that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then; but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived. (Shelley, 235)
The Marble Grave Stele is a horizontal piece that was embedded in a larger piece of marble. The inscriptions of the names of who died have long been lost. Thus, we must interpret for ourselves what the full meaning of the piece is. The artist of the piece is unknown, but it was constructed in Greece in around 360 B.C. during the Classical Era and stands at 171.1 centimeters in height. Its original location, as its name suggests, was at a gravesite; currently, it is located in New York City at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The Stele was carved from marble. Overall, it is in good condition; however, the body of the woman on the left is missing with only her head surviving. Its stone frame in which it was set is also missing. This frame more than lik...
Bram Stoker’s Dracula is a story of horror, suspense, and repulsion. The main antagonist, Count Dracula, is depicted as an evil, repulsive creature that ends and perverts life to keep himself alive and youthful. To most onlookers that may be the case, but most people fail to see one crucial element to this character. Dracula is a character that, though it may be long gone, was once human, and thus has many human emotions and motives still within him. Let us delve into these emotions of a historically based monster.
It is obvious in this photograph that this soldier is taking great pride in guarding the Tomb of the Unknown. The first thing noticed when looking at this photograph from D. Myles Cullen is the white marble sarcophagus, or stone coffin. This is located in the very center of the photograph and is an important and well-respected monument. Engraved on the sarcophagus are the words
As these materials have magical means, often seen in Egyptian religious beliefs, a magical mean of the ushabti followed after-life of its deceased. The figurine appears to be inscribed with a special spell that contains summons; the intent of figure is placed in the tomb to act as substitute for its deceased body. This magical figurine was detailed to respond in the
You might be wondering, “What is a mummy” well, let me tell you just that. A
No mortal could support the horror of that countenance. A mummy again endured with animation could not be so hideous aas that wretch. I had gazed on him while unfinished; he was ugly then, but when those muscles and joints were rendered capable of motion, it became a thing such as even Dante could not have conceived.2 (51)
Edwidge Danticat's novel, The Farming of Bones is an epic portrayal of the relationship between Haitians and Dominicans under the rule of Generalissimo Rafael Trujillo leading up to the Slaughter of 1937. The novel revolves around a few main concepts, these being birth, death, identity, and place and displacement. Each of the aspects is represented by an inanimate object. Water, dreams, twins, and masks make up these representations. Symbolism is consistent throughout the novel and gives the clearly stated and unsophisticated language a deeper more complex meaning. While on the surface the novel is an easy read, the symbolism which is prominent throughout the novel complicates the audience's interpretation. The reader is left to look beyond the language and uncover the underlying themes of the novel. Through symbolism Danticat is able to use inanimate objects to represent each of her character's more deeply rooted problems. In order to prove this theory true, I will thoroughly examine the aforementioned symbolic devices and provide a clear interpretation of their significance in the novel.
As she begins her journey, she talks to herself and warns "Out of my way, all you foxes, owls, beetles, jack rabbits, coons and wild animals!…Keep out from under these feet, little bob-whites”, because as she says, "I got a long way.” She is determined to go down that path despite anything that might come between her and getting the medicine for her grandson. This shows that her body may be worn out, but the attitude that she takes and desire that she has in order to get the medicine for her grandson are not. In addition, her shoelaces “which dragged from her unlaced shoes” adds to the chance of her falling on the path.
...the French toys that Barthes talked about. It enters a world where imagination is not only encouraged, but required. It makes usual the unusual. Whether Carroll’s reader is a young child or an adult, the imaginative and unconventional ideology of nonsense and sound can be understood. The poem reminds readers to not limit the use of language and imagine the seemingly impossible.
In the novel Fountain and Tomb by Naguib Mahfouz, the reader is thrown into a small alley in Cairo, Egypt in the 1920s. The narrator is an adult reliving his childhood through many random, interesting vignettes of his youth. We learn about many different aspects of Egyptian life from political rebellion, to arranged marriages, to religious devotion, to gang warfare. We are led to conclude that one of the major themes of the book is Truth. We come to question whether Truth is something that always needs to be known. Will the Truth ultimately do more harm than good? Is there ever a time when the Truth must be told? Are there times when it’s better for the Truth to never be known?
Begun in 1942, while Camus was working as an editor for Le Combat, the underground resistance paper, The Stranger is the story of one Monsieur Meursault, a resident of French Algeria cursed with a brutal and unabashed honesty. This trait, being the only truth that he can accept, is therefore the basis of his life. Holding no belief in speaking of the “benign indifference” of the world around him, Meursault is caught in a plethora of social absurdities for which no understanding nor need. For instance, in speaking of the his mother, whose death opens the novel, he states: “I loved her as much as anyone loves their mother,” and, when criticized for his decision to place her in the Home for Aging Persons, notes that “for years she had nothing to say to me.. .she was moping around with no one to talk to.” It is this sort of behavior, honest, ultimately pragm...
In ‘The Outsider’, the society continually brings back Meursault’s past actions against his will, such as his behaviour at his mother’s funeral. Under the rule of the French Colonialists, the French Algerian court is a microcosm of the society with the Roman Catholic belief, in value as in determination. Because of this, Meursault, who alienates himself from the Roman Catholic expectation in society, was condemned for murdering the Arab. He was announced to have “no place in society whose most fundamental rules [he] ignored” , which was mostly based on his emotions and behaviour in the funeral rather than the actual murder.