Essays on Symbolism

In 17th century during the era of Baroque art in Europe, the Dutch Art dared to introduce a new shocking subjectivism and style that was unique and challenging to traditional artwork. The Dutch Genre Art was characterized by small finely crafted details, often depicting simple…

When put up against death, what extreme measures should one go through to survive? Often times we are unprepared for the events that are going to occur, leaving us with the two options of a fight or flight response. How we handle a situation has…

The poem City Johannesburg is about a man who spent his life working in the city of Johannesburg during the apartheid era.In this poem the persona speaks of the difficulties and restrictions created for black people by the law,which required them to carry identification(pass) everywhere…

Since time immemorial, traditions have played a key role in people’s culture. Traditions is what brings members of a community together enabling them to enjoy each other’s company and presence. Usually. Tradition are done because that is what has always been done and seems as…

  F. Scott Fitzgerald was born on September 24, 1896 in Saint Paul, Minnesota. Fitzgerald is known for his writings of the Jazz age and depictions of the 1920’s. The roaring twenties and Jazz age was a decade that included a lot of political and…

This paper will focus on the development of dance and theatre in the 20th century in particular contemporary dance and modern physical theatre. The report will begin by providing a brief historical background to the subject and the main protagonists credited with its creation and…

In “Everyday Use” by Alice Walker it’s clear that symbolism is a big part of the story. Objects that are talked about have much bigger meanings than them just being objects, like the quilts. The symbols for the objects help the reader get a deeper…

The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison was one of the first novels to break the traditional norms that are usually discussed in the 1940s. The reader sees her take a different path discussing the hardships of a young African-American girl named Pecola struggling with identity….

Technology has played an integral role in history, dating back to the farthest documented points in time. Technology is not a foreign part of society, as they have provided the means for social evolution. An often-disputed theory, Technological Determinism, argues that all developed technology’s shape…

Behavior of Fish in an Egyptian Tea Garden is a poem written by Keith Douglas in 1951 describing the behavior of various types of fish as they discover a white stone on the seafloor. The female white stone draws in the attention of many male…

The Scream, which was created by Edvard Munch is one of the most famous art pieces in the world. Edvard Munch crafted this work of art on a flat canvas with a medium of oiled brushes to depict the expressionism of the art piece. He…

 From deciding what is wrong in society to making decisions against society’s will, Huckleberry Finn from Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn faces significant changes in his personality and thoughts which helps him go against the beliefs and practices in society to come out…

‘The Bear’ is a passage from ‘Go Down, Moses’ a short story by William Faulkner composed first in The Saturday Evening Host in 1942. ‘Go Down, Moses’ is viewed as the full gathering of Faulkner’s best short stories. ‘The Bear’ includes symbolism that directly relates…

At the heart of Chinua Achebe’s Things Fall Apart lie the central themes of masculinity, stereotypes, and gender-roles. Written in 1958, the book is aimed at addressing the colonial representation of Africa and the African people in English literature. It tells the story of Okonkwo…

The Horrors of World War I destroyed the illusion that acting virtuously brought about good. Modernist authors felt betrayed by the war. What they were taught to believe brought no good into their lives so they turned to themselves to discover the answers.Modernists turned away…

In “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” by Flannery O’Connor, and “Popular Mechanics,” by Raymond Carver, both stories contain similar literary elements. Although the stories differ in meaning, the elements within them allow for comparisons. Inspecting how the author uses these elements provides clarity…

Symbolism is the use of images and indirect allusions to express ideas, actions, emotions and states of mind. Chadwick  defines symbolism as “an attempt to penetrate beyond reality to a world of ideas, either the ideas within the poet, including his emotions, or the ideas…

  A film that is approved by the united nations as a world heritage. That is considered as the most influential film in the film history – Metropolis . It is the very first sci-fi movie existed. The background of this film set in a…

Franz Kafka’s novella, The Metamorphosis is better described as “Kafkaesque”, which means wholly out of the ordinary or very absurd. The protagonist Gregor, in this novel, changes into monstrous vermin ‘When Gregor Samsa woke up, he found himself changed in his bed into a monstrous…

In Lord of the Flies, author William Golding uses well-developed symbolism and imagery to illustrate the impact that one’s societal upbringing has on one’s actions and thinking processes. Golding uses the clash of the characters and their differing opinions to symbolize how society shapes an…

The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, is considered as Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald’s masterpiece and of the finest American novels in the 20th century with its mood and characteristics of the Jazz Age. The novel is inspired by Fitzgerald’s personal life and experience. The main…

In the novel, The Great Gatsby, novelist Thomas Parke D’Invilliers once said “Then wear a gold hat, if that will move her; If you can bounce high, bounce for her too, Till she cry, “ Lover , gold- hatted, high bouncing lover, I must have…

Edgar Allan Poe is utterly stunning. Poe uses figurative language to entrance you into the story and make you feel like you are the madman. He also uses the first person point of view to convey the narrator’s emotional journey with the reader.You would never…

In the films, Moulin Rouge and The Great Gatsby, there are various similar stylistic traits due to Baz Luhrmann’s personal style of filmmaking. The films are a reflection of his vision and purpose, which employ the auteur director to use specific filmic techniques. The techniques…

The symbolic use of glass is not only present in the title, but is also present in the glass creatures Laura owns, along with the glass window through which they look outside. This window keeps the characters isolated from this present reality and slants the…

Shirley Jackson authored “The Lottery” short story in 1948. This is among her numerous short stories, poems, and other writings which entail her passion. The story has held numerous negative reactions from readers since its publication. The story seems to be controversial as it has…

Macbeth is a critical play which works at various levels. Here Shakespeare gives us timeless symbols of crucial yet unnoticed forces at work in any society. The witches are symbol of inconceivable forces lying in the depth of individuals which affect the larger processes. They…

 In philosopher and historian Mircea Eliade’s article, he introduces the readers to two different concepts of time, sacred and profane and their significance and function to religion and myths. Sacred time is one that is eternal and where time is non-existent whereas profane time is…

 As emphasized by J.C Cooper in her excerpt, The Universal Language, our lives are filled and controlled by symbols whether we understand and recognize them or not, regardless, they always surround us. Symbolism is seen as a treasure-house of the past and holds meaning for…

In Neil Gaiman’s novel The Ocean at the End of the Lane, the author illustrates the concept that it is difficult, maybe impossible to uncover the truth about the past, because our memories can deceive us. This notion is depicted through the characterization of the…

Trees With love comes trust. Paul D sees the trees as something he can trust, something you can go to when you need reassurance or support. Trees are also become a sign to a second life for him especially when the Cherokee directed him to…

Summary The movie ‘Glory Road’ was set in El Paso, Texas during the Civil Rights Movements of 1966. The movie starts with Coach Don Haskins of Texas Western College trying to recruit players of any race to his basketball team. At this time, many basketball…

When it comes to literature Symbolism is the practice or art of using an object or a word to embody a complex or intellectual idea. An action, person, place, word, or object can all have a symbolic meaning. When it comes to art Symbolism is…