Speculation of Symbolism (Prompt 6)

Symbolism can be defined as the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. When Foster talks about the “symbolic level” of literature, it is very telling that there are commonalities that all writers utilize to clearly establish ideas and themes that run below the surface of their words. Literature teachers are able to read books and find these hidden messages that writers only hope that their readers can pick up on, and it has an incredible ability to enhance the story and environment that writers are working to materialize in readers’ minds. For instance, in one chapter, Foster discusses the importance of weather in a story in terms of the tone of that particular section or piece. These natural elements not only are provided in order to better set the scene in readers’ heads, but it also is a nice way to give readers an idea what they should be feeling during that section. Foster touches on this idea by encouraging readers to, “Pay attention to how you feel about the text. It probably means something” (114). The struggle that students have when it comes to symbolism is clearly identifying what it is an author wants someone to take away from that symbol. Is it in regard to a character? Is it revealing another theme? Is it foreshadowing? Or are the flowers just blue because it is how the author pictures them? Students have to work and strive to first isolate a symbol and then correctly apply it to the text and the “true” meaning behind it. For the most part, this can be open to interpretation, which can be extremely frustrating for students, especially if they are afraid of being incorrect. Foster writes, “Even in a fairly clear cut case we can’t pin down a single meaning, all though they’re pretty close. So some symbols do have a relatively limited range of meanings..” (105). There usually are a few commonly accepted “correct” interpretations of symbols in literature, and teachers are the masters of identifying these controversial truths within the text. They know how to dig into literature and find hidden gems, while still allowing room for speculation. Teachers are the ones who have the ability to share with students how to uncover a whole new side to literature that will speak differently to every person. 

Comments

  1. Mrs. MacJuly 17, 2017 at 3:52 AM

    I love this point about Foster and about text in general. It's as if we are all connected at some deep meaning level. Certain things resonate for us all as humans. Perhaps this anticipates the "Over-Soul."
    Mrs. Mac

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  2. UnknownJuly 25, 2017 at 6:45 PM

    You have an excellent take on symbolism, and your words made me think about how I interpret symbolism. When reading a book, I too will often think about an author’s true meaning, like is it raining simply because that was the day’s weather, or is it somehow reflective of a deep-seated sadness? Or maybe both? I find this a rather frustrating part of reading, for after reading a passage of a book I will think about possible symbols then proceed to overthink the symbols and make myself mad. I look forward to this year where hopefully the symbols Foster discussed will become clearer to me.

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  3. AnonymousJuly 27, 2017 at 10:34 PM

    Symbols are important to books because they connect the readers to the writer. Without symbols a book becomes bland, and the point that the writer is trying to get across could be lost in translation with their audience. Symbols are important to books not only because of their messages, but also because they are more likely to stand out among readers. Fosters deep understanding of symbols gives his readers a more thoughtful understanding what what they are encountering. Personally I feel that symbols give us the chance to connect pieces of ourselves into books while also looking at another individual's perspective.

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  4. UnknownJuly 31, 2017 at 11:57 AM

    I would say the underlying difference between teachers and students is experience. Teachers do not have this upper level ability without hours of reading to reinforce their literary skills. Students, on the other hand, lack a sense of direction when interpreting text because of their need for practice. I would agree that many students have trouble with symbolism and many fear wrong answers, but to some extent it is not their fault. Students need an open environment in order to grow. Open discussion and free expression of ideas is not a common place until it is too late in the student’s academic career.

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  5. Carter NewmanAugust 1, 2017 at 8:06 PM

    I hate that the property of an idea being correct/incorrect is applied to literature because of the statement you made that students are afraid to speak out when discussing interpretation and symbolism because they are afraid of being wrong. This causes a loss in perspective when having a discussion, which can defeat the whole purpose of a literary discussion because the goal is to learn a variety of interpretations through those with different life experiences than yourself. Most argue and discuss to prove they are correct, but in literature the goal must shift to discussing to learn so that everybody feels comfortable providing input from their unique perspective and having their idea discussed without fear of being wrong.

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