1. Archetypes
1.1. Light and Dark- opposites
1.1.1. Light often symbolizes renewal, rebirth, life and hope. Often when supernatural characters aid the heroes, they appear in white light symbolizing hope for the hero.
1.1.2. Darkness often symbolizes death and destruction. In poetry, people will often have darkness to represent evil and death.
1.2. Fire and Ice
1.2.1. Fire often represents warmth and desire, and ice represents death and cold. In the poem Fire and Ice by Robert Frost the poet keeps on referencing to how fire represents desire, and he says "from what I have tasted of desire" when he is referencing to fire. However, in the poem when he references to ice he referenced to destruction.
1.3. Numbers
1.3.1. The number three symbolizes stability and perfection. It comes from Catholicism and the holy trinity.
1.3.2. The number 4 symbolizes solidity. The number 4 appears contantly, the four seasons, the four states of matter and the four elements.
1.3.3. The number seven is a holy number. It represents the unification of 3 and 4. Often the number 7 appears in the genesis, the 7 days that the world was created in is an example.
1.4. Trees and Forests
1.4.1. Tree often represent life, knowledge and immortality. In the Genesis, there is the tree of knowledge of good and evil, along with the tree of life. The Buddha gained enlightenment under a Bodhi tree. In the book the Giving Tree, the tree represents selflessly giving of life. These are often shown in poetry and literature.
1.4.2. Forests represent mystery and enchantment where you can often get lost. The forbidden forest is a popular example from Harry Potter about a forest's magic. Another example is the forest Mirkwood in the Lord of the Rings because of its mystery.
1.5. Water and Desert
1.5.1. Water represents purity, calamity, life and power. Throughout poetry, rivers are often shown as the flow o f life and oceans are shown as powerful. In Macbeth, Lady Macbeth tries to clean herself of the murder using water because of its purity. In the Bible, Pontius Pilate tries to wash his hands from the blood. Deserts are often symbolized as death and isolation because of their harsh terrain. Water can also symbolize rebirth.
2. What is symbolism used for?
2.1. Symbolism is used to show a meaning through another thing that represents the meaning.
2.2. Symbolism is a hidden meaning.
3. Allusions
3.1. Greek/Roman Mythology
3.1.1. Achilles' heel->One point of weakness
3.1.2. Hercules' strength->Extreme strength--to beat it is inhuman
3.1.3. Trojan horse->A decoy
3.1.4. Aphrodite/Venus' beauty->Extreme beauty--to be more beautiful is a huge compliment
3.1.5. Pandora's Box->Similar to the Trojan horse; a decoy
4. Diction
4.1. Word choice
4.1.1. Adjectives
4.1.1.1. Positive Examples
4.1.1.1.1. Aroma
4.1.1.1.2. Scent
4.1.1.1.3. Fragrance
4.1.1.1.4. Thrifty
4.1.1.1.5. Vintage
4.1.1.2. Neutral Examples
4.1.1.2.1. Smell
4.1.1.2.2. Saving
4.1.1.2.3. Old
4.1.1.3. Negative Examples
4.1.1.3.1. Pungent
4.1.1.3.2. Odor
4.1.1.3.3. Stench
4.1.1.3.4. Stingy
4.1.1.3.5. Decrepit
4.1.2. Adverbs
4.1.3. Verbs
4.2. Syntax and sentence structure
4.2.1. Run-on sentences
4.2.2. Punctuation
5. Where is symbolism used?
5.1. Literature
5.1.1. Poetry
5.1.2. Stories
6. Subject
6.1. Action
6.2. Character
6.3. Concept
6.3.1. Color
6.3.1.1. Black->Death
6.3.1.2. White->Life
6.3.1.3. Red->Passion/Danger
6.3.1.4. Blue->Calmness/Sadness
6.4. Object
6.4.1. Rose->Love
6.4.2. Sun->Life/Happiness
6.4.3. Seasons
6.4.3.1. Spring->rebirth of life, new animals and plants appear.
6.4.3.2. Summer->Glory
6.4.3.3. Autumn->Harvest
6.4.3.4. Winter->Death or The End