Leveraging Symbolism in Creative Writing Activities

Leveraging symbolism in creative writing activities adds a visual dimension to the process (a picture speaks a thousand words, after all) and forces students to focus on the message they want to convey.  Symbolism gives students a tool to develop their writing - by adding symbolic elements they are adding details.  Leveraging symbolism helps students write with purpose!  Here’s a bit of a sequence to help students understand symbolism and then use it in their writing.

Building a story around symbolic elements forces students to focus on the message they want to convey. 

Everyday / single-use symbols

Begin with the basic symbols we see every day – the ones with just one meaning such as the wheelchair symbol on a door representing the idea that this place is accessible for wheelchairs.  Look at road signs – give way, bridge, merging lanes.  Look at the recycling symbol, hazards symbols, the volume symbol, the symbols on our phones such as the text message bubble, and the wifi and battery symbols…they’re everywhere. 

A fun homework activity

See how many symbols students can photograph.  Have them upload them to a shared class document.  (Note: use PowerPoint or Slides as a shared document for anything you want to add images to so that the pictures can be placed anywhere on the page.  Remember, you can resize the slides to an A4-sized page!)

Universal Symbols (Thematic)

According to Gemini (OMG, yes, I just did that!), common universal symbols include things like:

• Hearts

• Crosses

• Skulls

• Doves

• Rainbows

• The colour red

• Water

  
  

Amnesty International

The brilliant logo used by Amnesty International (recreated here on the right) is an example of two symbols, universally understood, have been used to represent hope and life – the burning candle – and the torture and entrapment that threaten that idea – the barbed wire. Together, these symbols illustrate multiple ideas about the work of Amnesty International.

Such objects don’t have one off, simple meanings, they embody a broad theme. 

Connotations

Thematic symbols develop through the connotations they give us.  Red roses have come to represent romance simply because of that old-fashioned idea of the guy presenting the girl with a bunch as he picks her up for dinner (oh for those days – hehe).  Skulls have connotations of death and terror thanks to pirates making an example of their victims.

Thematic symbols are broad.

An object or colour can represent more than one idea - as we saw with the symbols used in the Amnesty International logo.  Thematic symbols don’t just represent an idea in isolation, but other aspects under that umbrella.  For example:

• A skull and crossbones represents death, terror, pirates/piracy, danger, risk, a no-go zone, violence, the ‘end’.

• Water can represent life, cleansing, a new beginning, freshness, rejuvenation.

Context

The way we interpret symbols can depend on the context. For example:

• A skull and crossbones can ALSO suggest fun pirate adventures, heroics etc. 

• Water can also suggest overwhelm, panic, a loss of control or drowning (figurative and literal!).

Culture (geographic and social)

We talk about universal symbols as ummm…universal – understood across cultures and age groups.  However, this isn’t strictly true.  For example, in most Western cultures the colour black represents death, however in some cultures, white does.  Rainbows might represent hope or imagination to some and diverse sexualities to others.  And as for age groups – come on, do we need to talk about the aubergine! 

 Exploring how culture and context determine our interpretation of symbols is a fantastic way to push critical thinking when investigating the symbols in literature your seniors are studying.

Tapping into our own symbolic meanings

Symbolic elements do not have to be ‘universally’ acknowledged.  Note:

• Students can tap into symbols that are personal to them.  We often have symbolic objects within our own family or friend groups. 

• You’re likely to have students from a range of cultures in your classroom.  Encourage them to use symbols in their writing (more on that to follow) that are important to their own culture. 

• You can help students understand the symbols that are important in the indigenous culture of your country.  Check out some of these sites:

Aotearoa New Zealand:

Polynesian Pride and Superprof and, if you want a bit more reading about symbolism related to the marae, see this pdf from the University of Victoria.  See also, Matariki Colours.

Australia:

Australian Aboriginal Art Symbols and First Nations Symbols

United States of America:

Understanding colours and Native American Symbols

Click the image above if you're a tiger for punishment!

Creative Writing

Once students have a sound understanding of connotations and thematic symbolism, get them to leverage it in their own writing. This is a springboard to a fun, yet powerful and purposeful writing assignment.

This is a way to get students thinking about the purpose of their story, their audience, and how they will convey a main idea through well-developed writing.

Step one:

Students decide on the message they want to convey.  As always, when we’re talking about an idea, insist students use the word ‘that’ to explain this idea.  Give them a starter like:

• I want my audience to understand the idea that… or

• I want to tell my audience that…

For example:  I want to tell my audience that it’s important to look at where we are from to see where we might go.

Step two:

Get students to think of one or two words that give an overview of this idea. (We have two parts to our example, so we might choose:  Where we are from and moving ahead.)

Step 3:

Think about symbols that represent that idea (that overview).   To help students think of ideas, our editable freebie will give them plenty to think about and space to write ideas.  Symbols might include:

• Colours

• Songs

• Animals

• Plants

• Food/drink

• Something worn or carried with a carried

• Celestial bodies

• Objects (a full cup, an uncomfortable chair, a feather…)

• A view (something seen out a window or from a vantage point, or perhaps just a view in a painting on the wall)

• A physical characteristic (a limp, a scar, a tattoo…)

Step 4:

Get students to plant those symbols throughout their story.  As well as events, settings and character development, symbolism is a way to help an audience understand and remember a message.  In their story, a character wearing a gold-starred bracelet (symbol) might stare at the stars (symbol) while listening to Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” (symbol)…  Okay, cheesy, but you get the idea.

Remember, this is a way to get students thinking about the purpose of their story, their audience, and how they will convey a main idea through well-developed writing.  That’s a lot of boxes ticked, right?!  Boom!