The Art of using symbolism in Poetry


Symbolism is a powerful literary device that enriches poetry by adding deeper layers of meaning. Through symbols, poets can convey complex ideas, evoke emotions, and create connections between the tangible and the abstract.


What Is Symbolism?


At its core, symbolism involves the use of—objects, colours, events, or even emotions—to represent something beyond their literal meanings. These symbols are laden with qualities and associations that are often open to interpretation.

Here are some key points about symbolism:
1. Context Matters: The meaning of a symbol hinges on the context in which it appears. A single object can symbolize different things depending on the surrounding circumstances.
2. Subjectivity: While some symbols are universal (like the colour white representing purity), others are subjective or can have specific cultural connotations. Readers bring their own perspectives and experiences, affecting how they interpret symbols.
3. Common Symbols: Certain symbols recur across cultures and literature. For instance:
• White: Symbolizes purity, new life, or peace.
• Black: Associated with death, danger, or mystery.
• Red: Represents love, passion, or even death.
• Green: Signifies rebirth, nature, and growth.
• Cross: Symbolizes Christianity, sacrifice, or heaven.
• Home: A symbol of safety and peace.
• Flowers The symbolism of flowers was particularly strong in Victorian times in both Europe and America.  Many cultures imply meaning to different plants, herbs or flowers.  Last year. at a family funeral everyone received a prig of rosemary, and this was said to be symbolic of remembrance.  A red rose on St Valentine’s day is a symbol of the affection you might hold for another person or that they might hold for you. This symbolic meaning is called in the West floriography and examples of the symbolic use of plants and flowers in some case linked to the colour of a bloom can be found in many poems and paintings. 


Examples of Symbolism in Everyday Life

Everyday words, objects, and even concepts often have more than a single meaning. Across time, certain aspects of everyday life and experience evolve in meaning and associated significance, making them symbols of something besides what they actually are. Here are some common examples of symbolism in everyday life:

• rainbow–symbolizes hope and promise

• red rose–symbolizes love and romance

• four-leaf clover–symbolizes good luck or fortune

• wedding ring–symbolizes commitment and matrimony
picture of a shopping trolley —symbolises on line shopping


Examples of Symbolism in Poetry


1. “Daffodils” by William Wordsworth:
• In this classic poem, daffodils serve as a powerful symbol. The vibrant yellow flowers represent more than their physical beauty; they embody the idea of joy, inspiration, and the transcendent power of nature. The image of the daffodils dancing in the breeze becomes a metaphor for the poet’s own inner experience.


2. “The Raven” by Edgar Allan Poe:
• The  raven in Poe’s haunting poem is more than a mere bird. It symbolizes grief, despair, and the relentless persistence of sorrow. The repetition of the word “Nevermore” reinforces the raven’s symbolic weight.

• “Fire and Ice by Robert Frost”
In the poem, fire symbolizes destructive and consuming emotions such as jealousy, desire for power, anger, and impulsivity. Ice, in the poem, symbolizes destructive and withholding emotions such as hate, indifference, loneliness, and isolation. Of course, the poet indicates to the reader that the literal meanings of fire and ice make them capable of destroying and ending the world. However, it’s the symbolism of fire and ice that enhances the meaning and significance of the poem.


3. “Ode to the West Wind” by Percy Bysshe Shelley:
• In this ode, the west wind symbolizes change, renewal, and the power of nature. Shelley invokes the wind as a force that can both destroy and rejuvenate, emphasizing its transformative role.

Why poets use Symbolism

Different types of symbols create different effects for readers, though the overall goal of symbolism as a literary device is to enhance the reader’s experience with literature.
Here are some examples of types of symbolism and their effects:
• emotion: symbols often evoke emotional responses in readers, allowing them to invest in the story. This emotional effect of symbolism also creates a lasting impression for the reader of the literary work.
• Imagery: symbols can create imagery and provide visual elements that allow readers to understand complex literary themes. This also has a beneficial effect for writers so that they don’t feel an overreliance on language to explain their intended meaning.

The Art of Uncovering Hidden Meanings
As readers, we must dive deep into the layers of symbolism. Metaphors, allegories, and allusions help us unlock these hidden meanings. When encountering symbols in poetry, consider the following:
• Metaphors: These associate complex concepts with familiar images.
• Allegories: Use symbolic characters to represent abstract ideas.
• Allusions: Refer to other works, myths, or historical events to enrich the symbolism.
Remember that poetry invites us to explore, question, and engage with symbols. Each reader brings their unique lens, making the experience rich and multifaceted. So, the next time you encounter a rose, a storm, or a broken mirror in a poem, pause and unravel the layers of symbolism—they hold secrets waiting to be discovered.
In the realm of poetry, symbolism is the bridge between the tangible and the ineffable, the mundane and the magical. It invites us to see beyond the surface and glimpse the profound truths that lie beneath.
References:
1. Symbolism – Definition and Examples – Poem Analysis
2. How Is Symbolism Used In Poetry – Poetry & Poets
3. What Does Symbolism Mean In Poetry – Poetry & Poets
4. Symbolism in Poetry: Uncovering Hidden Meanings – Poems Please

Remember, as you explore poetry, let your heart and imagination be your guide—the symbols await your interpretation!

What do you sense?

does it taste like
smooth mellow chocolate
sweet, smooth and melting
leaving contentment
or is it sharp lemon tart
or nutty toasted almonds
to savour and linger over

does it taste like
pepper, mustard and vinegar
harsh on throats hurting stomachs
or the cumulative effect of
chilli spice – the cumulative heat
that travels across skin making
perspiration shine and
nerves tingle?
does it sound like
a celestial choir,
Dr Hook at full volume,
a playlist of romantic duets
the profound glory of Pacabel’s Cannon
on guitars supported by an orchestra
or melodic like the dawn chorus

does it sound like
a child learning the recorder
an errant burglar alarm
a chain saw labouring to cut a tree,
making the jaw tense and ears retract?

does it feel like
being wrapped
in a warm fluffy blanket
safe sheltered succoured
or
an icy draft stinging the eyes
adding goosebumps to the skin
when the blanket slips?

what sort of love do you have?

Samantha Beardon

Poetic Devices

Literary devices/Poetic devices/Figurative Language

Common literary devices, such as metaphors and similes, are the building blocks of literature, and what make literature so enchanting. Language evolves through the literary devices in poetry and prose; the different types of figurative language make literature spark in different ways.

Yet these devices are techniques we use in our normal speech as well as in our writing. We don’t just use metaphors when we write or when we read they are a dynamic part of our everyday communication. Indeed that is why it many metaphors are seen as cliché they are used so frequently they no longer have the surprise element that we as writers want to interject into our writing.
The common metaphor is alive and well and you use them continuously when you speak. Metaphors are methods of comparison,symbolism or description.
‘She is the apple of his eye’,’he broke my heart’, ‘life is a race’, ‘fit as a fiddle’, ‘old flame’, ‘my room is a prison’. Do you have metaphors that are part of your standard repertoire? They will be so much part of your normal speech pattern you are probably unaware you use them they are hot wired in your psyche.

How often do you personify inanimate objects? Giving human characteristics to non human Our car is a she, my husband refers to ships as she, I have been known to have a conversation with my laptop and a teddybear amongst other things. I frequently ask my laptop how it wants me to do something when it rejects all my moves. I accuse the rain of waiting till I am outside to deliberately soak me. The cookie called to me, the sun came late, the frost came with icy fingers, the flowers danced in the breeze. Again it’s a part of how we interact with the world.

Think of the symbols you use in your daily communication. ‘The heart’ symbolic of love or lost love, wedding rings symbolise joining together, chains can mean being imprisoned or held back, ladders can symbolise ascent to better things, clocks can represent deadlines, time passing, owls might represent wisdom or sometimes foreshadowing.

If you really analyse conversations, or every day writing you will find you are using the devices we refer to as literary or poetic devices all the time. We are not as writers coming to them as new concepts. Yet at the beginning of this article I said they are the building blocks of literature .

Why call these devices specifically literary/Poetic devices?

If we use them all the time in our lives why do we highlight these devices as being important in literature?
Its because writers/poets take these devices and use them meaningfully. We understand the theory of their construction and we use them mindfully to enhance our poetry and prose.

Literary devices refer to devices or manoeuvres writers use in their writing to relay information and develop the narrative, i.e., to make his or her work complete, interesting or complex. In other words, it is a “literary or linguistic technique that produces a specific effect, esp. a figure of speech, narrative style, or plot mechanism”. There are hundreds of literary devices but some are more commonly used than others. Some are used equally in prose and poetry and some will appear more often in one form of literature rather than another.

There is much overlap in how literary devices are categorised and you will see the categories of devices being used slightly differently in different books and articles, this doesn’t take away from the fact that we use all such devices mindfully in our writing and it’s how we use them that is important.
For instance you can consider that form is a poetic device such as Free Verse or Sonnet. Devices of Sound and Rhythm are poetic devices such as alliteration or consonance.

Literary/poetic devices refer to a broad category of techniques referring to literary or linguistic techniques in a work of literature that produces a specific effect. Whilst, figures of speech are also seen as a type of these literary device. This is the primary difference between literary devices and figures of speech.

Figures of speech are forms of expression where words are used out of their literal meaning or out of their ordinary use. Figures of speech often offer emphasis, the freshness of expression, or clarity to a work of literature. Furthermore, their main aim is to use the language creatively to heighten the effect of what is being said. There are many types of figures of speech.
Some Examples of Figures of Speech
• Similes – making a direct comparison between two things
• Metaphors – making an implicit comparison between two unrelated things
• Personification diving human characteristics to non human entities.
• Synecdoche – using a word or phrase that refers to a part of something to represent the whole or vice versa.
• Oxymoron – using two contrasting words together
• Hyperbole – deliberately using exaggeration for the sake of emphasis

Thinking about how we write poetry.

This poem was written and posted for critique with no editing prior to posting and it shows, it has some strengths that need enhancing in order to make this a poem of strength.

Life is as colorful as sunset rainbow
I noticed that in the glow of your eyes
the spark of your alabaster teeth
a caption in my head for another Day.

What if the DAY wasn’t a bubble blast
if I could hold the hands of time by its edge
the hugs, smooches on the checks and giggles
a page in my diary dressed with petals.

Love is real, its real and true
the note on my blacklist board I failed to admit
a soft tinkles and touches of your smiles
takes me on a journey down the aisle.

Love is a valley of perfection
happiness, laughter and merry-ment
two steps at a time might make you flip
been buckling my shoes to climb over again.

This has some good imagery but its superfical so you love her everything is wonderful. Why should I the reader care? Would I save this to read again? Probably not. Does it stir emotion in me? Not really. I know I am a hard romantic task master. Has it got lines that stay in my head? Make me think?
Stanza 1 uses some nice visual clues shes got bright eyes and a glow in her eyes, the rainbow a symbol for happiness bit we dont really see this lady or what this love is.

I think stanza 2 is the strongest stanza and shows their interactions and shows he thinks they are important.

This is one of those poems that centres around the poets thoughts but doesn’t really engage the reader enough.

Give this to a particular young lady I am sure she would love it, it would make her feel special and would make her smile for a week. But as a poem for a general reader it could work harder.

But if you are putting this out as a poem to enthall readers its not strong enough.
This is too general too abstract.
There is more telling rather than showing.
Who are this couple?
What makes him love her?
What is different about their relationship than thousands of others?

What it would be good to do is to find a way to show this love maybe in one incident that shows the love in action. Or more detail of the couple. Why they are in love and how their love manifests. Make us really see the love the bond that draws them together.

Compare it to this poem on the same theme.

Before You Came
Faiz Ahmed Faiz – 1911-1984

Before you came,

things were as they should be:

the sky was the dead-end of sight,
the road was just a road,
wine merely wine.

Now everything is like my heart,

a color at the edge of blood:
the grey of your absence,
the color of poison,
of thorns,
the gold when we meet, the season ablaze,
the yellow of autumn, the red of flowers, of flames,
and the black when you cover the earth
with the coal of dead fires.

And the sky, the road, the glass of wine?
The sky is a shirt wet with tears,

the road a vein about to break,

and the glass of wine a mirror
in which
the sky, the road,
the world keep changing.

Don’t leave now that you’re here—
Stay.
So the world may become like itself again:
so the sky may be the sky,
the road a road,
and the glass of wine not a mirror, just a glass of wine.

Both poems use colour to instill imagery but in different ways. The second specifically used red and grey ..gold and red and using the colours to indicate feelings of love and loss, the first is showing the rainbow for happiness which is good but lacks the depth of imagery of the second. . Look at the metaphors and imagery in the second poem the use of the sky the wine and the road to demonstrate feelings.

The first poem will make a good poem if edited and rewritten the poet needs to find that story.

We know little of the story of the second poem either but we do have a picture of a love that brings happiness and sadness and is perhaps unstable. Will she stay with him as he wants will they be happy? We don’t know we have to decide for ourselves but I can picture that relationship clearly.

What do you think?

Climbing


I read of adventures enacted by some
they climb
    treacherous mountains


such ideas
     leave me numb


                they   free style
    across high barren cliffs
       bungee jump over an abyss

I freak at the thought of
the mind blowing
    effort


   danger          despair
                a half inch from death

yet life is a mountain

with nail biting climbs

Samantha Beardon