Art is way of expression. People can use actions and art or express themselves in ways other than speaking. In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, symbolism holds a big significance. The trees mentioned throughout the book symbolize Melinda’s changing “seasons” (her “growing” as a person). People, like trees, go through phases, they freeze in the winter, becoming nothing but lonely limbs without leaves covered with white slush. Melinda, in a lot of ways, starts out like that it the book. She becomes a shell of herself from before the party happened and because no one else was there, she is lonely and doesn't have anybody to go to and to make matters even worse, she’s covered by the reputation that she has formed. In the book, Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to convey exactly what Melinda can't say. In the beginning of the book, Melinda starts high school carrying her emotional wounds with her after something happens mysterious to her at a party during the summer. In the chapter The Opposite of Inspiration is… Expiration?, Melinda tells us that “[f]or a solid week, ever since the pep rally, I’ve been painting watercolors of trees that have been hit of lightning. I try to paint them so they are nearly dead, but not …show more content…
Symbolism can use an object (like a tree of birds), or art, (like Melinda’s art project or Mr. Freeman's canvas) to represent an abstract idea. Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to hint at a certain mood or emotion, rather than just blatantly saying it. So, the use of symbolism is important because it helps create meaning and emotion in a story. Symbolism makes a book fun to read, the symbolism produces a thought provoking work of art and it, (like in this book), adds meaning to seemingly unrelated objects and elicits emotions in the
For example, the art piece she made with turkey bones, a Barbie doll head, culinary utensils, and tape had evinced her emotional distress. Mr. Freeman had seen these sensibilities within Melinda's artwork as well by saying that "[it] has meaning. Pain" (65). Melinda has an idea in her head of what she wants her tree to look like, which also symbolizes herself, "a strong old oak tree with a wide scarred trunk and thousands of leaves reaching to the sun" (78). Melinda can create this tree only if she becomes like this tree as a person by surrendering into acceptance of the atrocious offense committed against her and the scars that came with it.
For example, on page one-hundred and twenty-four of the novel, Melinda states, “I have to stay away from the closet, go to all my classes. I will make myself normal. Forget the rest of it.” This shows that Melinda has not been good in school and been interacting with
Purpose and Form Paragraph Symbolism is a strong method used by authors to get a message across to the readers. In Me Talk Pretty One Day, David Sedaris uses symbolism to define his purpose. Symbolism acts as a way to show David’s insecurities and how he feels as he accomplishes them. Firstly, when David describes the school and the students that attend it he mentions that the rest of the students were “all young, attractive, and well-dressed, causing me to feel not unlike Pa Kettle trapped backstage after a fashion show” (David, 1).
When assigned the word “tree” in her art class, she started to use art to express herself. The first tree was dark and gloomy because to show how she felt inside at the time, the second tree was more of a fake looking tree because of one of her only “friends”, Heather, had started to hang around the “Marthas”, whom were considered fake in Melinda’s mind. When it came to her last drawing, the tree become more real and gave off a stronger feel to it, this was because she had started talking to a girl named Ivy and for the first time since the night of the party that started it all she said something to her ex-friend, Rachel, giving her a lot of confidence. Drawing the trees really helped Melinda in ways not even she noticed. It helped her express herself without forcing her to do anything out of her comfort zone, like
What is symbolism? It is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities. What I will be talking about in this essay is how symbolism was used in the book “Night” by Eliezer Wiesel. While there are many different versions of symbolism in the story I will only be focusing on three that I think are the best to talk about. Those three include the yellow stars the Jews had to wear, the spoon and knife Eliezer got from his father, and the title of the book.
(AGG) Why would authors include symbolism in their books? (BS-1) The use of a major symbol in Under the Persimmon Tree by Suzanne Fisher Staples is seen when Najmah gets her first haircut after her family is killed and her home is destroyed.(BS-2) Other than using the haircut to show Najmah’s reaction to important events, Staples also includes stars as another symbolic idea. (BS-3)
After randomly selecting a piece of paper that has the word “tree” printed on it, Mr. Freeman states that she had just chosen her destiny. At first, she expresses her confusion as to why something so simple could be so important, but throughout the book her interpretation of trees changes in order to portray a theme of depression. For instance, when Melinda first began painting trees they all appeared to be “nearly dead, but not totally,” and some had even “been hit by lightning” (Anderson 30). The idea that Mr. Freeman presented that the tree is supposed to represent Melinda along with the fact that they’re on the verge of death shows us how she is really feeling on the inside.
Writers from all over the world use symbolism to enhance their stories and create something so beautiful in each of their pieces. In To Kill a Mockingbird and Night, symbolism was so effective because it provided depth to the text, allowed the reader to break through the surface layer of the story, and gave readers the freedom of interpreting the story in different ways. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, the author uses symbolism in her writing to create this bittersweet novel while one of the major symbols was the mockingbird.
Symbolism is the use of symbols to represent ideas or qualities, a literary device which authors employ to create meaning in their stories. F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby is set in the Jazz Age, a period of great social change that is very much symbolized throughout the novel. Fitzgerald’s self-obsessed and ignorant characters perfectly encapture the moral corruption of the era. In The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald employs the billboard, the green light, and the valley of ashes as symbols to advance the plot of the novel as well as to elevate the quality of the novel.
Melinda stays on the sidelines, partly because she is an outcast and partly because she chooses to isolate herself from everyone else. Her isolation is in part due to her depression over her assault. She completely shuts herself out from everyone around her, her peers, her teachers, and her parents. Over the course of the novel, she realizes that she needs her friends and family to help her cope with her assault. Therefore, she starts to open up and interact more with others.
At the end of the story she finally found her voice and was able to stand up for herself. In the beginning, Melinda didn't talk to anyone, barely even to her parents. She says, “I have tried so hard to forget every second of that stupid party and here I am in the middle of a hostile crowd that hates me for what I had to do. I can't tell them what really happened” (Anderson, 28).
In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the protagonist, Melinda, is assigned to create a tree a million different ways all year. In doing so she finds ways to convey her emotions through her drawings. There are many different types of trees in the world. A tree that shows symbolism and draws emotion out of me would have to be a weeping willow tree. The weeping willow tree is elegant, girly, but has a tragically beautiful side to it.
In the novel, “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson, there is a young high school girl that is named Melinda, she has something to hide from people that she know and love but eventually she will reveal her dark secret. I believe that symbolism plays a major role in the novel because many of the symbols represent how Melinda sometimes acts at times. Throughout the novel, Unarmed is used to symbolize Rabbits, Prey, and Fear in relation to how Melinda develops. I believe that Rabbits represent Melinda as an unharming animal who can’t defend herself from problems in life. This symbol also represents Melinda in a way that she can’t fight back, all she can possibly do is hide like a rabbit in her closet or run away from Danger.
Symbolism is one of the literary device used in The Yellow Wallpaper. Symbolism is the use of symbols, in this case objects, to represent ideas or qualities, by giving them symbolic meaning that is different in a literal sense. Some of the symbols used are the nursery, the wallpaper, the yellow color and the greenhouses. Firstly, the nursery symbolizes the way her husband John treats her like a child
Symbolism in general is the building blocks to all sources of literature and can shape a piece of writing in many ways. Symbols in general can portray what something or someone represents, giving a deeper and metaphorical meaning to a symbol. Symbolism is often used within poetry, literature, music, or even art. This is how an author conveys a different meaning to the audience. For example artists may use the color “red” not only because of the color theory, but to convey love, passion, and maybe even health.