English symbol guide

  1. Spring/Morning
    Birth/beginning
  2. Summer/Afternoon
    Youth
  3. Fall/Evening
    Impending death
  4. Winter/Night
    Death
  5. Red
    passion (love, hate or any other human emotion)
  6. White
    innocence or purity (including but not exclusive to virginity)
  7. Black
    Concealment/Lack of Knowlege
  8. Yellow
    Minority/corruption
  9. Fog/mist/smoke
    obscurity or disillusionment
  10. wine
    new life or strength (biblical...the sacrament)
  11. stars
    faith,eternity, the unattainable
  12. walls
    barriers between people, both physical and mental
  13. hands
    strength. often hands do things instinctively...show true emotions or thought
  14. wind
    fate
  15. silver
    inconsistency/fickleness
  16. sun
    passion, strong feeling, love
  17. sea (tides, sand)
    passage of time, cycles
  18. eyes
    windows to the soul
  19. blonde hair
    goddess (men desire her but she is untouchable for some reason)
  20. Brunette hair
    Temptress (She has brown or black hair who men desire, and they may have a chance to sexually obtain her; but once they do, they have a serious fall from grace that could lead to their death or negative fate. She is usually interesting, intelligent, fun, and can be loyal but dangerous)
  21. Red hair
    Good girl ( Innocent and in trouble. She needs a bad boy to value her innocence and protect her. He does this...often protecting her from himself. )
  22. Birds
    Freedom ( unless they are herons..they could symbolize Christ..and chickens because they cant fly)
  23. Windows
    Opportunity (freedom/ lack of freedom)
  24. Water
    rebirth, baptism, life, cleansing
  25. light/fire/candles
    knowledge/truth
  26. darkness
    the concealment of knowledge or truth
  27. rivers, paths, roads, train tracks, sidewalks, etc.
    a journey
  28. trains/west/horses/the fourth of july/statue of liberty
    having to do with the american dream
  29. caves
    yonic symbols (having to do with the womb) or plutos cave
  30. eating and drinking, sex, kissing, competing, holding hands
    comunion
  31. snakes
    temptations/evil/ignorance/disconnect
  32. bad boy
    unmarried and usually disenfranchised. always the underdog and an obvious follower of "self-reliance", he will be unacceptable to general society, but his moral center will be strong and admirable. He will not be innocent, but he will recognize and seek to protect it in others.
  33. good girl
    Usually red headed and possessing some derivative of the name "mary Jane", the good girl is innocent and trusting, which often makes her a mark for the unscrupulous. She is what the bad boy will seek to protect, but she is no shrinking violet. She will be more than willing to participate in her own protection. The bad boy will seek to protect her even against himself if necessary.
  34. mentor
    Foil to the bad man, the mentor will usually teach the bad boy how to be a good man. Usually the mentor is not from the same social class as the bad boy, but will be able to speak in a language the bad boy will understand. Later, the lost generation authors may turn the mentors into questionable influences.
  35. bad man
    The entity the bad boy must overcome. In early literature, literally and man, but later, could be represented by a group, corporation or machine.
  36. prophet
    • a character than can do all or some of the following...
    • Bring others truth or knowledge (often associated with light)
    • make others aware of beauty
    • have some power over life and death
    • act as confessors, and or grand absolution
  37. Christ
    will do everything a prophet may do..and sacrifice themselves for the good of the group
  38. cold wife
    In some way will emasculate her husband..intentionally or otherwise..can be found throughout western literature, but in the post modern era they become more sympathetic
  39. antiquated character
    a character that belongs to a past time or generation dues to moral values, social norms, or religious beliefs.
  40. gardener
    considered to be like god
  41. Frustrated artist/intellect
    a character who, for one reason or another is unable to practice their need to create or think freely for reasons that usually have to do with social mores and codes they may even put on themselves. They frequently come into conflict with the society around them and the repression often leads to madness or destruction. There will be a deterioration of some kind unless they decide to disassociate from society completely which may be the catalyst for a journey.
  42. Disaffected teacher (annoying teacher)
    Usually but not always female and usually but not always single, haven't "kept up with the times." They are usually laboring under antiquated notions of education, faith, social norms, and values. They do not listen to the youth only talk at them. They teach you what to believe but not what question.
  43. Epic hero
    • the archetypal hero is an every man, and ordinary guy living his ordinary life
    • suddenly, either by choice or chance, the archetypal hero is pulled out of his ordinary life or chooses to leave his life to launch into a great adventure. 
    • The archetypal hero journeys to a dark world where he meets forces or entities he must deal with
    • encounters a teacher who gives him instruction in new skills he needs to achieve his goal
    • becomes very aware of what his specific goals are
    • challenged to his limit, reaching a culminating experience, what campbell calls "the supreme ordeal."
    • gains his reward and is forever changed by the experience
    • gains new powers and sets off with them
    • eventually reconnects with his society and uses these new powers to restore his community in a good way.
  44. tragic hero
    • must be noble (in western literature) He must be noble in nature (in american literature)
    • must be doomed from the start and his decline inevitable
    • must suffer
    • his story must arouse fear and pity
    • must have free choice to some degree
    • his decline must result from a tragic flaw (this is usually, but not always hubris)
  45. romantic villain
    Is always characterized as the cold intellect. He is usually associated with cold colors or season. His heart and morality are cold and dead but his intellect is unusually keen, as a matter of fact, the protagonist has trouble because the romantic villain is always one step ahead of him/her. They are usually seeking revenge or trying to retain power. They will do so by first appearing publicly benevolent but their intention are always malevolent. They will frequently appear to be friends with the people they are seeking to against and they are eventually destroyed by their desire for revenge.
Author
Anonymous
ID
291608
Card Set
English symbol guide
Description
English
Updated