Definition and Examples of Symbolism in Rhetoric

Definition and Examples of Symbolism in Rhetoric Symbolism  (pronounced SIM-buh-liz-em)  is the use of one object or action (a symbol) to represent or suggest something else. German writer  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe famously defined true symbolism as that in which the particular represents the general. Broadly, the term symbolism may refer to the symbolic meaning or the practice of investing things with a symbolic meaning. Though often associated with religion and literature, symbolism is prevalent in everyday life. The use of  symbolism  and language, says Leonard Shengold, makes our minds flexible enough to grasp, master, and communicate thoughts and feelings (Delusions of Everyday Life, 1995). In Dictionary of Word Origins (1990), John Ayto points out that etymologically a  symbol  is something thrown together. The words ultimate source is Greek  sumballein  . . .. The notion of throwing or putting things together led on to the notion of contrast, and so  sumballein  came to be used for compare. From it was derived  sumbolon, which denoted an identifying token- because such tokens were compared with a counterpart to make sure they were genuineand hence an outward sign of something. Examples and Observations [T]he symbolic elements in life have a tendency to run wild, like the vegetation in a tropical forest. The life of humanity can easily be overwhelmed by its symbolic accessories. . . . Symbolism is no mere idle fancy or corrupt degeneration; it is inherent in the very texture of human life. Language itself is a symbolism.(Alfred North Whitehead, Symbolism: Its Meaning and Effect. Barbour-Page Lectures, 1927) The Rose as a Symbol Pick the rose. It used to symbolise the Virgin Mary and, before her, Venus, the pricking of its barbs being likened to the wounds of love. The association still survives in the common meaning of a bunch of roses (I love you). Flowers might be delicate and short-lived but they have acquired a vast range of unpredictably durable meanings, a whole bouquet of significances: affection, virtue, chastity, wantonness, religious steadfastness, transience. The modern multiplication of floral emblems and trademarks has, however, taken its toll. When the red rose can stand for the Labour Party, a box of chocolates and Blackburn Rovers FC, it seems fair to say that its symbolic potency has been somewhat diluted by over-use. (Andrew Graham-Dixon, Say It With Flowers. The Independent, September 1, 1992)The rose . . . has collected around itself many layers of meanings, some of which contradict or challenge each other. As associated with the Virgin Mary, the rose symbolizes chastity and purity, whil e as associated with sexuality in medieval romance literature, it symbolizes carnality and sexual bliss, its tightly furled bud a favorite symbol of female virginity, its full-blown blossom a symbol of sexual passion.Multiple meanings may jostle for dominance around a symbol, or, in contrast, a symbol may over time, come to possess a single, fixed sense. Symbols, therefore, can enrich language by bringing it an array of different possible meanings, or they can reinforce a single meaning, as with images that constantly dehumanize. (Erin Steuter and Deborah Wills, At War With Metaphor: Media, Propaganda, and Racism in the War on Terror. Lexington Books, 2008) Jung on the Range of Potential Symbols The history of symbolism shows that everything can assume symbolic significance: natural objects (like stones, plants, animals, men, mountains and valleys, sun and moon, wind, water, and fire), or man-made things (like houses, boats, or cars), or even abstract forms (like numbers, or the triangle, the square, and the circle). In fact, the whole cosmos is a potential symbol. (Carl Gustav Jung, Man and His Symbols, 1964) Real and Symbolic Suns Once when I was analyzing the symbolism of sun and moon in Coleridges poem, The Ancient Mariner, a student raised this objection: Im tired of hearing about the symbolic sun in poems, I want a poem that has the real sun in it.Answer: If anybody ever turns up with a poem that has the real sun in it, youd better be about ninety-three million miles away. We were having a hot summer as it was and I certainly didnt want anyone bringing the real sun into the classroom.True, a distinction could be made here corresponding to the difference between concept and idea in the Kantian terminology. The notion of sun qua sun, as the sheerly physical object that we grow our crops by, would be a concept. And the notion of the sun as avenger . . . would carry us into the realm of ideas. The student was correct in feeling that a stress upon symbolism can blunt our concern with the sheerly literal meaning of a term (as when critics become so involved with the symbolism of a story that they ignore its natu re simply as a story). (Kenneth Burke, The Rhetoric of Religion: Studies in Logology. University of California Press, 1970) The Symbolism of the Filibuster The filibuster has at times symbolized, justifiably or not, the courageous stand of principled individuals against a corrupt or compromised majority. That symbolism was captured in Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, the classic Frank Capra film in which James Stewart plays a naà ¯ve newcomer who holds the Senate hostage for longer even than Strom Thurmond did, before collapsing in fatigue and triumph. (Scott Shane, Henry Clay Hated It. So Does Bill Frist. The New York Times, November  21, 2004) The Symbolism of Book-Burning As an act of wanton barbarism, there is little to rival the symbolism of setting fire to a book. It is, therefore, genuinely shocking to learn that book-burning is taking place in south Wales. Pensioners in Swansea are reportedly buying books from charity shops for just a few pence each and taking them home for fuel. (Leo Hickman, Why Are They Burning Books in South Wales? The Guardian, January  6, 2010) The Dumber Side of Symbolism Butt-head: Look, this video has symbols. Huh-huh-huh.Beavis: Yeah, is that what it means when they say videos have symbolism?Butt-head: Huh-huh-huh. You said ism. Huh-huh-huh-ha-huh.(Customers Suck. Beavis and Butt-Head, 1993)