A Few Thoughts
- hey, this story is poetic! Maybe we should apply the ABOVE to that story!
- hey, there are resources online, maybe we should check them out!
- hey, he’s seen them all, maybe we should come up with our own great ideas and write them down in good English!
- hey, maybe we should REALLY focus on thinking about symbolic elements in this story - maybe more than just simple symbols
Larger Symbols -
- there are symbols that are easy - a cross, a sign, a dove, etc
- then, there are symbols that are extended or complex and have multiple facets or layers
- in The Boat, one could use the sea as a very big symbol that has more than just one obvious meaning - developing the idea of the sea is really unlocking a number of layers and showing the connectivity
- example - Hogwarts has a number of meanings that are layered in the story and fit a lot of different elements that Rowling was trying to build
Hogwarts -
- magic
- freedom from the Dursley’s house and the Muggle misery - emancipator
- indoctrination - being brought into some strange new world or group and being “brainwashed” or inducted in some ritualistic way - cult leader
- home away from home - real home
- family - his real family - Dumbledore = dad
- testing ground - Dumbledore - teacher, master, mentor
- adolescence - Dumbledore - model - target - destination
There are ways of looking at symbolism that really are layered into meanings that spin out into the theme overall - BIGGER ideas
Combine things (references, moments, characters, etc) into larger connections of meaning that give us theme
Incorporate this kind of thinking into you Boat work
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