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Symbolism Worksheet

Miles feels sick after stealing money and washes his hands repeatedly in the sink. He is anxious someone will discover his crime. The water could symbolize cleansing or washing away guilt. The stray black cat at the door startles Miles but turns out to be nothing, representing his paranoid state of mind. Sandra and Marco argue loudly in their kitchen. Sandra ignores Marco and prepares tea as the tea kettle whistles, potentially symbolizing the boiling point of their argument. "Laundry" and references to the oven could symbolize domestic duties as a source of tension between the couple. Margot happily plants flowers while holding her pregnant belly and feeling the warm sunshine. The flowers could symbolize
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75% found this document useful (4 votes)
6K views6 pages

Symbolism Worksheet

Miles feels sick after stealing money and washes his hands repeatedly in the sink. He is anxious someone will discover his crime. The water could symbolize cleansing or washing away guilt. The stray black cat at the door startles Miles but turns out to be nothing, representing his paranoid state of mind. Sandra and Marco argue loudly in their kitchen. Sandra ignores Marco and prepares tea as the tea kettle whistles, potentially symbolizing the boiling point of their argument. "Laundry" and references to the oven could symbolize domestic duties as a source of tension between the couple. Margot happily plants flowers while holding her pregnant belly and feeling the warm sunshine. The flowers could symbolize
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Symbolism Worksheet #1

Directions: Read each paragraph. Answer the questions in complete sentences. Make sure to use your
notes and knowledge of symbolism to help you.

Miles felt sick. He couldn’t believe he had gotten away with it. Adrenaline rushed through his veins.
He had successfully stolen the money. He went to the sink to try and settle himself. He turned on the
water and poured soap on his hands. He scrubbed and scrubbed them. Was that someone at the door?
He whipped around. No, it was just a stray black cat. He returned back to washing his hands. How
long, he wondered, would it be before someone discovered that he had taken $3.4 Million?
1. Why is Miles washing his hands?
2. What could the water symbolize in this story?
3. How do the clues from the story help you arrive at these answers?

Sandra set the tea kettle on the stove and waited for the water to boil. “Honestly, Marco, I think you’re
overreacting.” “Quiet!” Marco yelled. “Just be quiet! I am so tired of your excuses!”
Sandra turned up the heat on the stove and sighed. “I am not making excuses, but seriously, you have
no idea what it’s like to be home all day and to be expected to your bidding.”
Marco slammed his hand on the counter. “It’s not like it’s hard! I am asking for one load of laundry
and you can’t even do that.” Sandra ignored him and took down a mug from the cabinet.
“That’s it!” He screeched as the tea pot whistled and boiled. “I am out of here!”
4. What could the tea pot symbolize in this story?
5. How do the clues from the story help you arrive at these answers?
6. What could “laundry” and the “oven” symbolize?

The soil was warm and damp. Margot loved working in the dirt and planting her seeds for spring.
Marigolds, daffodils, violets. She went through the list of flowers in her mind. She couldn’t wait for
these flowers to bloom in April. She looked down at her belly and smiled. Joy filled her heart and the
sweet sunshine bore down on her.
7. What could the flowers symbolize in this story?
8. What could the sunshine symbolize?
9. How do the clues from the story help you arrive at these answers?

Xander needed to study. His final exams were tomorrow and he had yet to even open a book. He
looked at his Chemistry textbook, taunting him from his pristine desk. The clock struck midnight. The
sound rang in Xander’s ears. He cringed, took a deep breath, and sighed. He stared at his books as
the stress filled up his chest. If he didn’t pass this exam, he was going to be in summer school and his
mom would be furious. The books stayed on his desk, glaring at him. He glared back. Forget it, he
thought. It was pointless anyway. He threw a shirt over the clock, stood up, and slammed the door
shut. The books sat on his desk, waiting for his return.
10. What do the books symbolize?
11. What could the clock symbolize in this instance?
12. How do the clues from the story help you arrive at these answers?
The dark limousine cut through the thick dark fog and pulled up to the cemetery. Four people dressed
in black emerged, all of them with their eyes downcast. The heavy clouds released their deluge. Fat
rain droplets landed on the fabric of their heavy mourning garb. Even as the rain increased in
intensity, the people did not run to escape it. The water continued to drench them.
13. What does the rain symbolize?
14. How do the clues from the story help you arrive at this answer?

The wind rattled the windows and the snow piled up beside the house. Sara looked at the window and
watched the heavy flakes fall to the ground.
“This is going to be great, Mom.” Jamie said.
Sara looked away from the window at her daughter, who was organizing her DVDs into a cardboard
box. “This move is going to change everything.” She said. “It’s going to be a fresh start for me!”
Sara smiled a small smile and glanced back out the window. The thick white blanket of snow covered
everything completely. It hid all of the ugliness of their impoverished neighborhood and left only a
winter wonderland.
“I really hope so, honey,” She said.
Jamie flashed a wide grin. “I just know it will, mom. It has to be. I’ll be able to leave all of the ugliness
in my life and begin again.”

15. What could the snow symbolize?


16. What clues from the story help you arrive at this answer?

Symbolism Worksheet #2
Color Symbolism
Directions: Read each literary quote. Explain the color symbolism as it applies to each quote. Remember, a
color doesn’t always represent the same thing. It should represent something abstract.
1. "He said the pleasantest manner of spending a hot July day was lying from morning till evening on a
bank of heath in the middle of the moors, with the bees humming dreamily about among the bloom,
and the larks singing high up overhead, and the blue sky and bright sun shining steadily and
cloudlessly." --Emily Brontë, Wuthering Heights

What does the color “blue” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.

2. “There are moments when Nature reveals the passion hidden beneath the careless calm of her ordinary
moods--violent spring flashing white on almond-blossom through the purple clouds; a snowy, moonlit
peak, with its single star, soaring up to the passionate blue; or against the flames of sunset, an old yew-
tree standing dark guardian of some fiery secret.”—John Galsworthy, The Forsyte Saga

What does the color “purple” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.
Why does the author contrast purple and white? What does this contrast symbolize?

3. “Again the Ghost sped on, above the black and heaving sea -- on, on -- until, being far away, as he told
Scrooge, from any shore, they lighted on a ship. They stood beside the helmsman at the wheel, the look-
out in the bow, the officers who had the watch; dark, ghostly figures in their several stations; but every
man among them hummed a Christmas tune, or had a Christmas thought, or spoke below his breath to
his companion of some bygone Christmas Day, with homeward hopes belonging to it. And every man on
board, waking or sleeping, good or bad, had had a kinder word for another on that day than on any day
in the year; and had shared to some extent in its festivities; and had remembered those he cared for at a
distance, and had known that they delighted to remember him.”—Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol

What does the color “black” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.

4. “It was already one in the morning; the rain pattered dismally against the panes, and my candle was
nearly burnt out, when, by the glimmer of the half-extinguished light, I saw the dull yellow eye of the
creature open.”
--Mary Shelley, Frankenstein

What does the color “yellow” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.

5. “Going green doesn’t start with doing green acts — it starts with a shift in consciousness. This shift
allows you to recognize that with every choice you make, you are voting either for or against the kind of
world you wish to see. When you assume this as a way of being, your choices become easier. Using a
reusable water bottle, recycling and making conscious daily consumer choices are just a few…” -- Ian
Somerhalder

What does the color “green” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.

6. “In old days there were angels who came and took men by the hand and led them away from the city of
destruction. We see no white-winged angels now. But yet men are led away from threatening
destruction: a hand is put into theirs, which leads them forth gently towards a calm and bright land, so
that they look no more backward; and the hand may be a little child's.” –George Eliot, Silas Mariner

What does the color “white” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.

7. “Of all the ruinous and desolate places my uncle had ever beheld, this was the most so. It looked as if it
had once been a large house of entertainment; but the roof had fallen in, in many places, and the stairs
were steep, rugged, and broken. There was a huge fire-place in the room into which they walked, and
the chimney was blackened with smoke; but no warm blaze lighted it up now. The white feathery dust of
burnt wood was still strewed over the hearth, but the stove was cold, and all was dark and gloomy. “ –
Charles Dickens, The Pickwick Papers

What does the color “white” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.

8. “Be not her maid, since she is envious; Her vestal livery is but sick and green, And none but fools do
wear it; cast it off.” –William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet
What does the color “green” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.
9. “We were always skating on thin ice, Shaking the wrong dice, Swimming against the tide, Playing on the
wrong side, Yes you were the player, and you were so cool, I was the greenhorn, King of the fools,
Painting the picture, to fit with the frame” –Keith Reid

What does the color “green” symbolize in this context? Write at least one sentence as explanation.
10. “‘An orange day, a happy day, a brand-new day in the secret language that only the three of us seemed
to understand.
‘Mmmmm,’ Daddy said, taking a bite of his roll. ‘Orange wakes you up, but cinnamon makes you
remember.’”
--Judith M. Fertig, The Cake Therapist

What does the color “orange” symbolize in this context?

Symbolism Worksheet #3
Character Symbolism
Directions: Read each of Aesop’s fables. Answer the questions regarding character symbolism. Expand your
mind and remember story context.
Story A: The Turtle and the Rabbit

Once, the rabbit was bragging about how much faster he was than any other animal. “It’s impossible to
beat me. I dare you all to try!”
The turtle quietly said, “I’d like to try.”
The rabbit laughed so hard he fell over. “What a joke! I could run circles around you all day.”
“You’re bragging an awful lot. We can race and see who will win.”
The other animals drew a course for the rabbit and the turtle to run. At the start of the race, the rabbit
ran out of sight. The turtle slowly plodded along, keeping up a steady pace.
The rabbit stopped right before the finish. “I am so far ahead, I could take a nap and still beat that slow-
poke!” and so he did just that.
The turtle slowly but surely caught up to where the rabbit was sleeping. He passed him quietly and
crossed the line.
The other animals cheered at the win of the turtle, awakening the rabbit. “You beat me!” He said,
shocked.
“Slow and steady win the race,” said the turtle.

1. What does the turtle symbolize? (Do not say “Slowness”. Think bigger. It should be an abstract noun). Make
sure to explain your answer with ONE sentence.
2. What does the rabbit symbolize? (Do not say “Speed” or “Fast” or “Quickness”. Think bigger. It should be an
abstract noun). Make sure to explain your answer with ONE sentence.

Example B: The Ant and the Grasshopper

During the heat of the summer, a grasshopper frolicked in the joy of the season. “What fun,
what fun!” He shouted. An ant passed by him, slowly carrying a heavy apple that he was taking to the
nest. The grasshopper watched the ant. “Poor boy.” The grasshopper thought. “I will cheer him up!”
The grasshopper jumped in front of the ant, effectively blocking his way. “Hello, there, friend.”
The grasshopper said. “Why not stop the work and take a break with me.”
The ant shook his head. “It will soon be winter, and we need to store food to help us through.”
The ant slowly moved around the grasshopper.
“You should not worry so much!” The grasshopper said, standing again in the way of the ant.
“We have plenty of food!”
The ant sadly shook his head and continued on his way.
“What a buzzkill!” The grasshopper said, and leapt about, singing his song.
Winter came with a vengeance that year. The ant was warm and fed. When he emerged in the
spring, he was sad, but not surprised, to learn that his friend the grasshopper had frozen to death.

3. What does the grasshopper symbolize? (Do not say “Friendliness” or “ a bug”. Think bigger. It
should be an abstract noun). Make sure to explain your answer with ONE sentence.
4. What does the ant symbolize? (Your answer should be an abstract noun. Be sure to explain your
answer with ONE sentence.)

Example C: A Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing

A very hungry wolf desperately wanted to get at the sheep of a farmer. He was starving and
they seemed to be very easy prey. There was only one problem: The sheep dogs. All day the wolf would
prowl about and beg the powers that be for a chance to get at the sheep. One day, his desires were
answered: a discarded sheep skin lay in the forest.
“Here’s my chance!” The wolf thought. He wriggled into the sheep skin and ran off to the farm.
The sheep accepted the wolf as their own and slowly he picked the sheep off one by one,
enjoying the hearty meals they made. He was not hungry again for the rest of his days.

5. What does the wolf symbolize in today’s society? Make sure to explain your answer with ONE sentence.
6. What do the sheep symbolize in today’s society? Make sure to explain your answer with ONE sentence.
Example D:
One day, a mouse came upon a sleeping lion. She was so afraid that when she turned and ran away, she
ruffled the leaves nearby and awakened the beast. The lion sat up and caught the mouse. He was furious that he
had been disturbed.
“Give me one reason why I shouldn’t eat you!” roared the creature.
“Spare me, mighty and merciful lion!” cried the mouse in fear.
“Why would I do that?” asked the lion. “You’ll make a mighty fine snack!”
“One day, I swear on my life that I will repay you,” She answered with tears in her eyes.
The lion laughed. “You? Help me in some way? What an imagination you have.” He raised the mouse to
his lips, but on second thought, decided to let her go.
A few days later, the lion prowled the forest when suddenly he was ensnared in a hunters net. He roared
in fear and anger, terrified of what would happen to him and furious that he had been so easily caught.
A ways away, the little mouse heard the lion’s roars. “Here is my chance to repay this debt!” she
thought. She ran in the direction of the roars.
“Lion, lion!” She said, seeing the poor beast struggling. “How can I help?”
The lion shook his head. “I am trapped! Get me out!”
The mouse chewed throw the rope and set the lion free.

7. What does the lion symbolize in this story? (HINT: It isn’t strength or brutality or fear.) Make sure to explain
your answer with ONE sentence.
8. What does the mouse symbolize in this story? Make sure to explain your answer in ONE sentence.
Example E:
One spring morning, a lovely heron walked along a river. There were many fish and the heron decided
he wanted only the best one.
“I shall have the biggest fish in the river,” he said.
Fish after fish swam by, each one fatter than the next, and still the heron said, “There is bigger.” Alas,
no fish was found and it was soon night time. The heron went to bed without eating anything.

9. What does the heron symbolize in today’s society? Make sure to explain your answer with ONE sentence.

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