Novels and poetry often have a variety of symbols and motifs throughout that students can identify and analyze. Symbolism is when an object or situation is more than it appears on the surface. The author is using it to represent something deeper and more meaningful. Motifs are a technique employed by the author whereby they repeat a certain element more than once throughout the course of the story. This element has symbolic significance and is meant to draw the reader's attention and illuminate a deeper meaning to the story as it is repeated. Any literary elements can be conveyed through characters, setting, dialogue, plot, or a combination.
In this activity, students will identify symbols and motifs in The Poet X and illustrate examples from the text. Students can explore by identifying these elements themselves or in an “envelope activity”, where they are given one or more element to track throughout their reading. Then, they'll create a spider map illustrating what they found! Teachers may ask students to illustrate multiple examples of a single theme, symbol, or motif, or illustrate one example for each.
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Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies recurring symbols, or motifs found in the story. Illustrate each and write a short description below each cell.
Student Instructions:
Assist students in their understanding of symbols by leading a full class discussion on the topic. Discuss a popular symbol such as Xiomara's notebook or Mami's scarred knuckles. Explain the literal meaning (what it really is) and the figurative meaning (what it represents.)
Students will often need scaffolding as they find and analyze symbols. Help them to use the context of setting, characters, and dialogue to make meaning of the symbols.
Lead students in the creation of a spider map so that they can find specific examples from the text and match them to illustrations that analyze symbols and motifs more fully.
Students can analyze the elements of plot, characterization, dialogue, etc. in order to understand the meaning behind a symbol. A symbol is an object that is more than just what meets the eye, and finding symbols requires students to look at a variety of elements in the story to find the deeper meaning.
A symbol is an object that represents something beyond itself, while a motif is the repetition of a symbol multiple times in a text. They both show the deeper meaning of an object as it relates to the plot line and especially the theme.
Authors like to dig deep to make meaning with their words. By utilizing symbols, they ask the reader to buy into analyzing and thinking more deeply about the story, the characters and their motivations, and the theme.