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Unit 2: Texts and culture
Quick questions on Symbolism and motif (QCE English Unit 2)
9short Q&A pairs drawn directly from our worked dot-point answer. For full context and worked exam questions, read the parent dot-point page.
What is symbol?Show answer
An object, person, place, action or word that stands for an abstract idea beyond its literal meaning. Some symbols are conventional (the cross for Christianity, the dove for peace); others are constructed by the text itself (the green light in "The Great Gatsby").
What is motif?Show answer
A recurring image, phrase or pattern in a text. A motif may or may not be symbolic; what defines it is recurrence.
What is conventional symbols?Show answer
Drawn from cultural tradition. Reader brings the meaning to the text.
What is cultural symbols?Show answer
Specific to a culture or community. The lotus in Hindu and Buddhist traditions; the eucalypt in Australian writing.
What is contextual symbols?Show answer
Symbols whose meaning depends on context within the text or the time of writing. Hyacinths in 1922 Eliot may symbolise sensual lost youth; in a 1960s love poem, more general beauty.
What is textually constructed symbols?Show answer
Symbols built by the text itself through repetition, placement and accumulating association.
What is treating any image as symbolic?Show answer
A symbol carries abstract meaning; a vivid description may not.
What is single-meaning symbols?Show answer
Strong symbols usually carry layered meaning that develops across the text.
What is imposing conventional meanings ignoring textual context?Show answer
Roses are not always love; check what the text does with them.