The Cobweb | Style

Symbol
Symbols are things or actions that suggest or stand for something else. The “something else” is often a range of interrelated attitudes, emotions, or ideas. Symbols can also be private or public. Public symbols have a range of associations accessible to many readers. Most Western readers understand, for example, that a rose can signify love, lust, passion, and beauty. Private symbols are often peculiar to a particular writer and so are not as accessible, especially for readers unfamiliar with that writer’s work. Carver’s spider web and the sea are public...

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