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Color Symbolism in Literature: What Do Colors Mean in Literature and Poetry?
Color Symbolism in Literature: What Do Colors Mean in Literature and Poetry?
Colors have been used in stories since as early as the first story was told. Writers and poets use colors to create concrete images of their characters, scenes and events. Language itself uses a system of symbols, either verbal or written. Therefore, color symbolism in literature imparts a deeper meaning to the words which, in turn, help transform the written content into a more powerful instrument. However, writers and poets have the poetic license to use different colors in a manner that create different meanings in their work.
Let us study different colors and what they mean in different forms of literature across the world.
Color symbolism in fairy tales
The best places in literature to study color symbolism are the Fairy tales which used colors richly: examples include: As red as blood, as white as snow, as black as the crow etc-all of which evoke emotional responses and help develop a connection to the story.
The tale of Snow White is one of the best examples that depicts color symbolism: it uses Red, White and Black dominantly where White represents Heaven, Red represents spilling of blood and an enticing-yet-poisoned apple while Black shows regeneration.
Color symbolism in Gothic literature
Gothic Literature is known for its use of Red and Black as the symbolism associated with these colors really draw the readers in to evoke an emotional response while creating an atmosphere.
· Red color meaning in Gothic literature- According to a study published in 2004 by psychology majors in Alabama, red is a very dominant color which can have an exciting and stimulating effect. Based on circumstances, Gothic writers use it for drawing both positive and negative emotions. These include, typically, passion and warmth and aggression or intensity. Red is also the color of fire and blood and can symbolize energy, war, danger, strength, determination, passion, as well as love. Red is known to trigger and enhance appetite and metabolism, raise the rate of respiration and also increase blood pressure. It has high visibility and is used to symbolize danger.
· Black color meaning in Gothic literature– Black, on the other hand, is used in Gothic literature to symbolize evil, death, power, formality, elegance, mystery and fear. Black also has negative connotations especially in poetry, and when combined with red or orange can create a highly aggressive color scheme.
With these emotions attached to red and black, Gothic literature uses these as staple colors for literary needs.
Symbolism of green color in literature and poems
As per the 2004 color study, green in literature and poems is used for symbolizing both a ‘riveting’ and ‘relaxing’ effect. Green represents feelings of refreshment and is also associated with feelings of hope. Green (in poetry) is used for representing nature, harmony, freshness, fertility but also ambition, greed and jealousy.
Symbolism of the color yellow in literature
Yellow is associated with joy, happiness, intellect and energy. It is a stimulating color that represents honor, loyalty, and stimulates mental activity. It is also an unstable color associated with cowardice and mental illness. Avoid using this color if you want to portray stability and safety in your work.
Symbolism of blue color in literature
Blue color in literature is mainly used to draw a positive emotional response and is typically associated with the feeling of calmness, peace, happiness, relaxation, comfort. On the negative side, it may be used to represent depression, sadness and gloominess.
According to the color theory, writers and poets use Blue to depict trust, loyalty, wisdom, faith, confidence, truth and heaven.
Symbolism of the color pink
Pink, which is a shade of red, is used in literature to denote romance, love, friendship, possessiveness as well as feminine or girly qualities.
Other colors in literature
· White-Innocence, virginity, purity
· Purple-Royalty, wealth
· Orange-Fiery or lust
· Aqua-Coolness, water
· Brown-Poverty, earth
And finally, we leave you with a few examples to help you better understand color symbolism in poems and literature.
1. The devil with its fiery eyes emerged from the dark pit, its evil eyes and terrifying red horns enough to scare the living lights of the viewer. Naturally, you must have imagined a black devil with red horns and tongue, since red and black are often used to portray evil and negative characters.
2. I lay upon the crisp green grass and watched the white wispy clouds as they floated across the serene blue skies. This scene must have naturally brought images of summer, a beautiful meadow or grassy yard, and you were also probably left with a feeling of tranquility and peace.
As is evident, color symbolism in literature does not just serve as character information but is also a way of informing a reader about a scene without going into too many details. With basic understanding of what a color represents, a reader can even create a stronger bond with the characters for a richer reading experience.
-What prominent colors have we seen so far in our reading of The Great Gastby? (hint: think about the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg & the light at the end of Daisy’s dock). After reading this article what might these various colors symbolize in the text?
-If you were to write your autobiography using heavy color symbolism, what colors do you think would show up most often? Why?
-Did this article help you understand the ways that authors use colors symbolically in their writing? Explain why or why not.
ReplyDeleteThe prominent colors we have seen so far in our reading of “The Great Gatsby” are the blue eyes with the yellow glasses of Dr. Eckleburg and the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock. After reading this article I think that the various colors symbolizes that the blue means calmness, relaxation, and happiness, but on the negative side it means that it may represent depression, sadness, or gloomy. The yellow glasses symbolizes joy and energy. It stimulates honor, loyalty, and mental activity. The green light at the end of daisy’s dock represents feelings of refreshment and is also associated with feelings of hope. In poetry it’s used for representing nature, harmony, freshness, fertility but also ambition, greed and jealousy. Green also represents the future and vitality. Golden stands for richness, but also happy or prosperous: golden days, and golden age. Silver represents jewellery and richness.In The Great Gatsby the moon or moonlight or the stars are often silver: "the silver pepper of the stars" on page 25. "The moon had risen higher, and floating in the Sound was a triangle of silver scales" on page 45.
If i were to write my own autobiography using heavy color symbolize the colors i would use are purple for loyalty and royalty, red for love and joy, blue for moody and depressed, green for hope and jealousy, gold for happy and successful and white for goodness, and innocence.The colors that I think would show out most often are purple, red, green, and blue.
This article did help me understand the ways the authors use colors symbolically in their writing. That is, because it explains the way the characters are feeling and the mood of the book. It also explains the theme of the story, it makes it easier to understand.
you did a good job on explaining how you would use all these colors to describe your self and looks like you understood the article very well.
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ReplyDeleteThe color we have seen in the great gatsby are blue from the eyes of T.J eckleburg's billboard. And white from all the things daisy wears when she is going to go to Nick for the tea ,but really meeting Gatsby. And we seen silver and gold from Gatsby when he went to Nick’s house for Daisy. We have seen a lot of different colors when Daisy see all of Gatsby’s shirts.Thats most of all I can get off the top of my head.I think the blue represents calmness and peace. I think all the white represents innocence and purity since Daisy is a good person who just wants her daughter and she will be satisfied. She is good person who just wants to live a life with no trouble. If I were to write my own life story there would be a lot of red and black and maybe some blue here and there. Since it is mostly what I wear right now. Red symbolizes of color of passion and love. It doesn’t always have to be about anger but it could be. When I was younger I was very shy and didn’t really interact with other people. That's why there would be a lot of blue in that part of my life. But there is still some blue today. There are things in my life that are depressing and blue is on of the main colors in my life right now.But blue can also represent calmness and comfort ,which I have in my life as well which counter balances with all of the negative blue. Red is the color of passion. Love is a huge part of life right now and right now I love someone so there that. Black is mysterious like you really don’t know the person until you talk with them. Thais kind of how I am. I keep a small group of friends who really know me. I believe it is better to have a small group of friends who really know you than a large group of people that barely know you.I believe that this article did help me understand since I really didn’t get the use of colors I just thought the authors put the colors there to show how a character looks like.
I noticed some of the same colors you did. I saw the blue, silver and gold. I am glad you pointed other colors out that I did not see at first like the white for innocence and purity for Daisy.
DeleteGood job buddy keep up the good work
DeleteWhile reading "The Great Gatsby" we have seen many prominent colors. One color I have noticed was the color green that Nick saw at the end of the dock. The green represents a relaxing affect. Another color I have noticed is pink. Pink represents Gatsby's feelings towards Daisy. Another color I noticed was blue from the Doc's color of his eyes. The blue represents happiness and a relaxed feeling. It also can represent sadness and depression. Another color that represents "the Great Gatsby" is the color Silver. It shows jewels and money in being rich.
ReplyDeleteIn my own autobiography there will be a few different colors. One would be blue for trust, loyalty, and wisdom. Another color would be silver for being rich. The other colors would be yellow for happiness, green for relaxing and hope, and purple for wealth. The most common colors you will see in my autobiography would be blue and green.
This article did help me understand why authors use colors symbolically in their writing. It helps me have a better understanding while reading their book. I know now that the colors have a meaning and not just a color. It gives you a bigger picture than just the color.
The colors in the article helps to understand more about the image and the mood of the story, so this article definitely helped
Deleteblog 19
ReplyDeletethe color symbolism i see in the great gatsby is black, everyone is very against one another. they all seem to have a lot of problems drama wise and on their own. if i was to write my own auto biography using color symbolism, i would pick bright colors, like yellow, purple, pink, pretty colors. colors that represent happiness and bubbly. i am i very bubbly person and i’m always happy, and purple i am very loyal to my family, friends etc. i think the color purple would show up the most. i think purple would show the most because it is my favorite color, and again it shows loyalty. i am always there for everyone even if they have done me dirty. i came to realize that being the bigger person is the better thing to do. so i just always stick up for people, always stay true to them and be myself. this article didn’t really explain to me jos the colors are used, i think it needed alittle bit more explanation in it. but i do like that article.
you dont stick up for me. that is not always true.
Delete-What prominent colors have we seen so far in our reading of The Great Gastby? (hint: think about the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg & the light at the end of Daisy’s dock). After reading this article what might these various colors symbolize in the text?
ReplyDeleteThe color we have seen in the great gatsby are all white from dasiy, the blue from the eyes of T.J eckleburg's billboard, we seen silver and gold from Gatsby when he went to Nick’s house for Daisy, also when daisy was looking at gastbys shirts all the bright vibrant. I think the white represent pure and loving, natural , looking for love. I think the colors, bright colors like gastbys shirts represent money, more silver and gold represent money also.
-If you were to write your autobiography using heavy color symbolism, what colors do you think would show up most often? Why?
I think for me it would be a lighter blue and pink for love and calm, i want to say semi brown because most of my life has been a struggle with money.
-Did this article help you understand the ways that authors use colors symbolically in their writing? Explain why or why not.
Yes because bright colors or gold or all black or silver can represent wealth or money.
Anthony I think you really did a good job. And I think That you should really write more since you are a great writer. your responses are really great by the way
DeleteGood job Aj colors describe a lot of personality
DeleteThe prominent color I’ve seen so far in the reading is white, gold, blue, grey, green, and black. If I’m writing a autobiography, I would probably use black and gold most often. I would use them because of a lot of stuff. The color black associates with power, elegance, formality, death, evil, and mystery. The color white associates with goodness, innocence, purity. It’s mostly about perfection and usually about positive connotation. This article helps me in a way to understand how authors use colors symbolically in their writing. Most authors use color to describe things and the mood of things. Colors helps create your image and how you consider it to be.The first question said to think about the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg & the light at the end of Daisy dock, because the light at Daisy’s dock helps Gatsby to remember of Daisy and the moments they share.
ReplyDeleteThe colors we have seen from the book the great gatsby is like the big blue eyes from Dr. Eckleburg billboard and how we see daisy dress in a white dress when she goes to nicks and gatsby wear like gold and silver. Blue means calm and relaxation. White means purity, virginity and innocence and daisy was wearing white. Gold and silver mean like wealthy and lavish and gatsby is wearing that because he wants to show off his wealth. If i were to make a autobiography about myself you will see a lot blue because of calmness, peace, and happiness also yellow because it represents joy, happiness, and energy also a little bit of green because of nature and ambition and a little bit of greed. Also aqua because of the water. Yes now i know why authors try to use as much color in their literature because the colors they put in their work it can represent a lot.
ReplyDeleteAustin Macclemmy
ReplyDeleteIn the book the great gatsby the colors represent certain things. In the book there was a color brown which was Mr.Eckleburg. Brown menas poverty and earth. He was not a greatly wealthy man but he was an eye doctor. Then on the end of daisy's dock there was a green light. It was on a pole across the river from gatsby. Green represents hope. It tells Gatsby to always have hope that he will get daisy back. Maybe not exactly like 5 years ago like he wants but as his girlfriend or wife. When gatsby wore a suit he had gold silver and black. That shows wealth power and strength. He wanted to show that he have lots of money.
If i wrote autobiography the colors that would show up alot would be red, green, and black. Those colors would come in a bunch of times because im very adventurous. I like to explore the woods and new places. I might like the woods and adventures but when sports come in to play i am in a dark place. I am focused and am not easy to get hurt. I am in a dark hard place.
Yes the article helped. May colors have different meaning and it helped me understand the right color to the right meaning.
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ReplyDeleteIn The Great Gatsby we’ve seen colors like White, silver, and gold. Even purples too which were the color of TJ eckleburg's eyes at the end of the dock. The White, Silver, and Gold was the combination of Jay Gatsby’s suit. It really embraced the wealthiness of himself so he can be presentable to Daisy. The purplish color was used to be a resemblance of royalty since it was a unique/rare color. Which gave a special part of symbolism in the text. If I wrote an autobiography, the colors that would show up in mine the most would be blue, red, white, and gray. I chose those colors for different reasons. I think blue has a chill feeling that goes along with it and can represent a calm person. Blue can put used as a hot day on a beach with bright blue water. Or even on a nice sunny day with no clouds in sight. Red has a very powering effect on people depending on how its used. If I were to use it i’d use it as an anger type of symbolism. And use it as a symbol to represent me when I'm pissed off at times. White and gray were chosen because i feel those are colors that can represent fresh and not overpowering. Can be put into peoples outfits and make them look fresh but subtle. I think the Great Gatsby changed my view on author symbolism a lot. I never understood why or even how the authors would include certain types of colors in the books to show different types of symbolism. Now I understand how and why they can do it. Doing so adds a different aspect to the story because it makes you think and realize how colors can be used in so many different ways, especially in symbolism.
ReplyDeleteIn the book we have read about rich people. The color i see when i read about that is gold. The color gold is like a darker shade of yellow. The eyes of Eckleburg are yellow and rich people i see as gold. Gold shows that you have wealth in your family. If i were to write an autobiography the color that would show up a lot would be black and white. White because i would want to stay neutral between a bunch of scenarios. The color black because i really dont care about others just myself.
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