BLOG #3: SYMBOLISM – PART 1 – SYMBOLISM COMBINED WITH ALLUSIONS

Hello Everyone,

My focus in this blog is the power of symbolism combined with allusions. Symbolism is a powerful way for poets to build layers of meaning into their poems, particularly when the symbol alludes to something such as a historical event, a belief or ideology, a sacred ritual, or literary text. When combined with an allusion, the power of the symbol is imbued with the themes, messages, emotions and ideas of the original. It guides the reader to explore the ways in which the symbol captures the connection between their chosen symbol and the original, succinctly adding greater power and depth of meaning.

Allusions can be playful such as the allusion to the psychedelic sixties in my poem, ‘Destination Unknown’ which captures all the chaos and social upheaval of the times and the sense that, at the end of it all, we didn’t really know where society would end up! The allusion is captured through the symbolism of colourful psychedelic patterns and the language of the time, combined with the word ‘magic,’ subtly reminding the reader of the symbol of the 1960’s drug culture, magic mushrooms. In ‘If I had a Little Red Soft Top, there is an allusion to ‘the smashed-avo-types’ who like to be seen dining al fresco in Rundle Street. This satirically turns the fad of smashed avocado into a humorous symbol of the fit, fabulous and upwardly mobile who frequent city cafés.

Other symbols can be disturbing such as the aftermath of a tragic pile-up on the highway symbolized as ‘piles of absent bodies that [are] seared into your mind.’ This alludes to the horror of the millions of Jews who were piled into mass graves after being gassed, images of a time in our history that will forever haunt us. In ‘River of Jealousy,’ the River Nile is used as a symbol of an endless and stinking flow of jealousy that taints everyone with whom it comes into contact. By alluding to the biblical story of Pharaoh, struggling to hold onto his slaves despite the suffering it wrought upon his people, the vile repercussions of jealousy are taken to a depth that includes the realisation that the pain and ugliness is self-inflicted and that there is only one way out of it. This contrasts with Pharaoh who wouldn’t accept God’s will for his people to be unshackled and led his forces against the people of Israel, only to be vanquished. Through connecting the speaker’s jealousy to Pharaoh’s situation, an inference can be made about finding a way out of such a disastrous and destructive situation, by making a different choice.

Literary allusions can also help the poet to convey far more than the symbolic objects, emotions, or events could provide alone. For example, in ‘The Art of Creation,’ to connect the way we may feel at times to the storm in Lear, is to indirectly demonstrate the confusion raging in our minds with overtones of egoism, jealousy and capriciousness. The delightful act of making daisy chains becomes a symbol of impending madness when combined with an allusion to Ophelia. By alluding to Frost’s ‘road less travelled’ in combination with the symbolism alluding to Adam and Eve eating the forbidden fruit, our choices attain a menacing connotation and demonstrate that some choices do ‘[make] all the difference,’ but not in the way we may desire and the way that God had planned for us. ‘The Promising Young Poet’ also makes allusions to Keats, Coleridge and Shakespeare for humorous effect as the speaker (the mother of the young poet) mocks her son’s overblown ambitions and tries to get him to face the reality of his real responsibilities, rather than wasting his days dreaming of a fanciful ambition.

These are just a few examples of the way a combination of symbolism and allusion can create multiple subtexts and magnify the effect of the poetic device on the reader by linking it to the themes, messages, emotional force and tone of other familiar texts. In this way, a poem joins our rich literary tradition, building connections between past and present which act as a firm foundation for the transference of ideas and the encouragement of deep thought.

My very best wishes,

Julie