2152

ESL 21a

Essay 1.2

756 words

There are some definitions of symbol. Symbol can be defined as something used for or regarded as representing something else; a material object representing something, often something immaterial; emblem, token, or sign. Symbol also can be defined as a letter, figure, or other character or mark or a combination of letters or the like used to designate something, for example: the algebraic symbol x, the chemical symbol Au, etc. Another definition of symbol is a word, phrase, image, or the like having a complex of associated meanings and perceived as having inherent value separable from that which is symbolized, as being part of that which is symbolized, and as performing its normal function of standing for or representing that which is symbolized: usually conceived as deriving its meaning chiefly from the structure in which it appears, and generally distinguished from a sign. The synonym of symbol is 'sign'. In cultural practice, symbols often take the form of words, visual images, or gestures that are used to convey ideas and beliefs. All human cultures use symbols to express the underlying structure of their social systems, to represent ideal cultural characteristics,Good! such as beauty, and to ensure that the culture is passed on to new generations. Symbolic relationships are learned rather than biologically or naturally determined, and each culture has its own symbols.

There are two types of symbol, metaphor and metonym. Metaphor is an idea that people use to stand for another set of ideas. For example, games are often used as a metaphor for life. Another type of symbol is metonym. Metonym is based on a substitution of one thing for another, but the symbol standing for something else is one of the several things that constitute the something else. For example, the monarch can be referred to as the head of state, and the crown or throne can be referred to as the seat of the government.

There are some of the different functions that symbol may serve in various arenas of everyday life. For example, the symbolism of food. Food can defines social unitsGood!, in some societies, the nuclear family is the unit that regularly eats together. Another example that food can define social units is the kind of meal and the kind of food that is served relate to the kinds of social links between people who are eating together. In many New Guinea societies, eating is a metaphor that is used to signify marriage. In this case, marriage is symbolized by the couple's eating together for the first time.

Arrangements of space also make important statements about social groupings and social relationship. For example, among the Nuchanulth of the pacific coast of Canada, each of the large plank houses in the winter villages in which they lived in the 19th century represented a social group. The floor plan of the house was a divided into space that were ranked. In a village in northeastern Thailand, space in a house is divided to symbolize not rank, but rules about marriage, the seeping room is the most sacred part of the house. The way in which people use social space can also reflect social relationship and ethnic identity.

An entire nation may be represented by an array of symbol. Individuals in positions of authority are associated with particular objects that become symbol of the office they hold. Sometimes the object is something the officeholder wears, such as crown, or imperial regalia, which the officeholder alone may put on. Sometimes the officeholder carries a staff, wand, umbrella, or fly whisk. In the definition of metonym, it pointed out how the crown or the throne could stand for the monarchy. A parallel is found in the term referring to the leader of an academic department at a college or university. The leader is referred to as either the chair or the head. Political symbol may trivial, but in reality, people will die rather than deny them or give them up. People's identity as members of a group is powerfully bound up with such symbols.

Symbol also used in religion. In the ancient Roman religion, an Olympian religion, Venus was both a goddess and a symbol of love. In the modern Christian church, bread and wine are symbolic of the body and blood of Christ.

In conclusion, there are a lot of different functions that symbols may serve in various arenas of everyday of life. We can say, the function of symbol is to help people to comprehend abstract ideas such as fear, hope, values, and goals.