A symbol is something which has meaning in itself but also stands for something more abstract. In the following poem, “Uphill,” uphill has a deeper meaning; it represents or symbolizes something else more abstract. As you read it, think of what uphill stands for.
Uphill
by Christina Rossetti
Does the road wind uphill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yes, beds for all who come.
“Superficially, ‘Uphill’ seems to be a conversation about the lodgings to be found at the end of a difficult trip. But if the poem is read carefully, it takes on a fuller meaning. Such aspects as the road and the uphill climb suggest further, deeper meanings. The road is more than a link between two places; it is the path all men take toward death. The road, as well as the other items noted in question 3 [listed below], is a symbol. A symbol may be an object, a person, an action, a situation--anything that suggests a meaning beyond its obvious meaning.
While some symbols suggest the same thing to most people (the heart is a universal symbol of love), others have different meanings for different people. What might a gun symbolize to a hunter? a thief? a soldier?
Characters in literature often have these personal symbols. You can recognize them by noting the objects, persons, or situations for which a character shows strong feelings. Watch for the repetition of an object or an action” (p. 566).
“Symbol.” Counterpoint in Literature. Robert C. Pooley, ed. Sacramento: California Department of Education, p. 565-566. 1969. Print.
1.What kind of “journey” is being discussed in the poem?
2.What is the theme of the poem?
3. What do the road, the uphill climb, the day, the night, the journey’s end, the inn, and the other wayfarers represent/symbolize?
4.Who do you think the speakers are?
In the following poem taken from p. 270 in Counterpoint in Literature, what is being symbolized?
The Day
by Theodore Spencer
The day was a year at first
When children ran in the garden;
The day shrank down to a month
When the boys played ball.
The day was a week thereafter
When the young men walked in the garden;
The day was itself a day
When love grew tall.
The day shrank down to an hour
When old men limped in the garden;
The day will last forever
When it is nothing at all.
Symbolism: a person, place, event, or object which has meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well.
Uphill
by Christina Rossetti
Does the road wind uphill all the way?
Yes, to the very end.
Will the day’s journey take the whole day?
From morn to night, my friend.
But is there for the night a resting place?
A roof for when the slow dark hours begin.
May not the darkness hide it from my face?
You cannot miss that inn.
Shall I meet other wayfarers at night?
Those who have gone before.
Then must I knock, or call when just in sight?
They will not keep you standing at that door.
Shall I find comfort, travel-sore and weak?
Of labour you shall find the sum.
Will there be beds for me and all who seek?
Yes, beds for all who come.
“Superficially, ‘Uphill’ seems to be a conversation about the lodgings to be found at the end of a difficult trip. But if the poem is read carefully, it takes on a fuller meaning. Such aspects as the road and the uphill climb suggest further, deeper meanings. The road is more than a link between two places; it is the path all men take toward death. The road, as well as the other items noted in question 3 [listed below], is a symbol. A symbol may be an object, a person, an action, a situation--anything that suggests a meaning beyond its obvious meaning.
While some symbols suggest the same thing to most people (the heart is a universal symbol of love), others have different meanings for different people. What might a gun symbolize to a hunter? a thief? a soldier?
Characters in literature often have these personal symbols. You can recognize them by noting the objects, persons, or situations for which a character shows strong feelings. Watch for the repetition of an object or an action” (p. 566).
“Symbol.” Counterpoint in Literature. Robert C. Pooley, ed. Sacramento: California Department of Education, p. 565-566. 1969. Print.
1.What kind of “journey” is being discussed in the poem?
2.What is the theme of the poem?
3. What do the road, the uphill climb, the day, the night, the journey’s end, the inn, and the other wayfarers represent/symbolize?
4.Who do you think the speakers are?
In the following poem taken from p. 270 in Counterpoint in Literature, what is being symbolized?
The Day
by Theodore Spencer
The day was a year at first
When children ran in the garden;
The day shrank down to a month
When the boys played ball.
The day was a week thereafter
When the young men walked in the garden;
The day was itself a day
When love grew tall.
The day shrank down to an hour
When old men limped in the garden;
The day will last forever
When it is nothing at all.
Symbolism: a person, place, event, or object which has meaning in itself but suggests other meanings as well.