7820764354 | Red | Immoral; blood, passion, emotion, danger, or daring; often associated with fire | 0 | |
7820796290 | Black | Seen as a cold and negative aspect suggesting passivity, death, ignorance, or evil; black hens are used in witchcraft as are black cats | 1 | |
7820801189 | Green | Inexperience, hope; new life, immaturity; it is a comforting, refreshing human color; it is the color of plant life | 2 | |
7820801190 | Yellow | Rotting, heat, decay, violence, decrepitude, old age, and the approach of death; bright; happiness | 3 | |
7820807932 | Blue | Cool, calm, peaceful; an insubstantial color in the real world except as translucency, the void of heavens | 4 | |
7820810400 | Pink | Innocence, femininity | 5 | |
7820813843 | Purple | Royalty, bruising or pain | 6 | |
7820817174 | Brown | A color somewhere between russet and black; it is the color of earth and ploughed land and soil, it represents humility and poverty | 7 | |
7820820014 | Orange | The emblem of divine love or extreme lust; vibrancy, life | 8 | |
7820823654 | Violet | Composed of red and blue, it is the color of temperance, clarity of mind; (shyness, pettiness) | 9 | |
7820827412 | White | Innocence, life, light, purity, or enlightenment | 10 | |
7820854079 | Spring | Birth, new beginning | 11 | |
7820857179 | Summer | Maturity, knowledge | 12 | |
7820859577 | Autumn | Decline, nearing death, growing old | 13 | |
7820861619 | Winter | Death, sleep | 14 | |
7820864063 | Christmas season | Birth change for the better | 15 | |
7820866799 | Easter season | Rebirth, enlightenment, faith | 16 | |
7820869685 | Light | Truth, safety, warmth, knowledge, spirit, God, life, and happiness | 17 | |
7820876357 | Darkness | evil, ignorance, danger, spiritual dullness, death, misfortune | 18 | |
7820881753 | Dawn | Symbol of hope, renewal, new beginnings, and abundance of possibilities | 19 | |
7820889829 | Crescent moon | attribute of female, especially virgin goddesses; pregnancy and birth; Muslims accompany the crescent with a star which to them symbolizes the image of paradise | 20 | |
7820911748 | Moon | as it both changes shape and then returns to its original shape, it is the watery principle; (it is both the watery and feminine symbol. It symbolizes the changing and the returning to the same shape; Muslims accompany the crescent shape of the moon with a star which to them is the image of paradise) | 21 | |
7820918267 | Sun | warmth, life giving principle; resurrection and new beginnings; the male principle (source of light, heat, and life; a masculine symbol and the symbol of a monarch as the heart of an empire) | 22 | |
7820927991 | Clouds | dwelling places of the gods | 23 | |
7820933135 | Chaos | condition of the world before anything was created | 24 | |
7820939383 | Center | point from which everything proceeds; symbol of God | 25 | |
7820943662 | Sea | represents inexhaustible vital energy; an abyss that swallows everything | 26 | |
7820949899 | Mountain | a symbol that joins heaven and earth (provides stability, changelessness, and safety; sometimes indicates human pride) | 27 | |
7820964899 | Forest | sacred and mysterious realm where good and evil gods, spirits, and demons, wild men, fairies, and female wood, moss, and forest spirits dwell; a place of seclusion from the affairs of the world | 28 | |
7820977355 | Fruit | ripeness and completed development; because of its many seeds it represents fertility; temptation to sin | 29 | |
7820984925 | Fire | sacred, purifying, and renewing; destruction and rebirth (phoenix); it can also symbolize destruction, war, evil, the demonic, hell, or divine wrath | 30 | |
7820997712 | River | represents time and transitory nature of life and things; perpetual renewal | 31 | |
7821002117 | Sky | place where God and divine beings exist | 32 | |
7821007005 | Stars | represent high ideals and / or spiritual light penetrating the darkness | 33 | |
7821012280 | Thunder | symbol of divine power and strength / The voice of God or Gods | 34 | |
7861091561 | Trees | line of Demarcation, darkness | 35 | |
7861092681 | Apple tree | the fruit is the key of knowledge and temptation | 36 | |
7861094795 | Chestnut tree | symbol of foresight | 37 | |
7861098523 | Oak tree | symbol of strength, masculinity, and steadfastness | 38 | |
7861102755 | Palm tree | in Egypt it was probably associated with the Tree of Life. Its branches are a widespread symbol of victory, joy, and peace. | 39 | |
7861108784 | Pear tree | symbol of mourning | 40 | |
7861109812 | Laurel | an evergreen plant, it is a symbol of immortality | 41 | |
7861113804 | Cypress | a sacred tree, it represents long life and immortality; also at times a symbol of death because once cut down, it does not grow back | 42 | |
7861118267 | Cedar | lofty and sublime things | 43 | |
7861119079 | Poplar tree | strongly linked to the underworld, to pain, sacrifice, and grief; a funeral tree | 44 | |
7861123499 | Sycamore | a symbol of vanity and to climb it is to trust in vain things | 45 | |
7861126864 | Pine tree | symbol of immortality because of its evergreen foliage and the incorruptible nature of its resin | 46 | |
7861130542 | Weeds | evil (hemlock, pig weed, etc.) wildness/outside society | 47 | |
7861134947 | Ivy | a symbol of immortality, but also friendship and beauty; because of its tendency to cling, it may also be a feminine symbol | 48 | |
7861139463 | Grapevine | abundance and life; in Greece sacred to Dionysus, ecstasy, death, and renewal | 49 | |
7861142622 | Reed | because it sways in the wind, it represents fickleness and weakness | 50 | |
7861144354 | Rosemary | protection against illness;love fertility, immortality, and fidelity | 51 | |
7861146506 | Thistle | symbol of difficulty and suffering | 52 | |
7861148597 | Anemone | symbolizes transience | 53 | |
7861149937 | Chrysanthemum | because its petals expand in ordered rays, it is a solar symbol; it is also of perfection and as an Autumn flower, it represents ease after labor of harvest. It is a hardy flower and can signify strength | 54 | |
7861161887 | Rose | budding youth, romance, potential, fragility; fertility and respect for the dead; shed blood and wounds of Christ | 55 | |
7861165695 | Sunflower | sturdiness, strength; symbol of Sun and majesty; represents God's love | 56 | |
7861171749 | Lily | represents light, purity, innocence, and virginity | 57 | |
7861172924 | Water | life passing by, purity or washes away guilt, origin of life, maintenance of life, black water = death; may also evoke unlawful passions, temptation, or the Gates of Hell; in Biblical tradition the lily is the symbol of one's choice, "a lily among thorns, so is my love among daughters." (Song of Solomon 2:2) | 58 | |
7861184203 | Cuckoo | symbolizes jealousy and parasitism because it lays its eggs in the nest of other birds | 59 | |
7861187731 | Nightingale | because of its sweet and plaintive song, it is a symbol of love | 60 | |
7861190232 | Raven | death, evil omen | 61 | |
7861191182 | Stork | good fortune, resurrection, and long life | 62 | |
7861192935 | Swallow | as a migratory bird, it symbolizes spring, light, and fertility | 63 | |
7861195964 | Cavern | serves as an archetype of the material womb / Greeks believed the cavern to be represented of the world | 64 | |
7861219435 | Walls | barriers between people both physical and mental;a barrier that shuts out the world | 65 | |
7861227370 | East | land of birth or rebirth, of the Sun and Venus; it is associated with renewal, youth, feasting, song and love | 66 | |
7861230523 | North | is the side that lies on the Suns right hand and lies on with side of life; it symbolizes night sky and night wind and is the home of the Moon and the Milky Way. Its color is black. North represents coldness, alienation, and hostility | 67 | |
7861238323 | South | is the side which lies on the Suns left hand; is the land of fire. Represents warmth, comfort | 68 | |
7861240683 | Snow | blanket which obscures or covers | 69 | |
7861242355 | Fog/Mist | prevents clear vision or thinking - represents isolation; transition from one condition to another | 70 | |
7861252708 | Rain | sadness or despair or; new life; fertility | 71 | |
7861254118 | Wind and storms | violent human emotions | 72 | |
7861256772 | Lightning | indicates the spark of life and the power of fertilization; it can either be life giving of death dealing, so it is a sign of power and strength | 73 | |
7861265451 | Morning | the time of God's blessings; the beginning when all is still uncorrupted; a symbol of both purity and promise | 74 | |
7861270519 | Rainbows | also intermediates and pathways between Heaven and Earth; most are heralds of good and are linked with cycles of rebirth, however, however, they may also serve as prologues to disturbance | 75 | |
7879743967 | Dove | Peace, purity, simplicity | 76 | |
7879746020 | Fox | slyness and cleverness | 77 | |
7879748451 | Serpent | temptation, sin, Satan, cleverness, seduction; a masculine symbol because of its phallic form; feminine because of its capacity to devour | 78 | |
7879757652 | Lion | a solar symbol, pride | 79 | |
7879761930 | Peacock | pride, vanity | 80 | |
7879766365 | Mule | stubborn | 81 | |
7879766366 | Mouse | shyness, meekness | 82 | |
7879768146 | Hawk | predation, keen eyesight | 83 | |
7879775052 | Snake | evil, temptation | 84 | |
7879777062 | Owl | wisdom, rational knowledge; messenger of death | 85 | |
7879779548 | Salmon | instinct, sacred wisdom | 86 | |
7879787973 | Cats | are often viewed as servants of the underworld; it may also symbolize cunning, forethought, and ingenuity | 87 | |
7879795773 | Scarab | sacred, solar animal that symbolizes resurrection | 88 | |
7879805389 | Ankle | if slender, suggest more intimate parts of anatomy along with potential skill and refinements in making love | 89 | |
7879823794 | Blood | guilt; all the integral qualities of fire and the heat and vitality inherent in the sun; it also corresponds to vital and bodily heat; the life principle | 90 | |
7879830648 | Bones | represent both the framework of the human body, but since they contain marrow, they symbolize strength and virtue | 91 | |
7879837300 | Hands | strength or weakness | 92 | |
7879839991 | Eyes | windows to the soul or barometer of emotions | 93 | |
7879842653 | Mouth | indicator of character traits | 94 | |
7879850014 | Liver | seat of vital force, desires, anger, and love | 95 | |
7879851702 | Hands | Symbolize activity and power | 96 | |
7879860165 | Hair | symbol of strength; on women it may represent sexuality | 97 | |
7879884429 | Foot | part of body most closely associated with the earth; as an organ of locomotion it is related to the will; on an enemy's neck it represents victory | 98 | |
7879892736 | Belly | maternal warmth and protection; or gluttony and materialistic approach to life | 99 | |
7879897197 | Beard | masculinity, strength, and wisdom | 100 | |
7881032399 | Knee | some call the knee "the knob of the head's staff" and believed to be the seat of political power. / Many ancient traditions believe the knee to be the main seat of bodily strength. | 101 | |
7881051082 | Right and left | to look to one's right hand is to look to the protector; this is the place of the elect and the Last Judgment, the dammed go to the left, to Hell | 102 | |
7881064999 | Cape | A celestial and ascendant symbolism. The priest robed in such a cape and is "set ritually at the center of the universe, identified with the World axis, the cape being a celestial tent and with his head in the beyond, the dwelling of God whose earthly representative he is. Whoever wraps himself in the cloak acquires the air, shape, and face of whomsoever he wishes as long as he wears it. This is a symbol of the changes wrought by human trickery and the different personalities that humans may assume. When monks or nuns withdraw from the world, they cover themselves in a cape or cloak that symbolizes a withdrawal into one or into God. | 103 | |
7881121000 | Cloak | is a symbol of human trickery, and the different personalities humans can assume. | 104 | |
7881127488 | Hat | head or thoughts | 105 | |
7881127489 | Glove | symbolizes station in life, used to challenge, symbol of law and sovereignty | 106 | |
7881135111 | Shoes | symbol of free person; slaves went barefoot | 107 | |
7881140007 | Mask | used to frighten enemies; symbol of concealment; demonic tendencies | 108 | |
7881147810 | Chain | symbolizes the bond which connect Heaven and earth ties together two extremes or beings | 109 | |
7881156125 | Cask | suggests wealth and pleasure; an indestructible character of natural desire and even Greek morality. To decline a natural act is normal and legitimate circumstances, is to doom oneself to endless folly and abortive action, to a punishment, which fits the crime. The bottomless cask thus means the opposite to the cask filled with wine, or rather the symbolism of the cask but the meaning draws from the opposite. | 110 | |
7881199323 | Key | power to open and lock, control, or to loose and bind; holds power and authority | 111 | |
7881217278 | Garden | earthly and heavenly paradise | 112 | |
7881221710 | Window | when a person is inside a window looking out, he is an observer of life, not a participant. | 113 | |
7881230414 | Mirror | represents knowledge, self-knowledge, and consciousness / often a solar symbol; an unbroken mirror is a sign of a happy marriage; a broken mirror would often indicate a separation or destruction of the union | 114 | |
7881240743 | Parasol or umbrella | is a symbol of a canopy or vault of heaven | 115 | |
7881247908 | Scythe | symbol of time and death which destroys all | 116 | |
7881252165 | Staff | symbol of power and magical knowledge | 117 | |
7881258360 | Stairs | symbol of emotional and spiritual development and incremental gains in knowledge and wisdom | 118 | |
7881283140 | Door or threshold | transition from one place to another | 119 | |
7881286940 | Ladder | symbol of ascension and realization of potential; they are also a symbol of the coming and going between Heaven and Earth | 120 | |
7881305717 | Sickle | represents the harvest cycle, self-renewing, death, and the hope of rebirth; it is also the attribute of Death and Time, which destroys all things. | 121 | |
7881342916 | Tower of Babel | confusion, human pride; resulted in multiple languages | 122 | |
7881353205 | Ichabod Crane | legs like a crane | 123 | |
7881358373 | Young Goodman Brown | all good young men | 124 | |
7881362010 | Arthur Dimmesdale | sins "dimmed" or obscured in a "dale" | 125 | |
7881367994 | Holden Caulfield | is "holding" on to his childhood and wants to stand in the middle of a "field" and "call" out to the children to prevent them from falling over the "crazy cliff" | 126 | |
7881386162 | Ward Stradlater | Holden's roommate who will in the back of his car straddle girls later | 127 | |
7881399579 | Mr. McChoakumchild | a teacher in the Dicken's Hard Times | 128 | |
7881403734 | The forest | usually a place of evil or mystery | 129 | |
7881410253 | An isolated setting | alienation, loneliness or provincial thinking | 130 | |
7881415975 | A park | a place for retreat and renewal | 131 | |
7881418228 | The town | a place where rules are observed and people are on their best behavior | 132 | |
7881429874 | Even places have a symbolic meaning: | 1. Xanadu 2. Babylon 3. Waterloo 4. El Dorado | 133 | |
7881441198 | Ruby | possesses healing powers; associated with virginity | 134 | |
7881447905 | Sapphire | symbol of Heaven | 135 | |
7881451614 | Diamond | represents purity, spirituality, and immutability | 136 | |
7881456350 | Pearl | a lunar and feminine symbol; perfection, wisdom, love beauty, "the pearl of the great prince"; tears, heaven | 137 | |
7881468876 | Emerald | represents fertility, moistness, moon, and spring | 138 | |
7881477747 | Gold | immutability, eternity, and perfection; identified with the sun; symbol of insight and knowledge | 139 | |
7881487198 | Silver | Purity; associated with the moon and the feminine principle | 140 |
AP Literature 2017-2018 - Symbols Flashcards
Primary tabs
Need Help?
We hope your visit has been a productive one. If you're having any problems, or would like to give some feedback, we'd love to hear from you.
For general help, questions, and suggestions, try our dedicated support forums.
If you need to contact the Course-Notes.Org web experience team, please use our contact form.
Need Notes?
While we strive to provide the most comprehensive notes for as many high school textbooks as possible, there are certainly going to be some that we miss. Drop us a note and let us know which textbooks you need. Be sure to include which edition of the textbook you are using! If we see enough demand, we'll do whatever we can to get those notes up on the site for you!