Edith Hamilton Symbolism Essay

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Symbolic elements are hidden in plain sight in all works of writing; they allow the reader to grasp a deeper meaning behind the story. In the Bible, the reader is exposed to a multitude of symbolic components with every new story, each element bringing the reader deeper into the powerful meaning behind the story. Moreover, the symbolic references made in Edith Hamilton’s Mythology are often seen in our world today. In the “Book of Exodus” and in the story of “How the World and Mankind Were Created,” the symbolic aspects gave the reader a larger insight while reading. Throughout the “Book of Exodus” in the Bible, readers dive into a new world of symbolic meanings and references. While talking to the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, …show more content…
Due to Epimetheus giving all the useful abilities to animals while given the task of creating humans with his brother, Prometheus gives the humans, “stolen fire,” from the sun (87 Hamilton). The way Hamilton used the substance fire made the reader feel as if fire was a supernatural and divine resource at the time. In addition, the properties of fire can symbolize the immense amount of power that the gods had .Both of these conclusions drawn from the symbols can allow the reader to understand the deeper meaning behind the novel. Another instance of symbolism is when Zeus created the first woman named Pandora, she was given a box with all the evils in the world in it and told not to open the box. However, curiosity got the best of her and she opened the box which brought, “sorrow and mischief for mankind,” but there was one good thing, hope. This story made the reader view pandora's box as a symbol meaning hope. Along with the message that with all bad things if you have hope you can still survive. The symbolic message this story gave the reader a larger perspective and meaning while reading the book. Furthermore Pandora’s box can be often referenced to today, an example is the radio station app and the jewelry line called Pandora . All in all, the presence of both of these symbols added to the effect of the
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Summer Assignment: Advanced Placement Literature And Composition Students

allusions are so widespread, researching the items on the list should give you a better foundation to recognize and interpret these allusions when you encounter them. (Note: An invaluable resource for information on classical mythology is Mythology by Edith Hamilton. This book gives you a great overview of Greek and Roman mythology, but it is, by no means, the only resource for this information. The internet is a cornucopia of information about classical mythology and the Bible. Hey, was that an allusion…

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