Prompt: Choose a well known religious, national, or cultural symbol.
Write a paragraph analyzing its meaning. Include the standard meaning along with a personal interpretation and a personal interpretation from someone else.
Example (Rough Draft):
The symbolism of the owl relates back to Ancient Greece and their reverence to Athena --goddess of wisdom and courage (amongst other qualities). The owl represents intuition and wisdom. In other cultures, owls are seen as symbols of death who help souls journey into the realm of death (guardians of the afterlife). Because owls are nocturnal creatures, they are often credited with being able to see from great distances. The owl, currently holds a more personal meaning to me. My best friend had a liking for owls. Two years ago when I went to visit her in Chicago, I remembered seeing owl decorations in her room and then I went home and bought her owl print mugs. I never sent her the gifts because I was never great at snail mail. Now, the owl represents my best friend, Sam. She is the owl, wise and courageous, who looks after me. To my mother, owls are associated with night and death. My mother believes the symbolism of owls relates back to witchcraft and death. She does not hold the same interpretation as I do.
Write a paragraph analyzing its meaning. Include the standard meaning along with a personal interpretation and a personal interpretation from someone else.
Example (Rough Draft):
The symbolism of the owl relates back to Ancient Greece and their reverence to Athena --goddess of wisdom and courage (amongst other qualities). The owl represents intuition and wisdom. In other cultures, owls are seen as symbols of death who help souls journey into the realm of death (guardians of the afterlife). Because owls are nocturnal creatures, they are often credited with being able to see from great distances. The owl, currently holds a more personal meaning to me. My best friend had a liking for owls. Two years ago when I went to visit her in Chicago, I remembered seeing owl decorations in her room and then I went home and bought her owl print mugs. I never sent her the gifts because I was never great at snail mail. Now, the owl represents my best friend, Sam. She is the owl, wise and courageous, who looks after me. To my mother, owls are associated with night and death. My mother believes the symbolism of owls relates back to witchcraft and death. She does not hold the same interpretation as I do.