Work through the list without notes. If you cannot do a statement, follow the link, then come back. Guide = study guide; Practice = practice questions.
Understanding
- I can explain how a material object comes to represent an idea or concept and so becomes a symbol. (Guide: “From object to symbol”; Practice Question 1)
- I can explain that a symbol can represent different things depending on the reader’s experience and the context. (Guide: “From object to symbol”; Practice Question 3)
- I can tell a common symbol from a contextual symbol. (Guide: “From object to symbol”; Practice Question 3)
- I can explain how a character can become symbolic by coming to represent an idea. (Guide: “From object to symbol”; Practice Question 9)
Skills
- I can list the signals that an object carries symbolic weight: repetition, prominence, reaction, placement, change. (Guide: “How to recognise a symbol”; Practice Questions 1 and 2)
- I can use the four-step method: notice, associate, state, function. (Guide: “A four-step method”; Practice Question 7)
- I can trace a shift in a symbol’s meaning and say what the shift shows. (Guide: Worked example 2; Practice Questions 4 and 8)
- I can write a claim about a symbol that includes evidence, meaning and function. (Guide: Weak and strong claims table; Practice Questions 6 and 9)
Reasoning
- I can avoid treating every object as a symbol, and I can justify why a particular object is one. (Guide: “Common misconceptions”; Practice Question 1)
- I can explain why a symbol does not have a single fixed meaning and still insist on evidence. (Guide: “Common misconceptions”; Practice Question 2)
- I can use a public-domain example, such as blood in Macbeth, to explain how a symbol gains meaning through repetition. (Guide: “Public-domain examples to learn from”; Practice Question 5)
All ticked? Move on to the Topic 6.6 study guide, Thesis and Commentary in a Literary Argument.