Hello, it's great to see you.

Welcome to your lesson today on exploring and using symbols in creative writing.

I'm Miss Sutherland, and I'll be teaching you today.

Our learning outcome for today is to be able to analyse the use of symbols in fiction and craft a symbol in our own writing.

We are going to be looking at symbols in the opening of "The Cellist of Sarajevo" by Steven Galloway today.

And then, we'll be using that to inspire our own writing in which we use a symbol.

Our three keywords for today's lesson are symbol, defiance, and illuminate.

A symbol is something that represents intangible ideas.

For example, a rose could be a symbol for love.

Defiance is behaviour in which you refuse to obey something or someone.

So if you don't follow a school rule, you are defying that rule.

Illuminate.

Illuminate means to make something visible or bright by shining light on it.

Now, we could illuminate an object physically through a lamp, or we could illuminate an idea through discussing it.

Now, I want you to pause the video so you can have a chance to reflect upon the keywords.

Off you go.

So in today's lesson, we have two learning cycles.

In the first, we're going to explore Galloway's use of symbols in "The Cellist of Sarajevo." And in the second learning cycle, we'll use symbols in our own writing, drawing upon some of the techniques that Galloway uses to help us.

So let's start off by exploring symbols in the opening of "The Cellist of Sarajevo." Symbolism, as we've just talked about, is when writers use something tangible, so something you can touch to represent intangible ideas, something you can't touch.

So we had the example of a rose which you can touch, representing love, which is something you can't touch.

So a rose can be a symbol of love.

Another example is in one of Shakespeare's tragedies, "Macbeth," the main character, Macbeth, feels extremely guilty after killing his king.

You can't touch guilt, so guilt is an intangible thing.

So Shakespeare has to think about a way to represent guilt on stage to make it obvious to the audience what's Macbeth is feeling.

Shakespeare chooses blood to symbolise Macbeth's guilt.

And blood is tangible, you can see it and touch it.

So therefore, the tangible object of blood represents the intangible idea of guilt.

When Macbeth asks if an ocean of water will wash this blood clean from his hand, Shakespeare is symbolising Macbeth's overwhelming feelings of guilt.

It is much more subtle and engaging than Shakespeare having Macbeth say, "I feel guilty.

Let me tell you about it." So symbols can provide a subtle, engaging way of representing feelings.

They provide a way for the writer to show the audience how a character is feeling, rather than tell the audience.

And we know showing rather than telling is a very important skill to master in creative writing.

Also, symbols can build a really vivid image of a feeling in a reader's mind, especially if that symbol is repeated throughout the text.

So overall, then, a symbol can provide a much more powerful image of an emotion than the character just saying that they're feeling that emotion.

Writers can also use weather, colours, and even events to symbolise things.

So it's not just objects that can act as symbols.

I want you to discuss now, what might the colour green symbolise, what might rain symbolise, and what might a university graduation symbolise.

Pause the video and discuss.

You may have said that the colour green could symbolise wealth.

It could symbolise safety, it could symbolise nature.

Rain could symbolise an unhappy feeling.

Rain could symbolise something bad is going to happen.

And a university graduation might symbolise wisdom or growth or new beginnings.

So what we've discussed there is objects, weathers, colours, and events can act as symbols in texts.

So now let's look at "The Cellist of Sarajevo." In the opening of this novel, Galloway uses many symbols.

These symbols might represent key themes or ideas that are significant to the novel, and that's why it's really important that we find those symbols and we unpick those symbols because they probably represent something really important.

So today, we're going to focus on the symbolism in the opening 12 paragraphs of this novel.

Perhaps the most obvious symbol in the narrative, introduced to us through the title of the novel is the cello, a musical instrument.

Now, discuss what could the cello, this tangible object, this musical instrument symbolise.

Pause the video and discuss.

I heard some really interesting ideas there.

Let's go through what you might have said.

The cello could represent joy.

A reason for that is because by playing that cello, it could evoke joy in the listeners.

And also, the cello is a really special object that may bring the cellist joy.

The cello could represent hope.

And we could say that because the cello is an object that provides a sense of solace through a disastrous event such as war.

And the fact that cellist still plays his cello during wartime, it could symbolise that things will actually get better and the beauty of life can and will be restored.

The cello could represent beauty and how human beings can still find the beauty of life, even when things are at their worst.

And the cello could also represent defiance.

Now, I want you to discuss why might the cello symbolise defiance.

Because the cello symbolising defiance is a really interesting way to look at the cello as a symbol, and it's quite possibly my favourite interpretation about what the cello could symbolise.

So pause the video and discuss why might the cello symbolise defiance.

Off you go.

Despite the violence and destruction around him, the cellist chooses not to cower, hide, or be silenced.

He is brave, he publicly plays music at a time where he is supposed to be sad and weak.

Thus, the cello could symbolise defiance.

And I think that's a really powerful way to look at the cello as a symbol.

Now, let's check your understanding of what we've discussed so far.

Which of these is the cello not likely to symbolise? A, defiance, B, hope, or C, destruction? Pause the video and answer that question.

Now, the cello is not likely to symbolise destruction because the cello is the antithesis to the destruction that war causes.

The cello brings joy, brings hope, and in fact, the cello defies the destruction of war.

Now, I want you to read the first 12 paragraphs of the opening of "The Cellist of Sarajevo." Whilst reading, I want you to focus on the objects that Galloway describes.

Could any of the objects or events represent something greater? Pause the video and get reading.

I hope you enjoy looking out for the symbols in this extract.

Now, I hope you enjoyed reading that.

I want you to discuss what objects or elements of the text stood out to you as representing something abstract or intangible, and what could each of these objects symbolise.

Pause the video and discuss.

There are quite a lot of things that you could have picked out.

So let's take a look.

You might have said that the adagio or the cello or music in general, could represent something greater.

The wedding could represent something.

The tuxedo, the handbag, the blood, they could all symbolise something in this opening.

Let's take a look at what they might symbolise.

So the adagio or the cello, and indeed, music in general, they're mentioned quite a lot in this opening.

So music, in general, could symbolise beauty, joy, hope, defiance, and resilience, because music provides people joy and is a way for the people to stay strong despite the horrific violence and destruction that's occurring around them.

The wedding.

So the cellist has a flashback to his sister's wedding.

What could that event symbolise? Why does Galloway choose to flashback to that event? There could be some significance in that.

The wedding could symbolise love, familial bonds, harmony, and joy.

And it may have been important for Galloway to evoke those images of love, familial bonds, harmony, and joy, to juxtapose just how different life is now the war has started, and how the war has erased all of those feelings and ideas.

The tuxedo.

Why does Galloway have.

Why does Galloway explicitly mention the cellist putting a tuxedo on before he plays? Could that outfit represent something? The tuxedo could symbolise normality, routine, control, or bravery.

The tuxedo is quite a formal outfit.

And potentially, the cellist clings to this traditional outfit before he plays his cello because he wants to cling to a sense of normality, to a sense of control or routine.

So Galloway explicitly references the handbag of the woman that is injured.

Could the handbag also represent normality, the mundane, or even freedom, because of the way in which carrying a handbag is a very normal thing for a woman to do, and it represents how she was just living her ordinary day-to-day life.

The handbag could also reflect freedom in how she had the ability to express herself, she had the ability to wear what she wanted.

And that is, again, juxtaposed with how war destroys everyone's sense of normality.

And lastly, blood.

Blood could represent violence, pain, loss, and guilt.

All of these things of which remind us how terrible war is.

Well done on exploring Galloway's use of symbols in the opening of "The Cellist of Sarajevo." I hope this is going to help you craft your very own symbols later.

So let's move on to using symbols in our own writing now.

You are going to write a piece of creative writing about how people are affected by conflict.

So we're keeping with the same theme that Galloway uses in his novel.

You'll be crafting a symbol throughout your writing.

Discuss now, what story might you want to tell in your writing.

Think about the setting, the characters, and how conflict affects your characters.

Pause the video and discuss.

I had some really interesting ideas.

I can't wait for you to be able to write all of these creative and wonderful ideas out later on in the lesson.

Let's take a look at Aisha's ideas.

Aisha has decided she's going to write about the experience of a woman who lost her husband at war.

Aisha now needs to consider what key ideas she wants to show.

Then, she can think about objects that might symbolise those ideas.

So, Aisha wants to express the love that exists between the two and the hope the woman has that her husband is in a better place.

"The woman will sit by a yellow lamp, which symbolises hope.

I will then flashback to the yellow wedding band being placed on her finger.

It symbolises love." So what Aisha's done here is she's used the colour yellow to symbolise a sense of hope, and she's been able to also use light as a symbol for hope, through the lamp.

Aisha has also been able to represent love using the symbol of the yellow wedding band.

So therefore, Aisha has two symbols in her work.

A yellow lamp, and that symbolises hope, and a yellow wedding band, which symbolises love.

So notice, how you can combine objects and colours to create your symbols, to create strong and effective symbols.

Now, let's take a look at Izzy's ideas.

Izzy is going to write about the experience of soldiers at war.

They each have their own story to tell.

They all long to be reunited with loved ones.

Izzy has decided she would like to show that the soldiers still have an inkling of hope that they'll make it home alive.

So Izzy wants to represent hope in some way.

She needs to find an object to represent that hope.

She needs to find an object to symbolise that hope.

So what objects could Izzy use to symbolise the soldier's hope? Pause the video and help Izzy out.

To symbolise the soldier's hope, Izzy could use sunlight, a poppy flower, a letter from home, a gift of chocolate, or a full water bottle.

All of those things could represent hope.

So it is really up to you what object do you use to symbolise your feeling as long as that feeling can link to that object in some way that is obvious to the audience.

Now discuss which ideas would you like to convey in your writing.

Would you like to convey hope like Aisha and Izzy? Would you like to convey love? Would you like to convey guilt? Would you like to convey anger? Which symbols could you use to convey these ideas? Pause the video and discuss those two questions.

Brilliant discussions there.

I can't wait for your symbols to come to life next.

So we can craft our symbols effectively by, describing our symbolic object using interesting adjectives, and describing the way that the characters interact with our objects.

So, let's take the example of the lamp in Aisha's story.

Aisha's lamp represents hope.

How can Aisha show that the lamp represents hope through, first of all, adjectives, and second of all, the way the woman interacts with the object.

Pause the video and discuss.

So Aisha could use the adjectives, bright and glowing, to describe the lamp, which helps solidify this idea that the lamp symbolises hope.

And in terms of how the woman and the lamp interact, Aisha could say that the lamp illuminates the pages of the woman's book.

And again, the way that that lamp shines light, illuminates the woman's book, further solidifies this idea that this lamp represents hope.

Now, Izzy has decided that one of the soldiers in her story will receive a letter, and Izzy will make this letter symbolic of hope.

Discuss now, how could Izzy's character or characters interact with the letter, which would show that this object symbolises hope.

How would they hold it, how would they read it, and what would they do with it after they've read it.

Pause the video and discuss.

So Izzy could describe the soldier who reads the letter as clutching the letter, that shows how much the letter means to that person.

Then, the soldier could slowly fold the letter.

Again, trying not to damage it, trying to treat it very delicately, and to show that it's a precious item.

And then the soldier could carefully place it in his tin for safe keeping.

So the way that the soldier interacts with that letter shows that it represents hope because of the way that he treats it really carefully, the way that we see that it's a vitally important thing for his survival.

Now let's check your understanding what we've talked about so far.

How can you craft your symbols effectively? Pause the video and answer that question.

You can craft your symbols effectively by describing the way a character interacts with the symbolic object and using adjectives to describe the symbolic object.

And we've just seen how Izzy and Aisha have done that for their work.

So hopefully, you'll be able to do these two things in your own writing.

Now, I want you to write two paragraphs of creative writing, focusing on how people are affected by conflict.

Ensure that you include a meaningful symbol, use adjectives to describe your symbolic object, and describe the way that your characters interact with the symbol.

You could use the following sentence starters to help you.

Alone, the man/woman sat pondering.

Side by side in the squalid trench were.

All that was left of, was.

Pause the video and get writing.

I can't wait to see what symbols you come up with.

Fabulous effort there.

Well done on working so hard to craft your symbol.

Let's take a look at this example now.

"The air was thick with the stench of damp earth and the rumble of artillery.

Side by side in the squalid trench, sat young men, not much older than 20.

Each one filled the freezing idle hours with thoughts of home.

The soft touch of a hand.

The warmth of a blanket.

A hot meal.

Each thought like a seed in stagnant soil.

On the other side of the trench was No-Man's Land.

Soon they will be there.

Scarlet and crimson will line the fields.

They will inhale the fresh bloom of flowers.

They will pluck the resilient stems." Which symbol is used by this pupil? Pause the video, reread, and reflect upon which symbol this pupil uses.

This pupil uses the symbol of the poppy.

We see that at the end of the extract, "Scarlet and crimson will line the fields.

They will inhale the fresh bloom of the flowers.

They will pluck the resilience stems." What's really cleverly done here is the way in which the writer has written about the colours of the flower before revealing that they're describing a flower.

Look at the sentence, "Scarlet and crimson will line the fields." That could definitely imply a great tragedy.

Because initially, that might prime the reader to believe that there's blood on the fields.

But then, as the paragraph progresses, the writer reveals that they're describing a flower, a poppy flower, which is indeed red.

So notice how you can build curiosity and intrigue around your symbol before revealing the symbol itself.

Now, I want you to reread your work, highlight your symbol, and where you have use adjectives to describe it, and describe the character's interaction with it.

Pause the video and reflect upon your own work now.

Great work, everyone.

I'm really impressed by how you've crafted your very own symbol in your work today.

It's not an easy thing to do.

But if you start to use symbols over and over again in your creative writing, you'll definitely be able to make it more engaging for your reader.

Here's what we've learned in today's lesson.

In narratives, objects can symbolise key themes or ideas.

Galloway's key symbol is the cello, which could represent hope, joy, or defiance.

You can craft a symbol in your own narrative through the use of an important object, colour, weather, or event.

Using adjectives to describe the object can help the symbol take on its intended meaning.

And the way in which a character interacts or treats an object will help bring the meaning of your symbol to life.

Thank you so much for joining me in today's lesson, I hope you are more confident with crafting a symbol in your own writing.

I hope to see you in another lesson, reading some more great fiction soon.