Symbol, Myth and Allusion, and Sentence Variety as Style

Hook: flying too close to the sun

If someone says your plan is flying too close to the sun, they don't mean an airplane. They are alluding to a Greek myth more than 2 000 years old. Writers, advertisers and songwriters borrow symbols and stories like this all the time, trusting you to catch the reference. When you do, the text suddenly means more.

Symbols

A symbol is a concrete thing (an object, colour, animal, place or action) that stands for an abstract idea. A dove can symbolize peace; a road, a life choice.

The same symbol can mean different things in different texts. You must read each symbol in its context. Think about the sun:

• In Sonnet 18, the sun (the eye of heaven) is unreliable: Sometime too hot, often... dimm'd. It stands for natural beauty that fades, in contrast to the beloved's eternal summer.
• In The Eagle, the eagle is Close to the sun in lonely lands. Here the sun suggests height, power and isolation: the eagle rules near the sky.
• In the myth of Icarus, the sun is a limit: fly too close and you fall.

The myth of Daedalus and Icarus

In Greek mythology, the inventor Daedalus and his son Icarus were imprisoned on the island of Crete. Daedalus built wings of feathers and wax so they could escape. He warned Icarus to fly a middle path: not too low, where sea spray would soak the wings, and not too high, where the sun would melt the wax. Thrilled by flying, Icarus soared higher and higher. The sun melted the wax, his wings came apart, and he fell into the sea.

The story became a symbol of overreaching ambition and ignoring wise limits.

Allusion

An allusion is a brief reference to a well-known person, place, event, myth or text, without full explanation. Common allusions to Greek myths:

• flying too close to the sun (Icarus): reckless ambition
• Achilles' heel: a single fatal weakness
• the Midas touch: everything you touch turns to profit (King Midas turned everything to gold, even his food)
• opening Pandora's box: releasing many unexpected troubles
• a Herculean task: a job needing enormous strength or effort

Advertisers use mythical allusions too: the sportswear brand Nike takes its name from Nike, the Greek goddess of victory, so the brand name itself suggests winning.

Traditional stories from First Nations, Métis and Inuit cultures

Many cultures have stories that explain the world and teach values. First Nations, Métis and Inuit traditional stories are living teachings, not relics. They are often connected to particular Nations, lands and languages, and some are sacred. Some come with protocols: in some Anishinaabe communities, for example, certain sacred stories are traditionally told only in winter, when snow is on the ground. Many Indigenous people prefer not to call these stories myths, because in everyday English that word can mean untrue.

If you compare symbols or images across traditions (for example, how the sun or water appears in a Greek myth and in a story from a First Nation), use a version shared or published by members of that Nation, name the Nation, and remember the Storywork principles of respect and responsibility from Grade 9. Some stories are not meant to be retold by outsiders.

Sentence variety as an element of style

Writers also create effects with sentence length and type:

• Simple sentences: one independent clause. Short ones create impact or tension.
• Compound and complex sentences link ideas and create flow.
• Fragments (used on purpose) create emphasis or a voice.

Compare two passages describing the same moment:

Passage A: The rink was empty. Snow had drifted against the boards all afternoon, softening every corner, and the only sound was the hum of the floodlights. Then the door banged. Someone was coming.

Passage B: The rink was empty and quiet. Snow had drifted against the boards. The floodlights made a humming sound. Then the door banged open loudly. Someone was coming into the rink.