My Title

My title is a phrase that was spoken by someone very close to me. We were discussing literature when she looked at a peacock feather on her wall, then looked back to me and said "A feather is a feather... except when I'm reading." It immediately caught my attention. It was one of those moments where you say to yourself: "Wow, that sounds profound." Her passion for books surpasses that of any other person I know, so I thought it was one of those fancy phrases I just would not understand. But it actually came to me quickly, and I'm sure anyone who has had to read a book for literature class understands it too. This phrase represents one term-- symbolism. It doesn't just work with a feather, it can work with most things you can think of. Just look around and you will find that most things can symbolize something. In the real world, we think of these things as plainly as they appear. Rain is rain, the color red is the color red, a rose is a rose, a feather is a feather. But the beauty of literature is that it creates a different world where these things are not plain and simple. They become a mystery in themselves. One simple word can mean a thousand different things to many people, and they can all be right. You cannot read a good book without running into myriads of symbols, and you begin to gain a deeper appreciation for the work. Symbols become so fascinating that you being to realize that the author purposely embedded them into his or her work. The rain foreshadowed future events, the flag was red for a reason, it was not a coincidence that the only flower left was a rose, the feather was not there by chance. All these things truly made me realize that a story is not just a story, but a work of art. When you are reading, things are not always as they appear to be. Maybe that feather is not just a feather.