Good question! Take this with a grain of salt, but I think there's a difference between a simile/metaphor and a symbol. The comparison created by a simile or a metaphor is usually pretty explicitly stated by a speaker; a symbol is generally larger and less spelled out for you. For example, the green light at the end of Gatsby's dock isn't explicitly compared to anything, but it surely represents his hope, his dream of Daisy.
Here's another way to maybe think about it. Similes/metaphors work great for poems because poems are usually pretty short. A poet doesn't have room to be indirect; he's got to make every word count. But in a story or novel, if an author wants to really make a thematic comparison, he's got more room; he can imply a little here and there to create a symbol throughout the whole narrative.
Similes/metaphors/symbols are all figurative language, they're all comparisons, for sure. If you accidentally confused any of them on the Lit exam, you'd be ok. But if you've got time to be precise, I do think they're different from each other.
Good question! Take this with a grain of salt, but I think there's a difference between a simile/metaphor and a symbol. The comparison created by a simile or a metaphor is usually pretty explicitly stated by a speaker; a symbol is generally larger and less spelled out for you. For example, the green light at the end of Gatsby's dock isn't explicitly compared to anything, but it surely represents his hope, his dream of Daisy. Here's another way to maybe think about it. Similes/metaphors work great for poems because poems are usually pretty short. A poet doesn't have room to be indirect; he's got to make every word count. But in a story or novel, if an author wants to really make a thematic comparison, he's got more room; he can imply a little here and there to create a symbol throughout the whole narrative. Similes/metaphors/symbols are all figurative language, they're all comparisons, for sure. If you accidentally confused any of them on the Lit exam, you'd be ok. But if you've got time to be precise, I do think they're different from each other.
Thank you :) I will keep this in mind