NATIONAL 5 – SCOTTISH SET TEXT
Sailmaker by Alan Spence
Symbolism is when an object, an image, a word, a person, a colour or a setting represents ideas beyond what it is in reality.
Within Sailmaker there are some notable examples of symbolism.
The sail-making tools
The tools that Alec shows to Ian symbolise a tension that exists in Glasgow life quite starkly. Glasgow has been the home of creativity: the ship-building, the engineering and the many movements in all types of art forms. Glasgow has also been the source of a great deal of violence. It was famous in the 1960s for its violence, gaining the name of ‘No Mean City’ for itself. Alec understands the names and the creativity of the tools, whereas Ian sees the tools as potential weapons.
Miss Tomelty: National 5 English 