This past January I went on a J-term study abroad trip to Ireland. I took a Celtic Theology class and studied certain Celtic Spiritual symbols like this Celtic Cross. The Celtic Cross appears all over the whole country of Ireland and date back to as early as 900 B.C. This particular cross is carved from stone and has several Biblical images carved into it. The viewer of the cross is required to read the symbolic images on the cross and then figure out what Biblical story they represent. This relates to literacy because the viewer must read the images and make their own opinion about the image. This particular cross contains very detailed images about Christ's death and resurrection (which is very appropriate for the coming Easter holiday). The crosses are so beautiful and breathtaking that the viewer just gets an overwhelming spiritual feeling when touching them. I feel that symbolism is a great form of literacy because one is constantly finding a meaning behind the image. The cross itself and the ring around it also is a certain image appropriate to celtic spirituality. In my classroom, I might use this image as a segway way into a unit about Irish plays and playwrights.
I see a lot of overlap in the photos posted so far (I read Kelly's, Katie's and Mary's before Ashley's). You all chose non-verbal images to represent your developing understanding of literacy as more than just reading, writing, listening and speaking. This beautiful cross was designed to tell a story, as you point out, but without the requisite background knowledge, a person might not understand the story. Still, s/he could interpret the cross in a different way using the carved images and come away with a completely new interpretation. Is it any less "valid", this interpretation, than the one intended by the artist?
ReplyDeleteAs I said in response to Katie's picture, images are one of the oldest forms of literacy. Think cave drawings, think of slaves "signatures" on documents (the "x" because they were never taught to write), think of hieroglyphics in Egyptian culture, think of these crosses!
I think symbolism is so interesting to look at in terms of literacy. I personally have a real fascination with symbolic artifacts and love how seemingly unimportant objects can carry so much meaning and significance. I love that there can be multiple interpretations of something depending on the viewer/ reader. Looking at the historical importance of using symbolism to communicate really drives home the point that literacy is not merely the written word because, as Suzy said, large percentages of populations were unable to read and write.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI agree! I found the ability of one image to create so many different interpretations to be fascinating. The use of symbolic images always makes me wonder what the creator of the artifact really intended for the image to "say." I also find this to be connected to the debates people have over the different interpretations of holy scripts and artifacts. Some people may feel that they are more "literate" than others and therefore, their interpretation is more qualified than others.
ReplyDelete