Activity Overview
Ghost is filled with symbolism which is helpful for students to analyze to gain a deeper understanding of the characters and their journey. The symbols in this book will come alive when you use a storyboard. In this activity, students will identify and explain symbols from the novel, supporting their choices with details from the text.
Ghost Symbols to Look for and Discuss
Sneakers
The two pairs of shoes in the book both lead to turning points for Castle. His first pair is shabby and he feels as though they are holding him back from doing his best as a runner. He cuts them, but ends up enduring more humiliation by doing so. This propels him to steal the second pair of shoes—the silver bullets. The fact that they are nicknamed bullets can be seen as a parallel to his father’s criminal act of attempted shooting. Castle’s crime of shoplifting the shoes eventually gets him in trouble, but also leads to a revelation that turns his life around.
Sunflower Seeds
Sunflowers are said to symbolize loyalty. The sunflower seeds symbolize Ghost's enduring friendship with Mr. Charles, the shopkeeper who hid Ghost and his mom. He has always believed in Castle and encourages him. The ritual of buying them and meditatively eating them gives a sense of grounding and calm in Castle's life. They also symbolize Castle's dad who ate them often when Castle was a child.
Ghost’s Room
Castle's room symbolizes the night his father tried to shoot him and his mother. Castle hasn't been able to sleep in his room since the night his mother awoke him and rushed him out of the house to escape his father. The last he heard were gunshots as they ran out the door. When he enters his room he is transported back to the trauma of that night.
Gunshot
The sound of the gunshot from that traumatic night is seared into Castle's memory. He says that "that was the night I learned how to run." At the end of the novel, Castle discovers that a gunshot is how they start races in track. But this sound now can symbolize more than running away from something terrible; running towards something positive.
Other symbols in Ghost:
- Running
- Track
- Coach’s business card
- Martin Luther King Park
- Everything Sports
- Silver Bullets
- Ladders
- Glass Manor
Template and Class Instructions
(These instructions are completely customizable. After clicking "Copy Activity", update the instructions on the Edit Tab of the assignment.)
Due Date:
Objective: Create a storyboard that identifies recurring symbols found in Ghost. Illustrate each symbol and write a short description below each cell.
Student Instructions:
- Click "Start Assignment".
- Identify the symbols from Ghost you wish to include and type them in the title box at the top.
- Create an image for examples that represent each symbol using appropriate scenes, characters and items.
- Write a description of each of the examples in the black text box.
- Save and exit when you're done.
Requirements:
Lesson Plan Reference
Rubric
(You can also create your own on Quick Rubric.)
| Proficient | Emerging | Beginning | Needs Improvement | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identification of Symbols | All symbols are correctly identified as objects that represent something else at a higher level in the story. | Most symbols are correctly identified, but some objects are missing or incomplete. | Most symbols are missing, incomplete, or incorrect. | No symbols are correctly identified. |
| Examples and Descriptions | Quotes and examples are accurate to the symbols that are being identified. Descriptions accurately explain the symbols and highlight their significance to the story. | Most quotes and examples are accurate to the symbols that are being identified. Descriptions mostly accurately explain the symbols, and highlight their significance to the story. | Most quotes and examples are minimal, incorrect, or unrelated to the symbols that are being identified. Descriptions contain inaccuracies in their explanations, or do not highlight their significance to the story. | Examples and descriptions are missing or too minimal to score. |
| Depiction | Depictions chosen for symbols are accurate to the story and reflect time, effort, thought, and care with regard to placement and creation of the scenes. | Depictions chosen for symbols are mostly accurate to the story. They reflect time and effort put into placement and creation of the scenes. | Depictions chosen for symbols are inaccurate to the story. The depictions may be rushed or show minimal effort, time, and care put into placement and creation of the scenes. | Most depictions are missing too many elements or are too minimal to score. Little time or effort has been put into placement and creation of the scenes. |
| English Conventions | There are no errors in spelling, grammar, or mechanics throughout the storyboard. All writing portions reflect careful proofreading and accuracy to the story. | There are a few errors in spelling, grammar, and mechanics throughout the storyboard. All writing portions show accuracy to the story and some proofreading. | There are several errors in spelling, grammar, and mechanics throughout the storyboard. Most writing portions do not reflect proofreading or accuracy to the story. | Errors in spelling, grammar, and mechanics in writing portions of the storyboard seriously interfere with communication. |
How To Assign Meaning to Symbols in Stories
Identify Objects That Seem Important
As you read a story with your students, help them to identify symbols that the author has used to represent something beyond itself. If objects come up again and again in a story, they are even easier to identify.
Assign Meaning to the Objects Based on Story
Discuss ways for students to assign meaning to symbols and give them some helpful hints. For instance, colors carry symbolic meaning, as do vehicles and animals. Helping students develop a toolbox of symbols will make it easier for them to find on their own.
Frequently Asked Questions about Symbolism in Ghost
What is a symbol?
A symbol is an object that represents something beyond itself. It has both a literal and figurative meaning. For example, an American flag is just a piece of material, but it stands for freedom, patriotism, and sacrifice.
Why are the sneakers so important to the story?
The sneakers are an important symbol in Ghost. When he cuts the first pair, they lead to humiliation. And then he steals the second pair which leads to trouble. They represent turning points in his life.
How do symbols help students understand more about a story?
Authors use symbols to help readers understand deep truths in a story. They come back to symbols to highlight important elements and lessons in stories, and symbols give readers something concrete to understand.
More Storyboard That Activities
Ghost
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