Symbol

Samuel Taylor Coleridge is the most symbolic of all Romantic poets. Through his creative imagination, Coleridge creates symbols that disguise the philosophical ideas, and something fresh and unsullied out of the chaos of different images and associations. It is simply imagination that enables the romantic poet to present spiritually perceived things, and resolves his conflict by returning to “dynamic organicism.” In Coleridge’s masterpiece entitled The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, the emphasis is placed on “negative romanticism” or the poet’s “period of doubt and despair” when he fails to perceive the truth, imaginatively. In isolation and with the help of imagination, the poet sees the benevolence of the universe and the beauty of all the creatures. Besides, he finds the potentiality to grasp the truth. What follows is an attempt to see to what extent the Mariner is symbolic of a romantic poet, or a true romantic poet according to Peckham. This study traces the different states the Mariner goes through changing from a negative romanticist to a positive one. The changes are accompanied by change in attitude towards the universe and unity with it. Furthermore, projections of Coleridge as a romantic poet, on his imaginatively created character help reveal more about the Mariner.

The horse especially those in black or white assume a much enigmatic stance in the Iranian culture and as we know, color plays the role of the decoder to a great number of concepts in legends. The black color represents often mourning and darkness. In Europe, the black color is viwed negatively. A person wearing black, or a black snake both are deemed as icons which represent dark and hopelessness. The dead are celebrated in black atmosphere within the church. Black, as opposed to white, was normally regarded as Ahriman and the forces related to him such as falsification, wickedness and evil throughout the ancient Iranian legends. From the very beginning of the "Legend of Creation", Ahura Mazda is in the bright Upper-World whereas Ahriman resides in the dark Lower-World. Nonetheless, in the same culture, black enjoys aspects of positive connotation such as in the black horses of the Kings in the Shahnameh which would signify their power. The color of the horse is often proportionate to the character of its rider in so far as the horses of heroes such as Kay Khosrow and Siyavosh are black ones too. Conversely, white in most cultures particularly in the Iranian one, is included within the colors which enjoy positive connotation notwithstanding a few exceptions. Among them, white horses and black ones have variant and significant stances and roles in the Persian Literature and Culture. The present article aims at a comparative study of the "black' and "white" horses in the Shahnameh of Ferdowsi.

City is the most complicated and tangible creature of man. There is a critical mutual communication between human and city; and the effect of one’ living environment is beyond question. Graffiti is a new urban phenomenon, which has drawn attention in light of its connection with protestation culture and street art. Thanks to symbolism of graffiti, the artists have added mysterious aspects to their work and distinguished themselves from formal culture. Social protestation is the most notable feature of the graffiti found in Iranian cities. However, to the best of our knowledge, there has been no notable research work in Iran on the relationship of human, society, and existence from of graffiti symbolism viewpoint in particular. The present study is an attempt to survey and evaluate common symbols used on urban graffiti through documentary research. Technique and content analysis in stratified semiology based on Iranian-Islamic culture were taken into account.

This article is about the comparative study of symbol in architecture and contemporary Seljuk tombs in Iran. Art is one of the arts associated with various sciences and science concepts, and various features of footprints can be seen. The signs and symbols of architectural buildings and monuments can be helpful. especially for the beauty of motifs and composition, and roles and indications suggest deep thinking and high precision. For example, some architectonic art harmony such as symmetry, proportionality, balance, balance, matching, agreement, similarity, consistency, alignment, and equality are noted. The main question is whether there are similarities and differences between the use of the symbol and sign in the works of the monuments of the two periods of Seljuk and contemporary Iran? The aim of study is to study the architectural monuments of two architectural periods in Iran, with reference to types of signs and symbols of presenting the classification of the places of application of symbols and signs in architectural works. The methodology of this research is based on library studies and existing documents, and the gathering of data and deductions from the issues raised in relation to various types of symbols and signs, its application in the contemporary Seljuk and contemporary Iranian architecture, and research on similar examples. Finally, studying the research of other scholars, compares the architecture of the Seljuk and contemporary period of the Iranian monument with, the perspective of differences, similarities, the use of symbols and signs in the context of architecture.

As one of the richest intellectual domains of mankind, Islamic culture has played a prominent role in the formation of diverse dimensions of Islamic community. In this regard, the rich Islamic art, which is intermixed with the elegance of Islamic architecture, is regarded as one of the aspects of Towhid (belief in the oneness of God) and divine worldview. Since the mankind is not a single-dimensional creature, and is innately inclined to beauty and innovation, architects have sought to create an original work imbued with spiritual meanings and themes within a material realm through reliance on their experience, thoughts, individual creativity as well as an aesthetic spirit on one hand, and the manifestation of spirituality and other notions on the other. The contemporary human, by setting out on journey on the earth, has made an attempt to seek knowledge and awareness, and Islamic architecture is considered as an epiphany of human nature as well as a manifestation of contemplation and existence in the depth of human spirit, which is believed to be one of the most significant elements of tourism. The present research is aimed at exploring the conceptual symbols in Islamic architecture originating from Islamic worldview, as the rich Islamic principles have inspired Muslim architects, whose thoughts and environment have been influenced by Islamic worldview. The present article has been written adopting a descriptive-analytical method. The results indicate that architectural elements in Iran have not been created without taking Islamic ideology and concepts into account, but rather all the elements applied are endowed with spirituality and divine symbols.

One of the most complex issues in understanding the evolution of human society is religion. However, religion in this sense is not the spiritual dimension of confessional or rhetorical form; rather it is a social phenomenon that has long been considered as one of the fundamental components of human society. Archaeological excavations often lead to the unearthing of movable and immovable objects that bear an obvious symbolic insignia; this is suggestive of the roles of beliefs and convictions in the formation of these objects. For instance, during the Neolithic period in some archeological sites such as Catalhoyuk in Anatolia, Sheikhiabad in Kermanshah and a number of other sites in the Near East, some objects were found that can be considered as symbolic made for specific purposes according to humans’ rituals and beliefs. In the present article, we study the views and theories of anthropologists and sociologists about religions, and the views of archaeologists about symbolism and religion in the contemporary world and in the beginning of the Neolithic period. Employing an interpretive approach, we examine and analyze possible intentions behind construction and functions of these symbolic objects.

Seyyed Morteza Jazayeri in respect to interpretation of some words of the Qur'an, based on the view of the metaphysics of the language of the Qur'an, has specific theories in interpreting the word of the Holy Qur'an. He is one of the scientists who believes in the interpretation of the Qur'an and his aim in interpreting the words of the Qur'an is based on anthropology. He puts his interpretive views on the anthropological axis and interprets the divine teachings and the Holy Qur'an only for the education of human beings and acknowledges that the Qur'an is constantly a book with cultural and educational contents that thus provides human evolution. For this reason, his interpretive approach is based on explaining the cultural and educational aspects and effects of human beings, and this is why he has presented sharp and thoughtful opinions with an interpretive approach, and as a result, his ability to review and criticize his views by thinkers and commentators of the Holy Qur'an needed it. In this article, the basics of interpretation and its examples are first mentioned and then their critique is discussed.