Okay so I'm writing a book and in the book there's a "liberation army" for a new race of human Now, I made their symbol a dragonfly because (the book explanation) people usually fear dragonflies even though they are harmless and actually quite beautiful. Also because the army was originally not an army but a group of peaceful protesters My question is weather you think a dragonfly works in this context
It seems like a nice idea. Symbols in real life are often only loosely related to the thing they represent, and often they serve more as an identifier than an accurate description. Like the christian fish. For some reason, this reminded me of that cicada thing.
What Does a Dragonfly Symbolize? http://www.dragonfly-site.com/meaning-symbolize.html It can work if you make it work. Dragonflies, like many things that are found across the globe, have multiple symbolic meanings, so it's a good idea to research what its meanings have been in the past.
Based on the little information you gave, a dragonfly works just fine. They're not a universally-known symbol of freedom (or fear for that matter) but especially because you have established that it's a fearsome creature, all the more reason to use it. At least if they want to inspire terror in their enemies.
In Navajo culture, they're associated with pure water, in Japan, they're symbols of courage and strength, and happiness. In tattoos, they often represent beauty and fantasy.
I think it could work. They may be seen as symbolizing beauty or good luck to us, but ask a mosquito and you might get a different answer. They could also be used to symbolize change (regime change in this instance, perhaps?). On a more personal note I could see them being a feared symbol too - I used to be terrified of the harmless little critters.
I think your explanation makes sense and makes it work, you just need to explain it at some point. Someone has mentioned tattoos I see this as the same kid of situation, what it matters is what it means to you and if you explain it to the readers it will mean the same for them and would create a connection between you and them.
Thanks for the advice everyone ---------- Post added 20th Jul 2014 at 05:18 PM ---------- I do want to add though I didn't fully explain this. They army chose the symbol because they felt the dragonfly was unnessisarly feared, much like the new human race. As in they think of something that looks different as terrifying, even though it isn't. Just in case tht didn't get across correctly
Ooh, that changes things a tiny bit. Sorry for the underlined correction I made but spelling is cool if you're a writer and now I'm picturing a scene where an important character has a close encounter with a dragonfly, remembers any/all the bad things people say about them, and realizes they are harmless, even beneficial and intriguing creatures. Naturally it would be described in luscious, artful detail.
I never have known people to be afraid of dragonflies. I'm extremely phobic of insects but still like butterflies, dragonflies, and some kinds of moths.
I find butterflies and dragonflies to be ghastly. I no longer fear them but jesus christ they are horrifyingly ugly. And I'm not saying that just to be contrarian.
Harmless and not to be feared? Tell that to all the insects they eat! (In all seriousness though, I love dragonflies. One of the few insects I don't have an irrational dislike for. They look cool and eat mosquitoes, very awesome. And yes it works in that context.)
Thanks for all the help guys ---------- Post added 24th Jul 2014 at 10:25 AM ---------- Spelling corrections don't bother me. I didn't notice I'd misspelled it.
I like the use of a dragonfly. Scary, but harmless. Ugly, but they're actually beautiful. Go with it!