Green: an analysis
Green: an analysis
By Angela Wood
Colchester High School, Grade 10
Green is a symbol of many things. In fact, it’s quite fascinating how many things it represents in different scenarios. It is the color of envy- when you covet something owned by some one else, whether it be materialistic, a reputation, a relationship. It is the color of sickness, as well. It seems as if it has a rather unpleasant connotation associated with it.
Yet at the same time, it can also be used in reference to so many nice things. The new growth of spring, for example, is always represented by green. It is a symbol of new and healthy life sprouting up out of the ground. This is the complete opposite of its less uplifting ideas. How can it represent both healthy growth and sickness at the same time? There are few, if any, other words which can be used in such a broad spectrum.
So why is it that some people see it as a sign of something unpleasant and hurtful, while others interpret it as a symbol of vitality? It is simply a matter of one’s outlook on life. Is the glass half empty or half full? The optimist would naturally connect the color green with spring and the new life it brings, while one with a more pessimistic attitude would be wont to view it as something less worthy of appreciation.
Then there are those who see it in a different light. To them, the color green is… just that. It is nothing more than a color. Maybe it wasn’t supposed to be analyzed deeply for hidden meaning and symbolism. Maybe it was just designed to be nothing more than aesthetically pleasing, and we are taking it out of context by trying to find insight on the matter. After all, humans have an odd tendency to search anything and everything for hidden meaning. Is there nothing in this world that should just be left alone and appreciated for what it is on the surface, not for what may or may not be a complicated metaphor?
