Generic definition of color symbolism- Using color to attribute symbolic meaning or significance to objects, events, or relationships.

Color symbolism is one of the most powerful literary tools available to writers. It is a vivid and evocative form of imagery that has the ability to elicit a strong emotional response from the reader. The response to color symbolism can be physical reaction. For instance, references to the color red can cause the reader's blood pressure to rise. It can also be a cultural response. For example, references to the color white often evoke thoughts of death for Asians or of purity for Americans.

Color symbolism is a tool that can be used in all classrooms, especially in the English classroom because students are taught from an early age to associate color with emotions, feelings and attitudes. By examining the use of color as symbolism in multiple perspectives of literature, students can gain an understanding of color in many disciplines. Teaching color symbolism also presents an opportunity for meaningful learning and allows the teacher to create many interdisciplinary lessons that include art, history, or even mathematics. Color symbolism can also help students take a multicultural look at literature, by examing what different colors represent to different societies. Whether you plan to teach fiction, children's literature, poetry, drama or film, color symbolism can help you enhance your student's learning experiences. However, be careful when having students research color symbolism, since many of the web sites that they will stumble across pertain to Paganism.