Autumn: Meaning and Symbolization of a Favorite Season
Topic Search Key Words: “Autumn”, “Favorite Season” , Autumn + Leaves
“Notice that autumn is more the season of the soul than nature.” Autumn is one of my favorite times of the year, the colors are beautiful, and it is not too cold like it is during winter or hot like summer or triggers my allergies in spring. Autumn is the perfect balance for me regarding temperature and aesthetics. Because of this, I decided to focus this week's search on Autumn, and to my surprise, it is many HistoryMakers’ favorite time of year. But why? What is so appealing about autumn that these historymakers like so much, and is it the same reason why I like the season myself?
Something I noticed in the interviews I watched, for those that elaborated, many liked autumn because of the colors or the leaves. Poet and civil rights activist Askia Toure mentioned that his favorite colors are autumn tones, “warm colors, different colors, copper tones, orange tones, the autumn colors.” Another HistoryMaker that mentioned that the colors of autumn were why the season was their favorite was Education Administrator and Elementary school teacher, Adelaide Sanford, “I think I like fall the most…nature arrays herself in the most flamboyant colors, red and gold and orange in order to announce to the world that, even though it’s late, she’s going to have her flame.”
After watching these two interviews, I was curious about why fall colors seem to stick out the most to those who enjoy the season, me included. I looked up the meaning of the most prominent fall colors, Red, Orange, Yellow, and Brown. Red is known for evoking the feeling of passion and desire and often stimulates people to make quick decisions. Orange is a warm color, and due to this, it represents positive feelings such as joy and happiness. Yellow, of course, represents happiness and optimistic feelings, and lastly, Brown is known for being a down-to-earth color, often invoking feelings of comfort and calmness. I mention the colors and the meanings because it made me realize why I and probably so many others enjoy this season so much. The clashes of the colors stimulate a relaxing and content emotion which is a drastic takeaway from the cold colors of winter or the bright colors of summer and spring. There is a type of ease associated with the autumn season.
I also noticed that many said they liked autumn because of the leaves, which was interesting to me. I never thought intensely about the leaves during the cool season but I can see how they can be a favorite of many people. Former director of development for the NAACP, Mildred Roxobourgh mentioned leaves when asked what her favorite time of year was, “I like autumn leaves, and I think spring and autumn are my favorite time of year.” This was echoed by Jazz pianist Bertha Hope, ”Autumn…I love the wind in my face, I love the sound of leaves in the park and being blown by the wind, I like walking through leaves.”
Leaves can symbolize many things, in the summer and spring when they are green, they symbolize fertility and growth. But in the fall, they symbolize a change in season. I thought this was very symbolic, autumn is often associated with death and decay but at the same time symbolizes abundance and ripening. I believe when people say they like the leaves in autumn it is because they can get rid of or let go of burdens holding them back and embrace something new and abundant.
Who knew something as miniscule as the autumn season could have so much symbolism and meaning behind them? A lot of the HistoryMakers mentioned liked autumn for the same reason that I do, the colors and the change in season. This gives me the opportunity to further understand why I am so attracted to this season and it is because of the calming colors and the sign that it is time to let go of things in the past season and embrace everything new in the upcoming seasons.
Ambassador Update:
In week of September 12th the heavy workload associated with major courses started to ramp up. I was tasked with learning the Turabian citation style, draft research paper thesis’s and discuss different world theories and how they have effected our current day and age. Even though it is a lot of work, I still enjoy it since I am now focusing on courses that cater to my interest. In my campus news, girls in the freshmen, sophmore, and junior classes came together to create a petition in order for us to have to-go boxes at our schools cafe. In the beginning of my freshmen year due to covid, we had an abundance of to-go containers though this year they are charging us to get to-go boxes. I have to say I am proud of my Spelman sisters as when we sent our peition to the dean of student affairs and the Head of our schools Cafe, we were told that to-go boxes will now be accesible without any charge. Slowly but surely, I can feel that this year I will be able to have a “normal” HBCU and College experience.
Sources:
Playlist of Interviews: https://da-thehistorymakers-org.ezproxy.auctr.edu/stories/6;IDList=143148%2C261658%2C12853%2C673812;ListTitle=AutumnClips
Symbolization of Autumn: https://interestingliterature.com/2021/11/autumn-symbolism-literature-mythology/#:~:text=Autumn%20is%20at%20once%20symbolic,things%20being%20past%20their%20prime.
Meaning of Fall Colors: https://www.signs.com/blog/fall-colors-their-associated-emotions/#:~:text=A%20dark%2C%20rich%20shade%20of,pleasant%2C%20cheerful%20and%20optimistic%20feelings.
