Whats the difference between imagery and symbolism in poetry?
Usually we use the word symbol to mean a specific word that we understand to be representing something else. So just as we say in life that “an orb held by the monarch represents the kingdom that the monarch rules over,” so you could say that some things are symbolic. So if suddenly you’re lying on your back and you’re looking at a bird flying free and you talk about this lark flying and getting freer and freer then in a way the lark symbolizes freedom. Imagery usually we use it to mean something slightly less explicit and more ambiguous, not tied up so neatly. We usually use the word symbol to say that is symbolic of that but an image resonates. It has lots of meanings that you can speculate about.
