The Pharmakon
Derrida uses the symbol of the "pharmakon" to represent the way that language has both positive and negative effects, and to challenge traditional ideas about the nature of language and meaning.
The Supplement
Derrida also uses the allegory of the "supplement" to illustrate the way that language is always already marked by a certain degree of loss or absence, and to challenge traditional ideas about the relationship between language and reality. The allegory of the supplement suggests that language is always already marked by a certain degree of incompleteness or deficiency and highlights the way that it is always already dependent on something outside of itself. This allegory serves to complicate traditional ideas about language as a transparent and faithful representation of reality.
The Haunting
Derrida uses the symbol of "haunting" to represent the way that language and writing return to haunt and disrupt the present, and to challenge traditional ideas about the nature of language and meaning. The symbol of the haunt suggests that language and writing are living entities with their own agency and power and highlights the way that they return to disrupt and challenge the present.
