introducing metaphors through poetry - semantic lp

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Introducing Metaphors Through Poetry

Introduction

Metaphors are used often in literature appearing in every genre from poetry to prose anto epics Utilized by poets and novelists to bring their literary imagery to life metaphorsimportant component of reading closely and appreciating literature This lesson plan canconjunction with the EDSITEment lesson plan Recognizing Similes Fast as a Whip which wstudents recognize both metaphors and similes and to distinguish the often confused eeach other In this lesson students will read excerpts from the work of Langston HughesAtwood and Naomi Shihab Nye in order to gain a deeper understanding of metaphors

Many students begin to learn about metaphors well before entering high school This lesthat students will have a basic understanding of what metaphors are however it is desigstudents begin to engage with metaphors on a deeper and more abstract level The less

with a poem containing metaphors accessible at all levels and with each poem the lessin difficulty so that teachers will find material to suit their classes at all skill levels

Guiding QuestionsWhat are metaphors and how are they used in literature What makes a metaphoreffective

Learning Objectives

In this lesson students will

bull

Define and identify examples of metaphorsbull Read and analyze the metaphors used in poetry by Langston Hughes

Margaret Atwood Naomi Shihab Nye and others

bull Create their own metaphors and apply this tool to their own writing projects

Preparing to Teach this Lesson

Remind students that metaphors utilize the image of one subject as if it wereanalogous to another seemingly unrelated subject Note that figures of speechsuch as saying someone is green to mean that they are new at something areoften metaphors A key component of this element is that a metaphor conflates

rather than compares the two objects Point out that for example a new recruit isgreen rather than being like a green shoot or branch More about metaphorsincluding an in-depth definition of the term is accessible through the EDSITEmentreviewed web resource Internet Public Library

Review and bookmark the web page More about metaphors as well as the poems thatwill be discussed in this lesson All of the poems discussed in this lesson areavailable on the EDSITEment reviewed web site Academy of American Poets



bull Langston Hughes Dreams

bull Margaret Atwood You Begin

bull Naomi Shihab Nye Blood

Dreams

by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly

Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams go

Life is a barren fieldFrozen with snow

You Begin

You begin this waythis is your handthis is your eyethat is a fish blue and flaton the paper almostthe shape of an eye

This is your mouth this is an Oor a moon whicheveryou like This is yellow

Outside the windowis the rain greenbecause it is summer and beyond thatthe trees and then the worldwhich is round and has onlythe colors of these nine crayons

This is the world which is fullerand more difficult to learn than I have said

You are right to smudge it that waywith the red and thenthe orange the world burns

Once you have learned these wordsyou will learn that there are morewords than you can ever learn

The word hand floats above your handlike a small cloud over a lake



The word hand anchorsyour hand to this tableyour hand is a warm stoneI hold between two words

This is your hand these are my hands this is the world

which is round but not flat and has more colorsthan we can see

It begins it has an endthis is what you willcome back to this is your hand

Blood

by Naomi Shihab Nye

A true Arab knows how to catch a fly in his handsmy father would say And hed prove itcupping the buzzer instantlywhile the host with the swatter stared

In the spring our palms peeled like snakes True Arabs believed watermelon could heal fifty waysI changed these to fit the occasion

Years before a girl knockedwanted to see the ArabI said we didnt have oneAfter that my father told me who he wasShihabmdashshooting starmdasha good name borrowed from the skyOnce I said When we die we give it backHe said thats what a true Arab would say

Today the headlines clot in my bloodA little Palestinian dangles a toy truck on the front pageHomeless fig this tragedy with a terrible root

is too big for us What flag can we waveI wave the flag of stone and seedtable mat stitched in blue

I call my father we talk around the newsIt is too much for himneither of his two languages can reach itI drive into the country to find sheep cowsto plead with the air



Who calls anyone civilizedWhere can the crying heart grazeWhat does a true Arab do now

Suggested Activities

1 Whats in a Metaphor

2 Writing Your Own Metaphors

1 Whats in a Metaphor This activity will introduce students to the definition of metaphor and simile whiledirecting students to concrete examples of both tools

bull What is a metaphor Direct students to the definition of a metaphor either byproviding one for the class or by directing students to read the definition

available through the EDSITEment reviewed web resource Internet PublicLibrary

bull Have students read Langston Hughes poem Dreams available on theEDSITEment reviewed web resource Academy of American Poets Askstudents to identify a metaphor in the poem The poem contains structurallysimple metaphors which follow the formula a is b These can be found in bothstanzas The first contains this line

Life is a broken-winged bird

While the second stanza contains the following line

Life is a barren field

You may want to begin this exercise by leading students through themetaphors contained in this short poem Ask them to think about thefollowing questions

o What is this metaphor referring to within the context of the poem

o How do these metaphors work in relation to the poems titleDreams

o How is this description different from saying simply that when dreamsare unfulfilled life is difficult

o How is it different from saying that a life without dreams is like abroken-winged bird Would using a simile rather than a metaphornegate or weaken Hughes poem

o Can you describe how or why this metaphor works

o What makes this an effective metaphor and why



bull Have students read Margaret Atwoods 1978 poem You Begin available on theEDSITEment reviewed web resource Academy of American Poets Askstudents to identify a metaphor in the poem The poem contains structurallysimple metaphors which follow the formula a is b such as in the lines

Your hand is a warm stone I hold between two words

You may wish to discuss with students the structure of the entire poembefore focusing on the lines highlighted above This poem effectively modelsthe development of language and how metaphor enables us to deal withincreasingly abstract concepts In the opening stanza of Atwoods poem eachof her lines introduces the child and the audience to the concrete world thisis your hand this is your eye Next she moves to more abstract notionsOutside the window is the rain green because it is summer Thus theconcrete objects- the rain the green (trees grass)- signify the abstractconcept summer

Ask students to concentrate on the following stanza

Once you have learned these words you will learn that there are morewords than you can ever learnThe word hand floats above your hand like a small cloud over a lakeThe word hand anchors

your hand to this table your hand is a warm stoneI hold between two words

o Does this stanza parallel the development of language from theconcrete to the abstract How

o What does the cloud in the simile represent

o What does the warm stone signify Is it only the childs hand

Ask students to complete the PDF worksheet or the online interactiveversion which includes the following questions


o How is this description different from saying simply that the hand is

warm

o Or that it is like a warm stone





bull Many metaphors do not follow the structure of a is b Students should be alertto instances where one subject is being represented or replaced by anotherHave students read Naomi Shihab Nyes 1986 poem Blood Ask students toidentify an example of metaphor in this poem

While it does not follow the same structural formula as the metaphor noted in

Atwoods poem students might identify the following line as a metaphor

Today the headlines clot in my blood

Ask students to complete the PDF worksheet or the online interactiveversion which includes the following questions about the metaphor examplefrom Nyes poem


o How is this description different from saying simply that the headlinesshock me

o Or that her blood runs like molasses



Students should begin thinking about the metaphors in Atwoods andNyes poems by first finding the subject that is being represented andreplaced such as the childs hand in Atwoods piece Nyes poem alsosets in place the substitution of one subject for another seeminglydissimilar subject In this case it is the substitution of newspaperheadlines about her fathers homeland for an agent with the power toclot or stop her blood from flowing As they begin to think about how

these metaphors are effective and how they work students should tryto concentrate on the ideas and qualities these representations evoke

bull For continued practice with identifying and examining metaphors havestudents read Dylan Thomas Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night and Luis JRodriguezs The Concrete River Ask your students to identify as manymetaphors as they can in each poem Working in pairs assign each pairsome of the metaphors they have found in these works Have studentsexplain how the metaphors work and what makes them effective Thesepoems are both available on the EDSITEment reviewed web resourceAcademy of American Poets


bull Have students complete this PDF worksheet by creating metaphors for eachof the topics listed The topics may be used as the subject being representedby the metaphor or as the representation of another subject



bull Ask students to present their metaphors to the class Have the class discussthe effectiveness of the metaphors explaining why and how they felt eachmetaphor was or was not successful For larger classes it may be mosteffective to divide the class into smaller groups with each group conducting apeer-review session

Assessment

Ask students to complete the PDF worksheets provided in Activities One and Twoincluding both their analysis of the metaphors in Atwoods and Nyes poetry as wellas their own metaphors

Extending the Lesson

Maya Angelous well known poem Still I Rise speaks to the persistence of the writerdespite adversity She employs similes and metaphors throughout the poem and inthe final stanza she includes these lines

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave I am the dream and the hope of theslave

How does Angelous declaration of herself as the dream and the hope of the slaveboth echo and contrast with Dr Martin Luther Kings I Have a Dream speech

Maya Angelous poem is available from the American Academy of Poets while thetext of Dr Kings speech is available from the Martin Luther King Jr Research andEducation Institute web site at Stanford University

Sample poems

If

If you can keep your head when all about youAre losing theirs and blaming it on youIf you can trust yourself when all men doubt youBut make allowance for their doubting tooIf you can wait and not be tired by waitingOr being lied about dont deal in liesOr being hated dont give way to hatingAnd yet dont look too good nor talk too wise

If you can dream - and not make dreams your masterIf you can think - and not make thoughts your aimIf you can meet with triumph and disasterAnd treat those two imposters just the sameIf you can bear to hear the truth youve spoken

Twisted by knaves to make a trap for foolsOr watch the things you gave your life to brokenAnd stoop and build em up with wornout tools



If you can make one heap of all your winningsAnd risk it on one turn of pitch-and-tossAnd lose and start again at your beginningsAnd never breath a word about your lossIf you can force your heart and nerve and sinew

To serve your turn long after they are gone

And so hold on when there is nothing in youExcept the Will which says to them Hold on

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtueOr walk with kings - nor lose the common touchIf neither foes nor loving friends can hurt youIf all men count with you but none too muchIf you can fill the unforgiving minuteWith sixty seconds worth of distance run -

Yours is the Earth and everything thats in itAnd - which is more - youll be a Man my son

si tenggangs homecoming i the physical journey that i traverseis the journey of the soultransport of the self from a fatherlandto a country collected by sight and mindthe knowledge the sweats from itis estrangers experiencefrom one who had learnt to see reflect

and choose betweenthe challenging actualities ii its true i have growled at my mother andgrandmotherbut only after having told them my predicamentthat they have never brought to considerationthe wife that i began to love in my lonelinessin the country that alienated methey enveloped in their pre-judgement

i have not entirely returned i knowhaving been changed by time and placecoarsed by problemsestranged by absence iii but looki have brought myself home



seasoned by faithbroadened by land and languagei am no longer afraid of the oceansof the difeerences between peopleno longer easily snaredno words of ideas

the journey was a loyal teacherwho was never tardyin explaning cultures and variousnesslook i am just like youstill malaysensitive to whati believe is goodand more ready to understand than my brothersthe contents of these boats are yours toobecause i have returned iv travel makes mea seeker who does not takewhat is given without sincerityor that which demands payment frombeliefsthe years at sea and in coastal statehave thought me to chooseto accept only those tested bycomparisonor that which matches the roads of myancestorswhich returns me to my villageand its comppleteness v ive leanrtthe ways of the rudeto hold actuality in a new logic

debate with hard and loud factsbut i toohave humanity respectingman and life vi i am not a new mannot very different



from youthe people and citiesof coastal portsthought me not to broodover a foreign worldsuffer difficulties

or fear possibilities i am youfreed from the villageits soils and waysindependent becausei have found myself

analysis it is a reflection of si tenggang who has gone overseas and return to

his homeland His perspective of life has widened but basically he isstill the same person |His on people do not accept him and in thispoem si tenggang tries to convince them he still respect his poepleand their culture

Poetic devices Contrast the physical journey that i traverse isthe journey of the soul

personification the journey was a loyal teacher whowas never tardythe country that alienated me assonance journey of the soulto a country collectedgrowledmother andgranmother

estranged by absence Alliteration Freed fromCountry collectedLovelonelinessland and langguages



Symbol oceansrepresents the unknown something

big and mysteriousfatherlandrepresents his native land his homejourney of the soulrepresents internal or spiritualreflection during his traveli am youthe you represents all malay poeple

metaphor seasoned by confidence

the contents of this these boats areyours too

THEMES

bull travels to foreign landsbull home is where one belongsbull alienationbull independencebull search for knowledgebull loneliness

bull rejection and acceptencebull respect and humalitybull importance of rootsbull loyalty to ones community and

countrybull courage and integrity

MORAL VALUES

bull we should not be afraid to traveland widen our horizons

bull learning is an on going processbull one must live in harmony with

ones family and societybull no matter how far we go home is

where we belongbull one must be humble and

respectful no matter how learnedsomeone is



ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE

bull islam encourages us to seekknoeledge

bull

do not judge people withoutunderstanding them

bull do not be afraid to try new things

Analisis 4 monsoon history

Introduction

The poem takes the reader through the monsoon period Life in Malacca is

described and the time is about forty years ago when the Baba-Nyonya family

traditions were closely observed The traditional family atmosphere is full of warmth

and security The poem ends with a sense of peace and tranquility and a

suggestion of happy ending

First Stanza

- The air is filled of moisture It is about to rain

- The wetness of the air supports all forms of life including destructive pests

Second Stanza

- It is divided into two parts-the shift from the garden to the place inside the home

ie from outside to inside

Part One

- It is about to rain

- The cloud are rolling in and darkness is setting in-rain is coming



Part Two

- It is now an indoor scene - Inside the house

- The home is safe secure environment - sitting at home and drinking Milo

- Clear reference to the Baba-Nyonya customs and tradition - wearing sarong

counting silver paper for the dead portraits of grandfather in the parlour

Third Stanza

- The western and eastern influences are shown to be in harmony

- Reading poetry by Tennyson shoes western education (in contrast with the eastern

tradition and upbringing - stanza 2)

- The presence of insects is in harmony with the environment

- Wearing pajamas and getting ready for bed

Washing their feet before going to bed ndash traditional influence

- The time is six pm and it is raining outside

- The mother removes her traditional Nyonya clothing and uncoils her traditional

knot of hair

- The father is still outside at the beach waiting for his fishermen to return from the

sea

Fourth Stanza

- The monsoon is over ndash everything is calm



- There is peace and tranquility once again

Symbolic Meaning

Life can be peaceful and secure if we have good family relationship follow

traditional and customs even if there are problems and hardships

ToneMood

1) Reflective (nostalgic about her past ie her traditional and customs)2) Regret (referring to the time ndash time forty years ago and also the diminishing

childhood traditional and customs)

ThemeMessage

Where you are in the world you just cannot forget your roots

Childhood memories and your tradition

The road is not taken- Robert Frost

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood

And sorry I could not travel both

And be one traveler long I stood

And looked down one as far as I could

To where it bent in the undergrowth

Then took the other as just as fair

And having perhaps the better claim

Because it was grassy and wanted wear Though as for that the passing there

Had worn them really about the same

And both that morning equally lay

In leaves no step had trodden black

Oh I marked the first for another day



Yet knowing how way leads on to way

I doubted if I should ever come back

I shall be telling this with a sigh

Somewhere ages and ages hence

Two roads diverged in a wood and I

I took the one less traveled by

And that has made all the difference

analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM

meaning The literal meaning of this poem by Robert Frost is pretty obvious A traveler comes

to a fork in the road and needs to decide which way to go to continue his journeyAfter much mental debate the traveler picks the road less traveled by The figurative meaning is not too hidden either The poem describes the tuoghchoices people stand for when traveling the road of life The words sorry andsigh make the tone of poem somewhat gloomy The traveler regrets leaves thepossibilities of the road not chosen behind He realizes he probably wont pass thisway again

devices There are plenty literary devices in this poem to be discovered One of these isantithesis When the traveler comes to the fork in the road he wishes he couldtravel both Within the current theories of our physical world this is a non possibility

(unless he has a split personality) The traveler realizes this and immediately rejectsthe idea

Yet another little contradiction are two remarks in the second stanza about the roadless traveled First its described as grassy and wanting wear after which he turnsto say the roads are actually worn about the same (perhaps the road less traveledmakes travelers turn back)

personificationAll sensible people know that roads dont think and therefore dont want Theycant But the description of the road wanting wear is an example of personificationin this poem A road actually wanting some as a person would However somebelieve this to be incorrect and believe wanting wear is not a personification but

rather older English meaning lacking So it would be Because it was grassy andlacked wear

Theres Been a Death in the Opposite House

Theres been a death in the opposite house

As lately as today



I know it by the numb look

Such houses have alway

The neighbours rustle in and out

The doctor drives away

A window opens like a podAbrupt mechanically

Somebody flings a mattress out -

The children hurry by

They wonder if It died on that -

I used to when a boy

The minister goes stiffly in

As if the house were his

And he owned all the mourners nowAnd little boys besides

And then the milliner and the man

Of the appalling trade

To take the measure of the house

Therell be that dark parade

Of tassels and of coaches soon

Its easy as a sign -

The intuition of the news

In just a country town



bull Langston Hughes Dreams

bull Margaret Atwood You Begin

bull Naomi Shihab Nye Blood

Dreams

by Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreamsFor if dreams dieLife is a broken-winged bird

That cannot fly

Hold fast to dreamsFor when dreams go

Life is a barren fieldFrozen with snow

You Begin

You begin this waythis is your handthis is your eyethat is a fish blue and flaton the paper almostthe shape of an eye

This is your mouth this is an Oor a moon whicheveryou like This is yellow

Outside the windowis the rain greenbecause it is summer and beyond thatthe trees and then the worldwhich is round and has onlythe colors of these nine crayons

This is the world which is fullerand more difficult to learn than I have said

You are right to smudge it that waywith the red and thenthe orange the world burns

Once you have learned these wordsyou will learn that there are morewords than you can ever learn

The word hand floats above your handlike a small cloud over a lake







Blood

by Naomi Shihab Nye









































warm
























Assessment







Sample poems

If


































THEMES




MORAL VALUES








ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE


bull




Introduction






First Stanza



Second Stanza



Part One





Part Two





Third Stanza









knot of hair


sea

Fourth Stanza





Symbolic Meaning



ToneMood



ThemeMessage

























analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today





























Blood

by Naomi Shihab Nye









































warm
























Assessment







Sample poems

If


































THEMES




MORAL VALUES








ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE


bull




Introduction






First Stanza



Second Stanza



Part One





Part Two





Third Stanza









knot of hair


sea

Fourth Stanza





Symbolic Meaning



ToneMood



ThemeMessage

























analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today

























































warm
























Assessment







Sample poems

If


































THEMES




MORAL VALUES








ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE


bull




Introduction






First Stanza



Second Stanza



Part One





Part Two





Third Stanza









knot of hair


sea

Fourth Stanza





Symbolic Meaning



ToneMood



ThemeMessage

























analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today











































Assessment







Sample poems

If


































THEMES




MORAL VALUES








ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE


bull




Introduction






First Stanza



Second Stanza



Part One





Part Two





Third Stanza









knot of hair


sea

Fourth Stanza





Symbolic Meaning



ToneMood



ThemeMessage

























analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today





















































THEMES




MORAL VALUES








ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE


bull




Introduction






First Stanza



Second Stanza



Part One





Part Two





Third Stanza









knot of hair


sea

Fourth Stanza





Symbolic Meaning



ToneMood



ThemeMessage

























analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today

























ISLAMIC PERSPECTIVE


bull




Introduction






First Stanza



Second Stanza



Part One





Part Two





Third Stanza









knot of hair


sea

Fourth Stanza





Symbolic Meaning



ToneMood



ThemeMessage

























analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today

























Part Two





Third Stanza









knot of hair


sea

Fourth Stanza





Symbolic Meaning



ToneMood



ThemeMessage

























analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today


























Symbolic Meaning



ToneMood



ThemeMessage

























analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today
































analisis

ABOUT THIS POEM










As lately as today























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