Blogger #9, Serena Li, Period 6, 11/16/2020, Freshman 2021
Aim: How are metaphors used by writers to send meaning to readers?
Do Now:
Complete the following:
Love is_______________.
This Do Now encourages students to fill in the blank above. The class ventilated several possible ways to finish the sentence. One classmate mentioned that love meant warmth to her. All in all, the word invokes both connotations and denotations in people. Every answer is correct because everyone has a unique understanding of love. These comprehensions are influenced by experiences and education.
Notes:
Metaphor: The distinct comparison where one thing or idea substitutes for another. It’s a figure of speech that develops a comparison which is different from a simile.
❖ i.e. we do not use “like” or “as” to develop comparison in a metaphor. ❖ It actually makes an implicit or hidden comparison and not an explicit one.
Similes, unlike metaphors, use words such as “like” and “as” to connect and compare propositions. Metaphors are less direct (explicit) because they are less literal. An example of metaphor is “Monica is a walking encyclopedia.” Monica is not a literal walking encyclopedia. The sentence just conveys that she is very knowledgeable, like an encyclopedia.
Students also watched a video about poetic devices: https://youtu.be/V4gMKZKU3lE
This video educates viewers about the purpose and definition of metaphors. According to the speaker, “metaphors describe something as something else. It uses ‘is’ (not ‘like’ or ‘as’).” Since metaphors are eloquent and redolent, they encapsulate strong memories, feelings, and images. Poets use metaphors to induce vivid correlations. This poetic device is also utilized to instigate emotional interrelations, connecting escapades with objects.
Remember!!!
An extended metaphor is developed over several lines or throughout a poem. If it helps to have an example, consider Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken”, Langston Hughes’ “Mother to Son”, or see below:
The metaphor compares life to an hourglass. The poem consists of multiple lines, explaining why the previously mentioned statement is true. The poem delineates that life is short. One can never tell when their last day will be. The best thing to do, is to consider what your life’s purpose should be. That way, you will accomplish what you were always meant to attain (relating to the personal legends mentioned in The Alchemist).
The class spirit read the following passage: The Opinion Pages | OP-ED COLUMNIST “Poetry for Everyday Life” APRIL 11, 2011 By David Brooks.
According to the author, “Metaphors are not rhetorical frills at the edge of how we think…They are the very heart of it.” Specific metaphors are used in contrasting situations. Health metaphors are used when talking about sick or healthy relationships. Liquid metaphors are used when finances are concerned. The sentence, “we dip into savings” is an example of this. Though we may not realize it, metaphors are crucial to everyday lives. An immense amount of people have trouble finding the right words to get their point across. This poetic device allows people to recognize patterns and communicate clearly, through comparison and association.
Class Discussion:
Students were asked to spirit read the following poem and answer an accommodating question.
Hope is the Thing with Feathers (By Emily Dickinson)
“Hope is the thing with feathers That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune – without the words, And never stops at all,
“And sweetest in the gale is heard; And sore must be the storm That could abash the little bird That kept so many warm.
“I’ve heard it in the chilliest land, And on the strangest sea; Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.”
1) How does the author utilize the extended metaphor to express a theme or message to the reader?
The author compares hope to a bird. She explains that no matter what, hope will always conquer all obstacles.
Team Group Work:
Annotate while reading, then work as a team to execute the tasks. “Mother to Son” By Langston Hughes
Well, son, I'll tell you:
Life for me ain't been no crystal stair. It's had tacks in it,
And splinters,
5 And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor— Bare.
But all the time
I'se been a climbin' on,
10 And reachin' landin's, And turnin' corners,
And sometimes goin' in the dark Where there ain't been no light. So, boy, don't you turn back.
15 Don't you set down on the steps. 'Cause you finds it's kinder hard. Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey,
I'se still climbin',
20 And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.
Students reviewed and shared their answers with their peers afterwards.
1)What extended metaphor is used in the poem?
a) What is Hughes expressing through the use of this metaphor? (think about what the “crystal stair” and the “tacks”/”splinters” might represent.)
Hughes is expressing the fact the life is not smooth or easy (like
the crystal staircase). The hardships are conveyed through the tacks
and splinters.
2) Look specifically at the final stanza: what is the mother’s message to her son?
The mother tells her son to keep working hard with determination and
ambition. She informs him that she is still facing challenges, and that her life is not perfect either.
“The Rose That Grew from Concrete” By Tupac Shakur
Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete?
Proving nature's law is wrong it
learned to walk without having feet. Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air.
Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.
1) How does this poem utilize an extended metaphor?
This poem utilizes an extended metaphor by prolonging a message through multiple lines. Readers are able to comprehend what the rose and concrete render in more depth. As a result, the comparison is more clear and thorough.
2)What does the rose represent? What about the concrete?
The rose represents the person that triumphed without assistance from others. The concrete represents impecunious backgrounds. The author asks “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's law is wrong, it learned to walk without having feet.” The impoverished neighborhood or childhood is portrayed as concrete. The rose growing from the concrete and learning how to walk without feet implies that the speaker rose to success without any help. The belief that a person that was once necessitous cannot supersede, nature’s law, was therefore proven wrong.
1)Compare the two poems.
How do both poems use an extended metaphor to express a common theme or message to the reader? (What are these extended metaphors and what is the common theme?)
Both poems use extended metaphors to convince readers to persevere and not give up. The first poem states, “Don't you fall now—For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin', And life for me ain't been no crystal stair.” The mom tells the child to keep climbing because life is not a crystal stair. Life is not smooth, (like the staircase) it is problematic and difficult. Even so, never let obstacles stop you from achieving what you want. Keep climbing and don’t quit. The second poem states, “Funny it seems, but by keeping its dreams, it learned to breathe fresh air. Long live the rose that grew from concrete when no one else ever cared.” The “rose” never strayed from its dreams, enabling it to advance in life. The second poem utilizes the extended metaphors of roses and concrete to emphasize the transition from poverty to affluence. The first poem applies the idea of hardships and lack of ease through the extended metaphors of crystal stairs and tacks/splinters. Crystal is smooth and sleek, differing immensely from how life actually is. Despite the differing comparisons, both poems emphasize the importance of determination amidst challenges. Whether the challenge is destitution or anything else.
Reflection:
I learned that metaphors are extremely important, in both literature and real life. This lesson highlighted the basic format and usage of this poetic device. Throughout the slides, comparisons and substitutes were mentioned. Metaphors describe objects as something else, without the words “like” and “as”. The statements allow humans to connect experiences with emotions and feelings. Numerous examples of figurative language were introduced during the lesson. For instance, the poet, Emily Dickinson utilized personification and metaphors when explaining that “hope is a thing with feathers, perched in the soul.” Hope does not actually act like a bird, but it is compared to one. This is to accentuate the fact that it will always be there (no matter how small, like a bird). Extended metaphors are metaphors that continue over a series of multiple sentences or the entire work. I learned this to improve my poetry and discernment of the English language. I will use what I learned to add metaphors and other forms of figurative language to my assignments. This will effectuate feelings in readers. I can also append metaphors to my everyday vocabulary.
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