Aim: How are metaphors used by writers to send meaning to readers?
Do Now: Complete the following: Love is ______.
In this task, students are encouraged to share their perspective of love, and what it means to them.
As for me, I completed this sentence with the word warmth. In my opinion, love should be kind and
affectionate, and so I conveyed that in my answer. Someone stated in chat, “Love is a game of push
and pull.” I enjoyed their take on this task quite a bit because it says so much in very little words.
Love is at its best when it is shared between two people, rather than it being one-sided. When you
love someone and they love you too, you are each willing to sacrifice certain things for the wellbeing
of each other. The pushing and pulling comes in where, when you each do so much to express your
love, you have to know when to express it (push) and when to receive it (pull).
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.
Note: It often uses the form of the verb, “To Be.” (is, am, are, was, were, will be, being, been, could, should, would, has, have,
having, had, may, might, must)
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.
Comparisons that utilize “like” or “as” are considered similes. Metaphors are less literal than similes
in a sense that the comparison made in them is generally not directly stated. For example, in the picture
above, one of the examples given is, “Time, you thief.” Although it is not stated that time is a thief, the
connection can be made between the two.
Then, students watched a video on metaphors, titled “Red Room Poetry Object Poetic Device #3: Metaphor.”
This video reinforces what we have learned about metaphors so far. According to the speaker, a metaphor
“describes something as something else.” When writing metaphors the main focus is on imagery and evoking
emotions. To help convey these points, an example of an extended metaphor is given.
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:
Throughout the poem, life is compared to an hourglass running out of time. The comparison extends
throughout multiple lines, which is exactly why this is considered an extended metaphor. This poem
stood out to me because it reminded me of these content creators I really enjoy, whose content is
centered around the idea that you need to utilize time to your best ability. In addition to this their logo
is an hourglass, so this poem was definitely more meaningful to me than it probably was to most other
students.
Next, students spirit read an article called “The Opinion Pages”, and annotated while doing so. This
article truly conveys how significant and common metaphors are in daily life. Quotes that I find deliver
this concept best are, “George Lakoff and Mark Johnson, two of the leading researchers in this field,
have pointed out that we often use food metaphors to describe the world of ideas. We devour a book, try
to digest raw facts and attempt to regurgitate other people’s ideas, even though they might be half-baked.
When talking about relationships, we often use health metaphors. A friend might be involved in a sick
relationship. Another might have a healthy marriage. When talking about argument, we use war metaphors.
When talking about time, we often use money metaphors. But when talking about money, we rely on liquid
metaphors. We dip into savings, sponge off friends or skim funds off the top. Even the job title stockbroker
derives from the French word “brocheur”, the tavern worker who tapped the kegs of beer to get the liquidity
flowing.” According to the article, a metaphor is used from every 10-25 words, which is quite interesting to me.
Next, we had a class discussion about “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.”
The question asked is “How does the author utilize the extended metaphor to express a theme or message to the
reader?”
Throughout the poem the author compares/ connects birds to hope. It expresses to readers that if even a small
creature can have hope then you should try your best to do the same. Various other students had different ideas
as to what the message was, but none of them were wrong as the theme is up to the reader’s interpretation.
Next, we went into breakout rooms to complete the next task. Due to technical difficulties, I wasn’t able to
experience this portion, and so instead I answered the given questions myself.
“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 aclimbin' 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.
What extended metaphor is used in the poem?
What is Hughes expressing through the use of this metaphor? (think about what the “crystal stair” and the
“tacks”/”splinters” might represent.)
The extended metaphor is comparing life to stairs. Life isn’t smooth like the crystal stairs mentioned. The tacks
and splinters in the staircase are representative of the obstacles faced throughout the mother’s life.
Look specifically at the final stanza: what is the mother’s message to her son?
The mother’s message to her son is that no matter all the hardships he goes through, he should continue on as
she has and work hard.
“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 with out 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.
How does this poem utilize an extended metaphor?
This poem utilizes an extended metaphor by making comparisons over several lines. The continuation of
comparing helps readers understand and determine what the rose is representing here.
What does the rose represent? What about the concrete?
The rose represents a person, while the concrete represents hard beginnings. The “rose” defied all odds and
still grew in circumstances usually deemed unlikely or impossible to succeed from, without anyone's help.
Finally:
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 express the idea that experiencing hardships does not mean you
should give up, and rather you should simply try harder. In the first poem it states, “Don't you fall now—
For I'se still goin', honey, I'se still climbin',”. This quote demonstrates the idea that the mother stressed to
her son that he should continue to climb up the stairs even if he struggles. Furthermore in the next poem it
states, “Did you hear about the rose that grew from a crack in the concrete? Proving nature's law is wrong.”
This quote shows that the “rose” growing defied the odds, and so you should never give up in circumstances
you believe are impossible. The poems use differing comparisons to effectively convey the same message,
which is to simply never give up.
Reflection:
In the end, I gained a lot of information about metaphors today. I now know just how common they
are, and how utilizing them is so inherent that many people never truly realize just how much metaphors
they speak and hear everyday. I also know how to write my own (extended) metaphors now, as I have
learned the requirements for one that both follows basic formatting and brings out emotions as poetry
should. I learned all this so now I can be moreaware of my everyday language. In addition, personally
I really enjoy writing so this lesson was helpful in terms of my own hobbies. I can’t wait to personally
implement certain literary techniques I learned of today into my own writing.
No comments:
Post a Comment