Aim: How are metaphors used by writers to send meaning to readers?
Do Now: We started the class off by completing the following:
“Love is ________.”
I personally wrote that love is special. It’s a one in a million thing that sometimes can only happen once in someone’s lifetime. It is different, difficult to replicate which is what makes it so special. Some of my classmates said something different during the class discussion. One said that love was “caring for others”. Another said that love was “blind.” Another answer was “Love is a strong connection.” “Love illusion.” All of these answers would be classified as metaphors and they are fabulous in describing what love is.
What We Learned:
A metaphor is 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.
**It commonly uses the form of the word, “To Be”. ex.: is, am, are, was, were, will be, being, been, could, etc.
Then, we watched a video on metaphors, which defined the poetic device and gave examples on this device.
An extended metaphor is developed over several lines or throughout a poem. One example of this would be “The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost.
Spirit Reading: “Poetry for Everyday Life” by David Brooks
I highlighted “in 28 words it contains four metaphors” and “don’t really gain traction, like a tractor.” This stood out to me because it was astounding to me that in such little words there could be so many metaphors. In addition, after they pointed out the different metaphors in the sentence, I was surprised because I had just ignored them like they were inconsequential parts of the sentence. I regarded them as if they were common sense and that everyone would understand it as well. I never realized how often I use metaphors in my everyday life.
Class Discussion: “Hope is the Thing with Feathers” by Emily Dickinson
We discussed the question: “How does the author utilize the extended metaphor to express a theme or message to the reader?” Although the author never explicitly states that hope is a bird, we can see that hope was implied to be a bird with the characteristics of hope and the bird being compared. For example, “That perches in the soul”, a bird perches on a branch and although it doesn’t talk with words, we know that it’s there and can use it as a resource just like hope.
Group Work: To read and annotate the poems, “Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes and “The Rose That Grew from Concrete” by Tupac Shakur.
“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.
For this poem, as a group, we discussed these questions:
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.)
Look specifically at the final stanza: what is the mother’s message to her son?
“The Rose That Grew from Concrete” by Tupac Shakur
[1] 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.
[5] 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.
For this poem, we discussed these questions:
How does this poem utilize an extended metaphor?
What does the rose represent? What about the concrete?
Finally, we met back up as a class and discussed and came up with the final answers for these questions.
“Mother to Son” by Langston Hughes
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.)
Hughes is expressing through the use of this metaphor that the “crystal stair” and the “tacks” as the obstacles of life. He is saying that life is a journey with ups and downs, not always ups. There is not just one road ahead, but instead many and each road consists of their own challenges. It’s not smooth sailing, but you have to persevere.
Look specifically at the final stanza: what is the mother’s message to her son?
The mother’s message to her son is that life is always going to be tough, but you shouldn’t give up or in other words, “Don’t let life knock you down.” You have to push through it.
“The Rose That Grew from Concrete” by Tupac Shakur
How does this poem utilize an extended metaphor?
This poem utilizes an extended metaphor by using the rose as a thing/person that overcomes obstacles (the concrete) despite hardships. They eventually succeed in the end when no one else thought they could and grew to be a more nuanced and better version of themselves.
What does the rose represent? What about the concrete?
The rose might represent a person. A person that is growing and learning to progress and concrete could be the hurdles that the person has to overcome and in the end the rose blooms and rises to new heights/places that no one thought could ever be possible.
Finally, we compared the poems and answered this question:
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 an extended metaphor to express a common theme or message to the reader by comparing the rose and crystal stairs to perseverance through hardships. In the first poem, the crystal stairs is something that reminds the mother of life and the tacks and splinters as the obstacles she has to face to try to get “crystal stairs,” and in the second poem, the rose reminds me of the person’s persistence through dangers and the concrete as their obstacles in life. In all, the two poems are utilizing the idea that through perseverance in life; you can achieve great things.
Reflection: I re-learned what a metaphor is and learned what an extended metaphor is. It was nice to get a review of what I had already learned years ago. In addition, I learned how to better analyze and deconstruct poems (by deconstructing the metaphors in them) in order to get the main message/theme of the entire piece. This will help me identify metaphors in the future and how to use them. This will definitely come in handy when I’m annotating because metaphors are one of the main things I look out for. Learning more about metaphors and extended metaphors will help me better express myself in writing and in real life when speaking to others. Who knew that we used metaphors in almost every sentence we speak? I can apply this knowledge to future tests and future poems that I will definitely have to read. This will definitely help my poem anthology project and future courses that I will take about language arts.
No comments:
Post a Comment