Students' Metaphors for Poetry

"Poetry is dark chocolate. People who do not know how to appreciate dark chocolate often think it is very bitter but those who appreciate it enjoy its sweetness." ~ Shandy Tan

A poem is a big mirror. It is where you can do some soul-searching and self-reflection. ~ Janice Chan

A poem is an unsolved riddle. It takes a lot of perseverance to understand a profound poem. ~ Jeannette Chong

Poetry is a drug. I chose this metaphor as poetry can be highly addictive and can make a person very happy. It could even save a person’s life. ~ Benjamin Quek

A poem is a lighted bulb in a room. It gives me hope. ~ Tan Kah Xuan

Dance with My Father

Dance with My Father

Performed by Luther VanDross

Back when I was a child

Before life removed all the innocence

My father would lift me high

And dance with my mother and me and then

Spin me around till I fell asleep

Then up the stairs he would carry me

And I knew for sure I was loved

If I could get another chance

Another walk, another dance with him

I’d play a song that would never, ever end

How I’d love, love, love to dance with my father again

When I and my mother would disagree

To get my way I would run from her to him

He’d make me laugh just to comfort me

Then finally make me do just what my mama said

Later that night when I was asleep

He left a dollar under my sheet

Never dreamed that he

Would be gone from me

If I could steal one final glance

One final step, one final dance with him

I’d play a song that would never, ever end

‘Cause I’d love, love, love to dance with my father again

Sometimes I’d listen outside her door

And I’d hear her, mama cryin’ for him

I pray for her even more than me

I pray for her even more than me

I know I’m prayin’ for much too much

But could You send back the only man she loved

I know You don’t do it usually

But Lord, she’s dyin’ to dance with my father again

Every night I fall asleep

And this is all I ever dream

* To view the animated video, please click here.

Imagery

• Imagery refers to the mental images that are produced in the reader’s mind through the writer’s words.

• These words include figures of speech such as similes, metaphors, and personification.

• Eg. “’Tis bare and bleak inside my soul.” -- alliteration, drawing the reader's attention to an image of loss, grief or emptiness.

What kind of images are being presented here?

a. The leaves danced in the wind merrily, lost in their little reverie.
~> personification; image of Nature

b. She slunk back into her seat as he bulldozed her hopes.
~> metaphor; image of disappointment.

c. He sat there as still as a statue, frozen by the bad news.
~> simile; image of despair/sadness

Photography & Poetry

What are the similarities between photography & poetry?

• Photography – physical image through pictures

• Poetry – mental image through words

• Just as photography captures a specific image, poetry also captures/evokes a particular image.

Personification Examples

Class Personification Exercise:

a. The trees swayed/embraced/danced/whispered in the moonlight.

b. The clouds glowered menacingly in the rainstorm.

c. The latch bit his finger with metal teeth.

d. The house stared down at her with empty glass eyes.

More examples:

a. The driver started the engine with some difficulty.
--> The car engine coughed and sputtered when it started during the blizzard.

b. The driver drove the car quickly down the hill.
--> The car roared to life and raced down the hill.

c. The tourists walked past a field of beautiful yellow daffodils.
--> The daffodils nodded their yellow heads at the tourists.

d. The wind blew and the leaves fell.
--> The wing sang her mournful song through the falling leaves.

Personification

A figure of speech in which human qualities are given to non-human things, such as animals, nature, ideas or inanimate objects.

NON-HUMAN ---> HUMAN

Ways to make something human:

1. Make it move like a person: eg. run, cartwheel, reach, embrace

2. Make it sound like a person: eg. shout, whisper, laugh, listen

3. Give it emotion: eg. joy, hope, sadness, despair

* To view Pixar's Animation on "Cars," please click here.

How would you personify the car?

1.The car peered over the cliff and gazed in awe at the splendour of the landscape.

2.The car mustered all its strength and raced towards the finishing line, gloating all the way.

Literal vs Figurative Language

What is the difference between Literal & Figurative Language?

Literal Language....

is direct & straightforward.
It conveys facts.

Examples: Dictionary Definitions, Instructions

Figurative Language....

is creative & imaginative.
It conveys personal ideas or opinions.

Examples: Metaphors, Similes, Personification

Can you spot the difference?

1. He is very strong --> He is as strong as an ox. (simile)
2. He eats very messily --> He eats like a pig. (simile)
3. She is very improtant to me --> She is the sunshine of my life. (metaphor)
4. The driver drove the car quickly down the hill --> The car roared to life and raced down the hill. (personification)

Superman (It’s not Easy)
By Five for Fighting

I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naive
I’m just out to find
The better part of me

I’m more than a bird... I’m more than a plane
More than some pretty face beside a train
It’s not easy to be me

Wish that I could cry
Fall upon my knees
Find a way to lie
About a home I’ll never see

It may sound absurd... but don’t be naive
Even heroes have the right to bleed
I may be disturbed... but won’t you concede
Even heroes have the right to dream
It’s not easy to be me

Up, up and away... away from me
It’s all right... you can all sleep sound tonight
I’m not crazy... or anything...

I can’t stand to fly
I’m not that naive
Men weren’t meant to ride
With clouds between their knees

I’m only a man in a silly red sheet
Digging for kryptonite on this one way street
Only a man in a funny red sheet
Looking for special things inside of me

I’m only a man
In a funny red sheet
I’m only a man
Looking for a dream

I’m only a man
In a funny red sheet
And it’s not easy…It’s not easy to be me

To watch the music video, please click here.

How to Eat a Poem

How to Eat a Poem

By Eva Merriam

Don't be polite.

Bite in.

Pick it up with your fingers and lick the juice that
may run down your chin.

It is ready and ripe now, whenever you are.
You do not need a knife or fork or spoon or plate or napkin or tablecloth.

For there is no core

or stem

or rind

or pit

or seed

or skin

to throw away.

The poet compares a poem to a fruit to show that a poem is meant to be savoured fully, like a fruit. When she says "bite in," she means it as an invitation to the reader to taste and enjoy the poem. Just as the fruit is rich in juice, the poem is similarly rich in meaning. The poet also tells us in the second stanza that there is nothing to throw away in the poem because every word is precious and nothing ought to be wasted.

By comparing a poem to a fruit, the poet is trying to tell us to look forward to reading poetry and reading it enthusiastically, in the same way we would look forward to sinking our teeth into a juicy fruit.

Poets make use of metaphors in poetry for many reasons. Sometimes poets use metaphors to help us understand something that is hard to describe, and other times they use metaphors to leave a deep impression on our minds. Metaphors enliven ordinary language and make us sit up and take notice of what the poet is trying to say.

Metaphors and Similes

A METAPHOR is a figure of speech that draws comparisons between two unlike things in an arresting or memorable way.

For example:

• Life is a box of chocolates (Forrest Gump)
• The world's a stage (William Shakespeare)
• You are the sunshine of my life
• Love is a universal migraine
• John swelled and ruffled his plumage (implied metaphor)
• He inspected her with a vulture's eye (implied metaphor)
• The rugby player cradled the giant egg ball (implied metaphor)

A SIMILE a type of metaphor in which two unlike things are compared using "like" or "as."

For example:

• As light as a feather
• As heavy as an ox
• As sly as a fox
• As busy as a bee
• As proud as a peacock
• As clear as a bell
• As pure as snow
• As quick as lightning

• He eats like a pig.
• Her eyes are like the sun.
• She ran like the wind.
• The twins are like two peas in a pod
• Her hair was like gravy, running brown off her head and clumping up on her shoulders.

Dreams

Dreams
By Langston Hughes

Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a broken-winged bird
That cannot fly.

Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.

Hughes uses the metaphor of a broken-winged bird to show that if we let go of our dreams, we would be unable to soar and live up to our potential. He also uses the metaphor of the barren field to show that if we let go of our dreams, life would be dead and empty, like a wasteland.

What is Poetry?

Poetry is...

1. BEAUTY:

• The beauty of breathtaking scenery
• The beauty of being alive
• The beauty of our six senses ~ see, hear, touch, taste, smell, feel

2. DISCOVERY:

• A discovery of the natural world around us (external world)
• An exploration of human nature (internal world)
• A journey of self-discovery

3. TRUTH:

• Eternal Truths ~ life and death, joy and pain
• Personal truths ~ about yourself and the way you understand the world

4. LIFE:

• Poetry is about life ~ all the experiences of being alive
• Poetry is life ~ we read it so we can feel more alive, to be in touch with our senses, to listen to our hearts













"Poetry is not just about life, it is life."

How does Poetry make me feel?

Poetry makes me feel...

1. Captivated ~ It arrests my attention

2. Excited ~ It makes me want to uncover the hidden message in the poem

3. Elated ~ It shows me the beauty of the world & of being alive

4. Devastated ~ It makes me identify with the pain of the poet

5. Inspired ~ It makes me want to write my own poem too!

Where can Poetry be found?

Poetry can be found in...

1. NATURE:

• Hills, valleys, brooks
• Sunrises, sunsets
• An inky sky filled with stars
• A field of pristine snow
• The details of a leaf or flower

2. EMOTIONS:

• A surge of joy
• A ripple of excitement
• A sting of defeat
• A rush of anger
• A pang of regret
• The depths of despair

3. EVERYDAY THINGS:

• A ladybug resting on a leaf
• The courtyard bathed in sunlight
• A shimmering puddle of rainwater
• The creased smile of an old man
• The crooked pavement that leads to home