DO NOW – 11/5/15
• Write a 2-3 sentence response to the
questions below:
1) What does I.D.E.A stand for?
2) How would you use IDEA to “unpack” the
following metaphor:
3) "Death, that hath suck'd the honey of thy
breath / Hath had no power yet upon thy
beauty” Romeo and Juliet, Act 5.
Topic / Objective & Essential Question
• Topic / Objective:
• 1) To identify figurative language in Atwood’s
story, “My Life as a Bat.”
• Essential Question:
• 1) Why do writers communicate using
figurative language like metaphor and simile?
Figurative Language
* Phrases of words that contain meaning, often
complex, above and beyond the literal
(dictionary) definition of the words
* Examples include metaphor, simile, and
hyperbole.
Figurative Language - Types
• Metaphor – a direct comparison of two things
in order to communicate a complex message
or meaning. Example: “You are a rose.”
=
Figurative Language - Types
• Simile – a comparison involving the use of
the words “like” or “as.” Example – “You are
as lovely as a rose.”
•
like a
“Unpacking” Metaphors and Similes –
I.D.E.A.
• 1) Identify the things being compared (people
and objects for example).
• 2) Document the similarities or differences of
the things being compared (for example,
physical appearance).
• 3) Explain why the writer has chosen to make
the comparison.
• 4) Analyze the significance of the
metaphor/simile.
“Harlem” by Langston Hughes (1951)
What happens to a dream deferred?
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore –
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
Like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
5
10
Pick an example; apply IDEA – 5
minutes
Does it dry up
Like a raisin in the sun?
Or fester like a sore –
And then run?
Does it stink like rotten meat?
Or crust and sugar over—
like a syrupy sweet?
Maybe it just sags
Like a heavy load.
Or does it explode?
5
10
(I) A dream is like a raisin
(D) Both a dream and a raisin can be sweet.
However, unlike a raisin, a dream is something not
physical. It’s more abstract, like a goal.
(E) Hughes is making a comparison because he
wants to explore different conceptions of a dream.
(A) By the end of the poem, Hughes wants to show
a darker side to dreams that are not achieved.
Turn to the text (page 71)
• Read Atwood’s biography.
• Q: As you read, be on the look out
for examples of figurative language.
How can we apply IDEA to unpack
them?
USE IDEA to unpack the metaphor
• Work in pairs or in partners:
• How would you apply IDEA to the
figurative language in the text?