Metaphors
A metaphor occurs when two things are compared without the words 'like' or 'as'.
Tasks
Today you will read and analyze a poem that uses an extended metaphor to describe life. Then you will
create your own metaphors, share them with the class, and extend one into a full poem.
Read the following poem and answer the questions below:
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,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor
---Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a – climbin’ on
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes going’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So, boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
‘Cause you find it’s kinder hard.
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.
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Questions:
1. What does the speaker compare life to?
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2. What does the speaker mean when she describes the tacks, splinters, torn-up boards, and bare
spots? What could these things be in real life?
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3. What does the speaker mean by "climbin' on/ And reachin' landin's,/And turnin' corners"?
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4. What does it mean to be "sometimes going in the dark/ Where ther ain't been no light"?
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5. Can you relate events in your life to the staircase described in this poem? Explain.
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6. What is the speaker's central message (theme) in this poem?
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Extended Metaphors
Fill in the blanks below with 12 regular items or things.
ex. a shoe lace, a balloon, a cheeseburger, etc.
1. ______________________________
7. ________________________________
2. ______________________________
8. ________________________________
3. ______________________________
9. ________________________________
4. ______________________________
10. ________________________________
5. ______________________________
11. ________________________________
6. ______________________________
12. ________________________________
Now use any 10 of your items to complete the list below. Don't worry if they
don't seem to make sense (you will make sense of them in a minute).
ex. Frienship is a cheeseburger.
1. Fear is a
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2. Happiness is a
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3. School is a
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4. Family is a
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5. Love is a
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6. Anger is a
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7. Friendship is a
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8. The future is a
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9. Music is a
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10. Life is a
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Now select your three favorite metaphors from the list you created and extend
each with an explanation.
ex. Friendship is a cheeseburger. It is familiar and comforting, and gives you the energy you need to get
through life.
1. ______________________________________________________________________________
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2. ______________________________________________________________________________
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3. ______________________________________________________________________________
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Finally, select one of your extended metaphors to use as the basis for a poem.
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Your extended metaphor poem should include at least three stanzas and 12 lines.
Each stanza should describe one of the ways in which your idea or emotion is similar to the
object you are comparing it to.
Try to avoid clichés.
You are welcome to create a new metaphor to use as the basis for your poem.
Ex.
Friendship is a cheeseburger...
Warm and comforting,
Safely familiar,
Always welcome.
It can energize you,
Sustain you,
Be something
To look forward to.
But sometimes it can prove false,
Poisonous and rotten,
And leave your insides twisted,
Wracked with disappointing pain.
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