Poetry Analysis: Figurative Language
The Hound
Life the hound
Equivocal
Comes at a bound
Either to rend me
Or to befriend me.
I cannot tell
The hound’s intent
Till he has sprung
At my bare hand
With teeth or tongue.
Meanwhile I stand
And wait the event.
-Robert Francis (1901-1987)
Questions:
1. Complete TP-CASSSTT for this poem.
2. What does “Equivocal” (2) mean? Show how this is a key word in the poem.
3. What is the effect of “Equivocal” constituting a line by itself?
4. How is a hound an effective metaphor for life?
Mother to Son
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 goin' 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 finds 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.
-Langston Hughes (1902- 1967)
1. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that extends throughout the poem. What two things are being
compared in this poem?
2. What is the significance of the colloquialism/dialect in the story?
Metaphors
I’m a riddle in nine syllables,
An elephant, a ponderous house,
A melon strolling on two tendrils.
O red fruit, ivory, fine timbers!
This loaf’s big with its yeasty rising.
Money’s new-minted in this fat purse.
I’m a means, a stage, a cow in calf.
I’ve eaten a bag of green apples,
Boarded the train there’s no getting off.
- Sylvia Plath (1932-1963)
Questions:
1. Complete TP-CASSSTT for the poem.
2. Like its first metaphor, this poem is a riddle to be solved by identifying the literal terms of its metaphors.
After you have identified the speaker (“riddle,” “elephant,” “house,” “melon,” “stage,” “cow”), identify the
literal meanings of the related metaphors (“syllables,” “tendrils,” “fruit,” “ivory,” “timbers,” “loaf,” “yeasty
rising,” “money,” “purse,” “train”).
3. How do you interpret line 8?
4. How does the form of the poem relate to its content? Is this poem a complaint? Explain your answer.
5. What is the answer to the riddle?
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------TP-CASSSTT
T- Title: Contemplate the poem’s meaning based on the title before reading the poem.
P- Paraphrase: In your own words, summarize the poem. You may do so stanza by stanza.
C- Connotation: Identify at least 2 words that have connotative meanings that relate to your poem.
A- Attitude: What are the tones in the poem?
S- Shift: Is there a shift in mood/tone? If so, explain.
S- Symbol: Identify and explain
S- Syntax: Find any unique sentence structures and explain their purpose.
T- Title: Reexamine the title. How has the meaning changed?
T- Theme: What are the theme(s) of the poem?