LESSON: CREATING AN EXTENDED
METAPHOR
An extended metaphor is a comparison between to seemingly
unlike things. It doesn’t stop at just one comparison. (That’s why
it is called “extended.”)
FOR EXAMPLE:
Will Ferrell's Extended Metaphor: The University of Life
"I graduated from the University of
Life. All right? I received a degree
from the School of Hard Knocks.
And our colors were black and
blue, baby. I had office hours with
the Dean of Bloody Noses. All
right? I borrowed my class notes
from Professor Knuckle Sandwich
and his Teaching Assistant, Ms. Fat
Lip Thon Nyun. That’s the kind of
school I went to for real, okay?“
(Will Ferrell, Commencement Address at
Harvard University, 2003)

So what two
unlike things are
being compared
by Will Ferrell in
his speech at
Harvard?

Why will this
extended
metaphor work
well with the
audience he is
addressing?
ANOTHER EXAMPLE:
Emily Dickinson’s “Hope Is The Thing With Feathers”
Hope is the thing with feathers
That perches in the soul,
And sings the tune without the words,
And never stops at all,
And sweetest in the gale is heard;
And sore must be the storm
That could abash the little bird
That kept so many warm.
I've heard it in the chillest land
And on the strangest sea;
Yet, never, in extremity,
It asked a crumb of me.

What two things are being compared?

What are some of the traits of hope
according to this extended metaphor?

What literary device seems to go “hand in
hand” with extended metaphor? (Hint: It
starts with a “P”)?
ASSIGNMENT: PREWRITING
Brainstorming:
List any Type of
shoe you can
think of
(category)
PREWRITING: SPECIFIC EXAMPLES
After you have made your list of TYPES of shoes, try to think of specific examples of
that type of shoe. Example: Athletic shoes: red Converse high tops
CREATING AN EXTENDED METAPHOR POEM
1. Think of a person. It could be YOU or someone you know. It could be a famous
person- a celebrity or person from history. It could be a character from a book or
movie.
2. Once you have settled on your person, ask yourself this question. If he or she
were a shoe, what shoe would he or she be ( which shoe best fits who they are )?
3. Use your organizer chart to set up your comparisons.
ORGANIZER:
Name of Person
Chris
Traits of Chris
Type of Shoe
running shoe
Traits of the shoe (related to Chris)
Bold
Bright yellow; runs through others
Quick
Light on the feet, speeding
Tough
through rain and heat
Enduring
miles and miles (marathons)
Impulsive
not thinking
Flashy
Bright yellow
Athletic
quickly moving
Tall/big
Size 12
THINGS TO CONSIDER:
•
Color- What color is the shoe? Use the color chart to use specific shades of a
color:
•
Texture- Use adjectives which describe texture
•
Condition- Is the shoe new and unworn, or dirty and worn out? What does the
condition of the shoe say about some aspect of the person’s life?
REQUIREMENTS:
EXTENDED METAPHOR POEM ASSIGNMENT:
•
Must compare a person to a one type of shoe
•
Must be at least 12-16 lines long (consider 3-4 four line stanzas)
•
Does not need to rhyme
•
Should contain multiple traits being compared between your person and the shoe
•
Complete the graphic organizer first
•
Write a rough draft on notebook paper
•
Revision and editing process (you will get a handout with directions for this)
•
Final draft: handwritten or typed VERY neatly on stationary paper (name on the
back)
REVISION
1. Take out all linking verbs (is, are , was, were, am):
Example:
My dad is an old scraped up brown leather work boot.
Becomes:
An old scraped up brown leather work boot,
REVISION :
2.
Play around with punctuation:
 COMMAS are like yellow lights and street signs- SLOW DOWN or Pause
 Save PERIODS for the end of a stanza. They are like red lights- a complete stop.
 DASHES are used to add information. Look at the example in the previous section on
periods.
 RHETORICAL QUESTIONS: questions used to make the reader (or character) reflect
and think:
Example:
What's Montague? it is nor hand, nor foot,
Nor arm, nor face, nor any other part
Belonging to a man. O, be some other name!
What's in a name? that which we call a rose
By any other name would smell as sweet;
So Romeo would, were he not Romeo call'd.
REVISION:
3. Organization:
•
Consider the order of your extended metaphor:
•
If your start with a four line stanza describing the color and texture of the shoe,
maybe the next stanza deals with where the shoe goes, and the next relates to
how other people (or shoes) react to your shoe
•
Avoid repeating yourself! Use the thesaurus to find synonyms or delete
unnecessary repetition or “fluff.”
•
Do you need more imagery- color words, shape/size words, texture adjectives,
action verbs, specific nouns ? Only use words which contribute to your extended
metaphor.
EDITING
•
Consider having a classmate read your rough draft before you write the final draft.
•
With poetry, use can “mess around with” font, capitalization, and punctuation. Be
creative. But some rules still apply- spelling, for example.
•
Poem must either be typed and printed out on stationary or handwritten. They
may not be done in pencil. Lettering should be large enough to be clearly seen
from several feet away. Make it “purty”!
•
Your poem needs a title. Put some thought into it! Capitalize key words in the title.
CATEGORY
Title and Content
4
3
2
a creative title is
provided; the poem
contains a minimum of
20 lines
a creative title is
provided; the poem
contains a minimum of
12 lines
the title is not
the title is not at all
particularly creative;
creative; the poem
the poem contains only contains only 5-7 lines
8-10 lines
Focus and
Organization
the extended metaphor
is clear, focused, and
maintained throughout
the poem
the extended metaphor
is clear, somewhat
focused, but not
maintained throughout
the poem
the extended metaphor
is not very clear,
focused, and is not
maintained throughout
the poem
the extended metaphor
is not present or
recognizable within the
poem
Use of Figurative
Language
the poem contains at
least one specific
example of alliteration,
onomatopoeia, simile,
metaphor, and
personification
the poem contains at
least one specific
example of alliteration,
onomatopoeia, simile,
metaphor, and
personification
the poem contains only
three specific examples
of the required literary
devices
the poem contains only
one specific example of
the required literary
devices
Use of Imagery
the poem contains
the poem contains
the poem contains only the poem contains only
three specific examples three specific examples two specific examples one specific example of
of imagery
of imagery
of imagery
imagery
Context
all of the specific
literary device
examples are used
correctly
most of the specific
literary device
examples are used
correctly
very few of the specific
literary device
examples are used
correctly
1
none of the specific
literary device
examples are used
correctly
Red High Heel
A red high heel
Standing up high as people walk by…
Proud as a peacock
Flashing its bright feathers.
But stilettos are the best
Strutting better than the rest…
The tapping noise calls all the boys
With a chatter of clack and clatter.
It glimmers and shines
Always high class - never trash…
In a ruby red skin that demands attention
And causes people to stop and listen.
So slender and sleek
With a “soul” deeper than others…
a red high heel
Standing up high as people walk by.
TOMORROW: BRING YOUR LAPTOP OR IPAD TO
CLASS
DUE MONDAY BY THE END OF CLASS:
We have 5 computers and will have a few laptops to type your poem. The rest of
you may need to handwrite your poem unless you bring a laptop or iPad. If you
use an iPad or tablet, you may need to download an app like EVERNOTE so you
can type your poem in Word format.