Warm-Up: Symbols in Cartoons
(10 minutes)
• Pick up the “CARTOONS FOR THE
CLASSROOM” handout from the back
table.
• Read the “Between the Lines” and “Saying
it Without Words” sections. Examine the
cartoon of the peace sign.
• In your journal, respond to the FOUR
“Talking Points” questions on the
handout.
Peer Editing
“Where I’m From” Poem (25 minutes)
You must have TWO people from your group read over and give
you feedback on your rough draft.
1.Each person should use a different pen color (I have other colors, if
needed). I should be able to tell on your rough draft AND the peer edit
handout which peer wrote which comment(s) through the color.
2.Focus on providing feedback on the strength of language (imagery,
sensory details, symbols, figurative language, etc).
•
Poems should INDIRECTLY illustrate/characterize where the poet is from
(SHOW, don’t tell).
FINAL (TYPED) POEM: Due Tuesday (1st)
ARTISTIC ELEMENT OF POEM: Due Tuesday (8th)
Figurative Language
and Literary Devices
“Figuring it Out”
Figurative and Literal Language
Literally: words function exactly as defined
The car is blue.
He caught the football.
Figuratively: figure out what it means
I’ve got your back.
You’re a doll.
^Figures of Speech
Simile
Comparison of two things using “like” or “as.”
Examples
The metal twisted like a ribbon.
She is as sweet as candy.
Important!
Using “like” or “as” doesn’t make a simile.
A comparison must be made.
Not a Simile: I like pizza.
Simile: The moon is like a pizza.
Metaphor
Two things are compared without using
“like” or “as.”
Examples
All the world is a stage.
Her heart is stone.
Extended Metaphors
• A comparison
between two unlike
things that continues
throughout a series of
sentences in a
paragraph or lines in
a poem.
Hope
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."
--Emily Dickinson
Personification
Giving human traits to objects or ideas.
Examples
The sunlight danced.
Water on the lake shivers.
The streets are calling me.
Hyperbole
Exaggerating to show strong feeling or effect.
Examples
I will love you forever.
My house is a million miles away.
She’d kill me.
Onomatopoeia
A word that “makes” a sound
• SPLAT
• PING
• SLAM
• POP
• POW
Oxymoron
When two words are put together that
contradict each other. “Opposites”
• Jumbo Shrimp
• Freezer Burn
Alliteration
• The repetition of words that begin with the
same consonant sound. These words
must be located near, if not next to, one
another in a sentence.
EXAMPLES:
• wild and woolly
• babbling brook
• sunshine and smiles
Idiom
An expression that cannot be understood from the
meanings of its separate words but that has a
separate meaning of its own.
– A saying that isn’t meant to be taken literally.
– Doesn’t “mean” what it says
EXAMPLES:
• Don’t be a stick in the mud!
• You’re the apple of my eye.
• I have an ace up my sleeve.
• It’s raining cats and dogs!
Euphemism
A euphemism is a generally innocuous
word or expression used in place of one that
may be found offensive or suggest
something unpleasant.
• “Downsizing” for firing workers from a job
• “Passed away” instead of died.
• “Civilian casualties” instead of innocent
people killed in war
Symbols and Symbolism
Symbolism is the use of symbols to signify ideas and qualities
by giving them symbolic meanings that are different from their
literal sense.
– Symbolism can take different forms. Generally, it is an object
representing another to give it an entirely different meaning that is
much deeper and more significant.
• Sometimes, however, an action, an event or a word spoken by someone may have
a symbolic value. For instance, “smile” is a symbol of friendship. Similarly, the
action of someone smiling at you may stand as a symbol of the feeling of affection
which that person has for you.
– Symbols do shift their meanings depending on the context they are
used in.
• “A chain”, for example, may stand for “union” as well as “imprisonment”. Thus,
symbolic meaning of an object or an action is understood by when, where and how
it is used. It also depends on who reads them.
Use It!
Song Lyrics by Taylor Swift (30
minutes)
• Work at your tables to annotate your given
T. Swift song for figurative language and
literary devices.
– You will staple your annotated lyrics to your
handout to turn in, so annotations are
required!
• Complete the handout to express how
Swift uses figurative language and
symbolism to appeal to her audience.
Due Monday
• Final draft of your “Where I’m From” poem.
• Follow the rubric and the self-assessment
checklist to ensure you follow all
directions.
• It must be typed.
DUE FRIDAY (Sept 4)
• Artistic Representation to accompany your
poem
Paradox
A seemingly contradictory statement that may
nonetheless be true
EXAMPLE:
• standing is more tiring than walking
• “The only thing we have to fear is fear itself.”
(President Franklin D. Roosevelt)
Pun
A play on words in which a humorous effect
is produced; using a word that suggests two
or more meanings (or exploiting similar
sounding words having different meanings).
– “A happy life depends on a liver” (liver can refer to the
organ liver or simply the person who lives)
– “A horse is a very stable animal.”
– “What is the difference between a conductor and a
teacher? The conductor minds the train and a
teacher trains the mind.”
Closing/Homework: Figurative
Language in The Great Gatsby
• Complete the handout (34 questions total)
HINTS:
– You will not use “pun,” “onomatopoeia,” or “analogy”
(analogies ARE metaphors and similes).
– Idioms (6)
– Metaphors (8)
– Similes (13)
– Symbols (2)
– Personification (3)
– Hyperbole (2)
Use It!
Sarah Kay: “If I Should Have a
Daughter”
Do It!
• Complete the graphic organizer on Sarah Kay’s
use of figurative language in her poem, “If I
Should Have a Daughter.”
• Complete the analysis questions on the handout
(front page of HO)
• HOMEWORK: Compare and contrast Tina Fey’s
“A Mother’s Prayer to Her Daughter” with Kay’s
poem from today’s class.
***Use the transcript of her poem and the PPT notes to
help you locate examples.
“And Justice for All” Unit Essay
Essay Due: Wednesday, April 1st
Essay Type: Argumentative
Evidence: From unit texts and real world
Requirements: Must have 3 premises (REASONS to support your
main claim/thesis/opinion) that lead to a logical conclusion.
– 3 quotes from unit texts to support argument
– Pair quotes with 3 examples from real world
– Explain how your quotes and examples work together to support
your premises and conclusion.
– 5 paragraphs
– MLA heading; typed.
Planning Required: Essay Map and Quote SPIES handout
(attached to directions)
The Power of the Image Activity
Directions:
1. Select 4 specific images Sarah Kay creates in her poem, “If
I Should Have a Daughter.” Look for places where she
paints a specific picture with her words of her wishes for
her future daughter.
2. Use the back of the analysis handout to draw each image
(one image per box).
3. Underneath the image, identify the figurative language
present in the image (each image should have at least one
type of figurative language)
4. Then, explain the significance of each image to the overall
theme (meaning or message) of the poem.
“If You Should Have this
Fear…”
LOG IN TO THE COMPUTER. Pull up Microsoft WORD.
Using Sarah Kay’s poem as a model to create your own piece
of “advice” for overcoming or handling fear:
• Step 1: Brainstorm a list of fears/crises that you want
to/could give someone “advice” on.
– Maybe there is a fear or crisis you are an “expert” on,
having already been through it?
• Step 2: Create a list of how you could help someone to
understand what going through the fear/crisis will be like, but
also how it will help them to grow or learn.
How do I do this?
Two Options
• Create an “ABC” style
of advice similar to the
graphic below.
Remember, though,
you must use figurative
language!!
• Organize it as a free
verse (non-rhyming)
poem, like Sarah Kay’s.
This means that your
advice should be
written in stanzas or
paragraphs.