Figurative Language

Figurative Language Tommie Calhoun Oliphant Teresa Hooker Carolyn Mckenzie

Competencies and Objectives • Figurative Language • Objective :1 Teacher will define figurative language. • Objective : 2 Students will be able to identify figurative language throughout Robert Frost’s poem entitled “The Road not Taken.” • Objective:3 Students will define vocabulary as relate to figurative

Before Lesson • Figurative LanguageDefinitions • Alliteration • Alliteration is the repetition of a single letter in the alphabet (as in "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickle peppers.") or a combination of letters (as in "She sells seashells by the seashore."). It's just about the easiest form of repetition a poet can use. • Metaphor • A metaphor compares two unlike things. "My baby sister's a doll," you might say, compares your sister's size and sweetness to that of the perfection of a doll. At another time you might say, "My brother is a rat." This compares your brother to the nastiest little creature you can think of. In both cases you would be making a metaphor - a form of comparison that directly compares two unlike things. A metaphor wastes no time in getting to the point. • Simile • If you said, "My sister is like a doll," or maybe, "My brother's good as gold," you would be making a simile - a form of comparison in which one thing is compared to another unlike thing by using specific words of comparison like like, as, and resembles. Poets try to find unusual metaphors and similes. • Onomatopoeia • In its simplest form, onomatopoeia is produced by a single word that sounds like the thing it refers to: "Six burgers were sizzling on the grill." "A snake slithered through the grass." • Personification • One of the most familiar kinds of comparison is personification---that is, speaking of something that is not human as if it had human abilities and human reactions. • Hyperbole • A great exaggeration used to emphasize a point, and is used for expressive or comic effect. A hyperbole is not to be taken literally. Example: "An apple a day keeps the doctor away." We know that eating an apple every day will not keep you from ever getting sick and having to go to the doctor. • Idiom • Idioms are groups of words whose meaning is different from the ordinary meaning of the words. The context can help you understand what an idiom means. For example: "Put a lid on it." Our teacher tells us to put a lid on it. She's not really telling us to put a lid on something but to be quiet and pay attention.

Building Background Knowledge • Examples of Figurative Language • The wind whispers in my ear. (personification) • Your head is as big as a ten gallon tank. (hyperbole) • The mosquito buzzed around in the living room.(Onomatopoeia) • My love is like a red rose. (Simile) • My love is a red rose. (Metaphor) • The snow covered mountain embraced her like a blanket. (Imagery)

During Lesson • The students will use the examples as a guiding tool to come up with their own examples. • Think first individually and then pair-share in relations to the words. • Whole group discussion in reference to the words.

Performance-based Tasks • Each student must memorize the poem. The Road Not Taken Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,And sorry I could not travel bothAnd be one traveler, long I stoodAnd looked down one as far as I couldTo where it bent in the undergrowth;Then took the other, as just as fair,And having perhaps the better claimBecause it was grassy and wanted wear,Though as for that the passing thereHad worn them really about the same,And both that morning equally layIn leaves no step had trodden black.Oh, I marked the first for another day!Yet knowing how way leads on to wayI doubted if I should ever come back.I shall be telling this with a sighSomewhere ages and ages hence:Two roads diverged in a wood, and I,I took the one less traveled by,And that has made all the difference. Robert Frost :

After Lesson • Basic questions: • 1. What is the title of the poem? • 2. Who is the author? • 3. Who is the main character? • 4. Where is the setting? • 5. What is the tone? • Critical Thinking Question • 1. Using examples from the poem, list the lines that are suggestive of life choices. • 2. Using several lines that suggest imagery, discuss the symbolism as relate to life choices. • 3. Is the speaker satisfied with the decision of the road not taken? • 4. After reading the poem, which road would you have taken?

“The Road not Taken” by Robert Frost • http://teachertube.com/viewVideo.php?video_id=40435&title=The_Road_Not_Taken___Robert_Frost

Conclusion Students are to write a 30 minute summary in relations to the poem.

Figurative Language