In this lesson, students will analyze what makes a metaphor powerful and how it influences the literary work. At the end of the lesson, students are going to: 
- Recognize the use of metaphor in a variety of literary works. 
- Examine the metaphors' structure. 
- Examine the connection between metaphors and the literary works in which they are used. 
- Maintain the collection and analysis of successful sensory details, especially metaphors. 
- Generate metaphors. 
- Examine and comment on their works as well as those of their peers. 

- In what ways does text interaction encourage thought and action?

- Author’s Purpose: The author’s intent is either to inform or teach someone about something, to entertain people, or to persuade or convince their audience to do or not do something. 
- Hyperbole: An exaggeration or overstatement (e.g., I was so embarrassed I could have died.) 
- Imagery: A word or group of words in a literary work that appeals to one or more of the senses: sight, taste, touch, hearing, and smell; figurative language. The use of images serves to intensify the impact of the work. 
- Literary Devices: Tools used by the author to enliven and provide a voice to the writing (e.g., dialogue, alliteration). 
- Metaphor: A figure of speech that expresses an idea through the image of another object. Metaphors suggest the essence of the first object by identifying it with certain qualities of the second object. An example is “But soft, what light through yonder window breaks? It is the east, and Juliet is the sun” in William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet. Here, Juliet, the first object, is identified with the qualities of the second object, the sun. 
- Personification: An object or abstract idea given human qualities or human form (e.g., Flowers danced about the lawn.). 
- Simile: A comparison of two unlike things in which a word of comparison (like or as) is used (e.g., She eats like a bird.).

- “Fog” by Carl Sandburg http://www.bartleby.com/165/56.html 
- “I Have a Dream” speech by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. MKL Online. http://www.mlkonline.net/video-i-have-a-dream-speech.html 
- “Dreams” by Langston Hughes. Poets.org. http://www.poets.org/viewmedia.php/prmMID/16075 
- “The greatest thing by far is to be a master of metaphor”: How to be as persuasive as Lincoln 
http://climateprogress.org/2009/02/18/the-greatest-thing-by-far-is-to-be-a-master-of-metaphor-how-to-be-as-persuasive-as-lincoln-3/ 
- “All the World’s a Stage” speech from As You Like It by William Shakespeare. http://oldpoetry.com/opoem/15490-William-Shakespeare-All-The-World-s-A-Stage 
- “Using Metaphors in Creative Writing.” OWL Purdue Online Writing Lab http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/687/05/ 

- This lesson's objective is to help you identify the qualities of an effective metaphor and how a metaphor influences the literary work in which it appears.
- The first exercise, which uses "Fog," will test students' ability to recognize a metaphor. Assign or facilitate small- or individual-group reteaching for students who require extra guidance.
- Continue to watch and comment on students' identification and application of metaphors as they finish the extra tasks.
- While groups are working on their metaphors, visit each group to offer assistance with any issues that may arise. When students create their first metaphor, they will present their work, identifying which people or groups require more help.

Scaffolding, engaged participation, modeling, and clear instruction, 
W: Assist students in analyzing the effect of metaphors on literary works. 
H: Students will collaborate in groups, present their ideas, and create original metaphors.
E: To comprehend the attributes of powerful metaphors and their consequences, groups should be assigned to examine the attributes and their influence on the pieces in which they are used. 
R: Allow students to share their ideas with other groups and the class, and compare them with their own group's ideas. 
E: Ask students to compare their conclusions with those of their group members and reconsider if necessary.
T: Allow students to independently, collaboratively, and as a group, identify, create, and examine metaphors.
O: Starting with a basic example, the lesson progresses to more in-depth examples and their implications.

Main question: What impact does an effective metaphor have on a literary work and what qualities make a metaphor effective?

Say, "In this lesson, we will explore how metaphors, figures of speech that compare two unlike things, affect the literary works they are used in. You must include an explanation of how each metaphor influences the piece and provide at least three examples in your collection."

Part 1

After assigning the reading of Sandburg's poem "Fog," have students write down the metaphor used in the poem. While the students are writing, walk around the classroom and check if they can recognize metaphors.

"What are the similarities between a cat and fog in the poem, such as being gentle, quiet, and cautious? Also, given that the fog is compared to a cat in the poem, what do you know about fog? Which aspect of the comparison surprises you the most?" It's interesting to note that a strong metaphor provides the reader with a unique perspective on the subject being compared. Moreover, a metaphor usually implies deeper connections between the two objects being contrasted. For instance, a connection is drawn between the fog and the cat, which adds to the sense of mystery conveyed.

Consider: "If there were no metaphor in this poem, what would happen?" (A poem would not exist. The poem in this instance is provided by the metaphor.) Help students to realize that a powerful metaphor is never just a decorative element that can be taken out of a literary work—rather, it is a necessary component that cannot be overlooked. 

Refer to Related Resources for more details on metaphors.

Part 2

Assign students to read Langston Hughes' "Dreams," a brief but impactful poem that draws a direct link between freedom and dreams and Dr. King's speech.

Ask, "What are two of the poem's metaphors?" ("a barren field/Frozen with snow" and "a broken-winged bird/That cannot fly") Help students learn the following by discussing the meaning of each metaphor: 

The ability to soar and reach new heights is something that every person should possess, but without dreams, that ability is equivalent to that of a "broken-winged bird." Both must sit and watch others reach new heights, knowing that it will never happen to them.

A "barren field" will not produce any crops. A life devoid of dreams will not yield any benefits to the individual leading it. That individual will be without prospects in the future.

The stark helplessness and immobility of a life devoid of dreams are highlighted by the combination of the two metaphors.

"Now, let's examine metaphor, which is an essential component of a prose selection," you may say. Play a video of Martin Luther King Jr.'s "I Have a Dream" speech for the class. As the speech comes to an end, assign small groups to carefully read it and make notes about the metaphors. Some instances are as follows:

The Declaration of Emancipation is a "great beacon light of hope."

the elaborative metaphor "A promissory note to which every American was to fall heir" is how the Constitution and the Declaration of Independence are related, and this relationship is further discussed in several additional references.

segregation is equivalent to a “dark and desolate valley”

“racial justice” is equivalent to a “sunlit path”

“The sweltering summer of the Negro’s legitimate discontent”

“an invigorating autumn of freedom and equality”

“The whirlwinds of revolt”

“Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of bitterness and hatred.”

“the palace of justice”

the biblical quotation “Justice rolls down like waters, and righteousness like a mighty stream”

“the valley of despair”

“the heat of oppression”

“an oasis of freedom of justice.” 

Ask each group to briefly present one of their examples and then discuss the significance of these metaphors for the speech and the reasons they believe Dr. King used them.

Part 3

Say, "Metaphor is an effective tool for thinking and communicating." Examine the metaphors in Lincoln's "A House Divided" speech and Shakespeare's "All the World's a Stage" speech with your students (see Materials). Encourage students to study metaphors thoroughly to fully understand them. Note how our history and culture have incorporated these potent metaphors. Talk about the following queries:

"What are some similarities between a house and our government/country?" (They can be large or small, have distinctive designs, and provide safety and shelter. Both are products of human creation, so they are both vulnerable to human destruction.)

"What similarities can you see between a stage and the real world?" (They both center on interpersonal interactions, usually with scenes that change depending on the characters' philosophical and religious beliefs, sometimes in a dramatic, sometimes humorous way.  think that both are preset.)

Part 4

Show the lesson "Using Metaphors in Creative Writing" (see Materials) on a screen, then lead the students through a quick recap of metaphors, their applications, and creative ways to use them. Invite students to talk about the examples and the reasons they work or don't work.

Encourage your students to come up with some original metaphors. Students should create two lists, one of tangible items and the other of intangible ones, working in small groups. After that, have the group combine two dissimilar items—one from each list—to create a metaphor. (Hammer and anger, for instance, could mean that he pounded the group into submission with his angry voice; loneliness and clouds, on the other hand, could mean that loneliness enveloped him, blocking out the light and darkening the day.)

Ask each group to present one or two of their favorite metaphors for analysis.

Extension:

An easy-to-complete exercise is available for students who might be exceeding the requirements. Most students are likely acquainted with the metaphor of life as a journey. Ask students to list as many metaphors as they can related to sports, shopping, or education. Permit students to write a summary of each for a few additional minutes. Invite students to present their lists to others. Next, assign the students to rank the metaphors' originality either individually or in small groups.

For students who require extra learning opportunities, use "What Is a Metaphor?" (see Related Resources).