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Creating metaphors
Instructor, Jan-Feb, 1999 by Paul B. Janeczko
Enliven your students' poetry writing by teaching them how to use metaphors. These clever literary devices are direct comparisons between two seemingly unrelated objects without using the words like or as (used in similes). They get a thought or feeling across through succinct and vivid wording and can help set the tone of a piece. For instance, a funny metaphor, such as "the moon is a big wheel of cheese," can reinforce a poem's humor.
Start With What Your Students Know
Your students may not realize it, but they use metaphors all the time. For example, they may have said, "My room is a dump," or called a smart student "a brain." Ask them to come up with other metaphors they use in daily life.
Marshal Their Senses
To help children come up with a plethora of ideas for metaphors, take them on an observation walk. Wander through the school halls, cafeteria, and playground, and have your students write down words and phrases that describe what they see, smell, feel, and hear. Encourage them to make comparisons that will bring their observations to life. For example, a squeaky swing could be a metaphor for an annoying sibling.
Inspire Creative Ideas
Another way to get children thinking metaphorically is to create a poetry suitcase. Bring a bag filled with interesting objects to class and ask the students to come up with metaphors for them. I've packed all sorts of items in my suitcase, from a gold hoop earring (which the kids compared to the sun) to a huge dried maple leaf (the veins of the leaf were compared to the lines of an old man's hand).
Provide Appealing Examples in Poetry
Once your students get the hang of metaphors, introduce them to poetry that uses the literary device clearly and effectively (see "Poems Using Metaphors", in the box below). In our miniposter poem, "Cumulus Clouds," the poet Sheryl L. Nelms vividly compares white, fluffy clouds to dollops of whipped cream. Read the poem to your students without revealing the title. Have them figure out what the metaphor represents. Then ask the class what the tone of the metaphor is: Is it fun? Serious? Fantastical? Realistic? and so on. Then have them think of other metaphors the poet could have used to describe cumulus clouds.
Have Youngsters Wax Metaphoric
To help your students compose metaphors in their poems, have them answer these questions: What does the subject I want to write about remind me of? What object, emotion, or experience can I compare it to? For example, the windy storm can be compared to an express train rumbling through the night. As your students share their metaphors, discuss with them whether the metaphors are vivid, original, and accurate.
Poems Using Metaphors
* The Space Between Our Footsteps, selected by Naomi Shihab (Simon & Schuster, 1998)
* Ordinary Things, by Ralph Fletcher (Atheneum, 1997)
* All the Small Poems and Fourteen More, by Valerie Worth (Farrar, 1994)
Paul B. Janeczko, a former teacher, is a poet living in Hebron, Maine. He is the editor of numerous books on poetry. His most recent publication is Favorite Poetry Lessons (call 800-SCHOLASTIC).
COPYRIGHT 1999 Scholastic, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2000 Gale Group
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