Instruction
— Figurative Language
Prompt:
Write a 1500-2000 word thesis-centered essay using formal essay structure that analyzes the figurative language in the five poems that we read. Select at least two of the types of figurative language listed below and explain how the poets that we read use these types of figurative language to give meaning to the elements of their poems. You must reference at least three of the five poems. Support your ideas with the texts and be careful not to generalize. Remember to focus each paragraph on one point that contributes to the thesis.
Figurative Language is language that makes connections and causes the reader to make associations that are not always automatically made. (1) A metaphor is a comparison of two seemingly unrelated things that, upon analysis, have common qualities. Metaphors are different from similes in that the writer does not use like or as. (2) A simile is a comparison of two seemingly unrelated things that, upon analysis, have common qualities. The comparison in a simile is signaled by like, as, or as if. (3) Personification is giving human qualities to animals, inanimate objects, or abstract concepts. (4) Symbolism is a concrete object, person, or situation used to represent an abstract concept. Symbols often are clues to larger issues, wider implications, or themes.
The Poems:
"At Home in the World" by Rosemary Catacalos
'Bluebirdbluebirdthrumywindow" by Sonia Sanchez
"A Blessing" by James Wright
"One Human Hand" by Li-Young Lee "The Confounding" by Steve Sanfield