Similes &

Metaphors
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 Literal and Figurative Language
A. Literal language
is used to mean exactly what is written.
It was raining a lot, so I rode the bus.
B. Figurative language
is used to mean something other than what is written;
something symbolic, suggested, or implied
It was raining cats and dogs, so I rode the bus.

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 Literal and Figurative Language
A. Literal language: It was raining a lot, so I rode the bus.
• the writer means to explain exactly what is written
• the writer chose to ride the bus because of the heavy rain

B. Figurative language: It was raining cats and dogs, so I rode the bus.
• not actually cats and dogs falling from rain clouds
• instead, the rain felt so heavy and large that it was almost as if
small animals were falling from the sky

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Simile and metaphor are figurative language

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 Simile
Simile
4 Her mind is as sharp as a razor.
5 For I knew his eyes like an old, old song.
Her long, blue skirt was like a river, flowing behind her in
6 the breeze.
His hands were as cold as ice after walking home during
7 the snow-storm.
8 My good intent has fallen short like an air ball.

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 Metaphor
Metaphor
9 His answer to the problem was just a Band-Aid, not a
solution.
10 The path of anger is easier to travel than the road to
forgiveness.
11 The teacher planted the seeds of wisdom.
12 The wheels of justice turn slowly.

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 Identifying Similes & Metaphors
 
Simile or Metaphor?
13 He is as tall as a tree.  

14 My book bag feels like a bag of rocks.  

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 Identifying Similes & Metaphors
 
Simile or Metaphor?
13 He is as tall as a tree. Simile

14 My book bag feels like a bag of rocks. Simile

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 Analyzing Similes & Metaphors
• Similes and metaphors (and other figurative
language) are used to compare one thing to
another, showing how the things are similar or
different.
• Looking back at Table 4, think about what is being
compared to what?
• Circle the two parts of the sentence that are being
compared.
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 Analyzing Similes & Metaphors
Circle the subject of the sentence and what the subject is being compared to.

 
13 He is as tall as a tree.
14 My book bag feels like a bag of rocks.
15 The snow is a white blanket.
16 She dances like she was trying to shake a spider off her leg.
17 He is the Michael Jordan of his basketball team.
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 Analyzing Similes & Metaphors
• Figurative language is one way that poets express
themselves & create imagery.
• We will be identifying and analyzing similes and metaphors
using “Tell Them”.
1. Is the phrase listed a simile or a metaphor?
2. What is being compared (the subject)?
3. What is that subject/thing being compared to?
4. What did the author mean by making this comparison?
• We fill in the first four rows together, as a class.
• Fill out the rest of the handout working in groups of 2-3.
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Analyzing Similes & Metaphors: “Tell Them”
Phrases from the Poem: Simile or What is being To what? What is the author trying to
Metaphor compared? say with this comparison?
black pearls glinting like simile the black pearls an eye This is a description of the
an eye in a storm of tight package of earrings she is
spirals preparing for her friends.
a proud people toasted        
dark brown as the carved
ribs of a tree stump
our islands were dropped        
from a basket carried by
a giant
the hallow hulls of        
canoes as fast as the
wind

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 Lesson 3 Preview
• Turn in Simile & Metaphor handout.
• Poetic Structure:
• Repetition
• Alliteration
• Rhyme
• Form
• Identifying and Analyzing Repetition, Alliteration, & Rhyme
• Identifying and Analyzing Form: “Learning to Love America”
• Poetic Structure in Action: “Tell Them”

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Women Poetry Lesson 2: Similes & Metaphors

Curriculum Developer:
Prabhneek Heer
Curriculum Contributors:
Patricia Kwoh

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