Meaning in Figurative Language

Meaning in Figurative Language

The Lesson Activities will help you meet these educational goals:

21st Century Skills—You will employ online tools for research and analysis,use critical thinking skills, and communicate effectively.

Directions

Pleasesave this document before you begin working on the assignment. Type your answers directly in the document. ______

Teacher-GradedActivities

Write a response for each of the following activities. Check the Evaluation section at the end of this document to make sure you have met the expected criteria for the assignment. When you have finished, submit your work to your teacher.

1. Figurative Language in Poems

Read theShakespeareansonnets listed below:

• “From you I have been absent in spring” (Sonnet 98)
• “When in disgrace with fortune and men’s eyes” (Sonnet 29)
• “When to the sessions of sweet silent thought” (Sonnet 30)

1. As you read thesesonnets, write down any words or phrases that are not used in a literal way. Focus on words or phrases that make you pause and reflect on their figurative meaning or use.

Once you have located six examples, identify the figure of speech and provide a definition for each. Here are some figures of speech that you should locate: parallelism, personification, metaphor, simile, metonymy, synecdoche, and hyperbole. In the last column, provide your own analysis of the meaning of the figure of speech as it is used in the poem. Two examples have been provided to get you started.

Type your response in the table:

1. While reading through the poems above, you might have come across words for which you do not know the literal meaning. Use the space below to write down any such words.Look up those words in a dictionary and record their definitions.

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1. Why is it important to be able to recognize figurative language and its meaning within the context of literature? Explain your answer.

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1. Figures of Speech Scavenger Hunt

Select several works of literature that you are currently reading in class. Consider novels, short fiction, poems, essays, and plays. Choose one longer work or, if you are working on poetry, choose at least three poems.

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Once you have selected the works(s) of literature you want to work on, engage in a Figures of Speech Scavenger Hunt. Find the figures of speech listed below from the work(s) you have selected. Return to thepoetry glossary and review the schemes and tropesto help you define them. In the “Example” column, list the name of the work and cite the passage by chapter number and page number (or, if you’re working with poetry or drama, the line number) and the passage itself. In the “Explanation/Response” column, explain the meaning of the figurative language as it is used in the passage. Consider the context in which you located the passage.

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1. Effect of Figurative Language

Select one of the works of literature that you used for the previous activity and answer the question below:

What influence or effect does the author’s use of figurative language have on the work as a whole? Write a two- or three-paragraph essay, citing examples from the literature.

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Evaluation

Your teacher will use these rubrics to evaluate the completeness of yourwork as well as the clarity of thinking you exhibit.

Activity 1: Figurative Language in Poems

• Accurately identifies all the figures of speech in the poems
• Consistently fills in requested information about the poem and the figure of speech
• Effectively analyzes the meaning of the figures of speech in the context of the poem
• Precisely gives the literal meanings of all unfamiliar words
• Provides a comprehensive explanation of the importance of recognizing figurative language and its meaning in the works of literature

• Correctly identifies most of the figures of speech in the poems
• Generally fills in requested information about the poem and the figure of speech
• Analyzes the meaning of the figures of speech in the context of the poem fairly well based on memory
• Correctly gives the literal meanings of most of the unfamiliar words
• Provides a thoughtful explanation of the importance of recognizing figurative language and its meaning in the works of literature

• Roughly identifies some of the figures of speech in the poems
• Inconsistently fills in requested information about the poem and the figure of speech
• Struggles to analyze the meaning of the figures of speech in the context of the poem
• Correctly gives the literal meanings of some of the unfamiliar words
• Provides a passable explanation of the importance of recognizing figurative language and its meaning in the works of literature

• Incorrectly identifies some of the figures of speech in the poems
• Fails tofill in requested information about the poem and the figure of speech
• Fails to analyze the meaning of the figures of speech in the context of the poem
• Incorrectly gives the literal meanings of unfamiliar words
• Fails to provide a passable explanation of the importance of recognizing figurative language and its meaning in the works of literature

Activity 2: Figures of Speech Scavenger Hunt

• Consistently fills in requested information about the selected work
• Correctly identifies all figures of speech in the selected work
• Thoroughly explains the meaning of the figurative language in the context of the work

• Generally fills in requested information about the selected work
• Correctly identifies most figures of speech in the selected work
• Adequately explains the meaning of the figurative language in the context of the work

• Inconsistently fills in requested information about the selected work
• Correctly identifies manyof the figures of speech
• Roughly explains the meaning of the figurative language in the context of the work

• Fails to fill in requested information about the selected work
• Incorrectly identifies some of the figures of speech in the selected work
• Vaguely or incorrectly explains the meaning of the figurative language in the context of the work

Activity 3: Effect of Figurative Language

• Demonstrates thorough understanding of figurative language used in the selected work(s) of literature
• Provides a comprehensive and accurate explanation of the effect or influence of the author’s use of figurative language
• Cites appropriate examples from the selected work(s) of literature

• Demonstrates clear understanding of figurative language used in the selected work(s) of literature
• Provides a detailed and correct explanation of the effect or influence of the author’s use of figurative language
• Cites some appropriate examples from the selected work(s) of literature

• Demonstrates some familiarity with the figurative language used in the selected work(s) of literature
• Provides an adequate but rough explanation of the effect or influence of the author’s use of figurative language
• Cites a few appropriate examples from the selected work(s) of literature

• Shows a lack of understanding of the figurative language used in the selected work(s) of literature
• Provides an inadequate and vague explanation of the effect or influence of the author’s use of figurative language
• Fails to cite appropriate examples from the selected work(s) of literature

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