In class, we've been discussing the parts of a metaphor and the ways we can use the parts of metaphors in poetry to better understand meaning in a poem. Your task for tonight's homework is to post 3 metaphors (remember, that can include similes as well!) from 1 poem or song you know well. Under each metaphor, list its parts (the tenor, vehicle & grounds). After, write a little bit about what the metaphors have in common and what you can better understand about the poem or song through its metaphors.
Don't forget to cite your poem!
My example:
"I know you'll be a star in somebody else's sky" (Eddie Vedder, "Black," Pearl Jam Ten)
tenor: you
vehicle: a star in somebody else's sky
grounds: both the person the speaker describes and the star will be bright & important
"All five horizons revolved around her soul as the Earth to the Sun" (Eddie Vedder, "Black," Pearl Jam Ten)
tenor (a): the five horizons tenor (b): her soul
vehicle (a): the Earth vehicle (b): the Sun
grounds: one revolves around the other; everything important in his life revolved around her in the same way the Earth revolves around the sun
"And now my bitter hands cradle broken glass of what was everything" (Eddie Vedder, "Black," Pearl Jam Ten)
tenor: what was everything
vehicle: broken glass
grounds: both are shattered
These metaphors help to communicate the meaning that the speaker feels that he has lost everything important in his life since his relationship has ended. He is devastated that she will be important in someone else's life in the future and will cease to have a central role in his. He talks about the way his world revolved around her, describes his world as shattered now that she's left it and says that she'll "be a star in somebody else's sky," lamenting that she will not "be a star" in "[his]."
"Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street" (Taylor Swift, "Red," Red)
ReplyDeletetenor: loving him
vehicle: driving a new Maserati down a dead end street
grounds: both loving him and driving a new Maserati down a dead end street start off exhilarating and passionate, but end so suddenly
"Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you've never met" (Taylor Swift, "Red," Red)
tenor: forgetting him
vehicle: trying to know somebody you've never met"
grounds: they are both impossible
"Loving him was red" (Taylor Swift, "Red," Red)
tenor: loving him
vehicle: red
grounds: red and loving him are both bright and passionate.
"An emerald is as green as grass," ( Christina Rossetti, "Flint")
ReplyDeletetenor: an emerald
vehicle:green grass
grounds: the emerald was a grassy green color
"A ruby red as blood;" (Christina Rossetti, "Flint")
tenor: ruby
vehicle: blood
grounds: the ruby was a blood red color
"A sapphire shines as blue as heaven;" (Christina Rossetti, "Flint")
tenor: a sapphire
vehicle: heaven
grounds: the sapphire was so bright and blue it looked like heaven
"Skies are crying, I am watching Catching teardrops in my hands", (Demi Lovato, "Skyscraper", Unbroken)
ReplyDeleteTenor: rain
Vehicle: as tear drops
Grounds: rain is the sky's way of crying
"Go on and try to tear me down I will be rising from the ground Like a skyscraper", (Demi Lovato, "Skyscraper, Unbroken)
Tenor: I/Me (Demi or the speaker)
Vehicle: Skyscrapper
Grounds: No matter what someone does to her she will not fall down like a skyscrapper
"You can break everything I am Like I'm made of glass", (Demi Lovato, "Skyscrapper", Unroken)
Tenor:the speaker
Vehicle: glass
grounds: The speaker and glass is both weak and broken easily
"The last leaves fell like notes from a piano" (Derek Walcott, "Forest of Europe")
ReplyDeleteTenor: The last leaves
Vehicle: Notes from a piano
Grounds: The leaves are falling away and are gone from the trees, like music from a piano that stops playing music.
"So every spring these branches load their shelves, like libaries with newly published leaves" (Derek Walcott, "Forest of Europe")
Tenor: Branches load their shelves
Vehicles: Libaries with newly published leaves
Grounds: The branches of the trees are covered with snow, like how a library is filled with books.
"and every February, every 'last autumn',you write far from the threshing harvesters folding wheat like a girl plaiting her hair" (Derek Walcott, "Forest of Europe")
Tenor: Folding wheat
Vehicle: Girl plaiting her hair
Grounds: It means that the harvesters fold the wheat and combine it togehter, like a girl plaiting, or braiding, her hair.
"I want a girl with a mind like a diamond" (John McCrea, "Short Skirt, Long Jacket", Comfort Eagle, Cake)
ReplyDeletetenor:mind
Vehicle: diamond
Ground: the speaker wants a girl with a sharp mind/ a quick thinker
"And eyes that burn like cigarettes" (John McCrea, "Short Skirt, Long Jacket", Comfort Eagle, Cake)
tenor: eyes
vehicle: cigarettes
ground: The speaker wants a girl with deep, burning eyes
"And a voice that is dark like tinted glass" (John McCrea, "Short Skirt, Long Jacket", Comfort Eagle, Cake)
tenor: voice
vehicle:tinted glass
Ground: The speaker wants a girl with a tantalizing voice
These metaphors help the speaker tell the listener what the perfect girl is to him. He wants a smart, beautiful, and daring girl.
"The eraser erased my bad habits" (Beatrice Alesana-Rennie, "The Pencil Case")
ReplyDeleteTenor: bad habits
Vehicle: eraser
Ground: An eraser erases writing as her friend helps her get rid of or "erase" bad habits.
"While the pencil drew in new ones" (Beatrice Alesana-Rennie, "The Pencil Case")
Tenor: new habits
Vehicle: pencil
Ground: The pencil draws on paper as her friends helped her "draw" a new habit.
"Finally, the ruler
I had to measure up to your standards" (Beatrice Alesana-Rennie, "The Pencil Case")
Tenor: her friends standards
Vehicle: measuring with the ruler
Ground: The speaker had to measure up to her friends standards as a ruler measures up to the paper.
All the metaphors compare friendship and school supplies that would be in a pencil case. The metaphor definitely helped me understand the poem more. As school supplies and tools help you succeed in school, her friend helps her succeed in changing her life and friendship.
"As the promises of freedom did themselves unwind"
ReplyDeleteTenor:promises of freedom
Vehicle:umwind
grounds:the promises unwouned
"But when the document was given its final show
The Colonial Congress, decided compromise would flow"
Tenor:the document
Vehicle: given
Grounds: the document was given
"To compromise may seem the best to leave it lay at rest
But to The Lord of Heaven,He'll place you to His test"
Tenor: the lord of heaven
Vehicle: placing you to his teat
Grounds: the lord of heaven will place you to his test.
all these metaphors were from the poem called "The Declaration of Independence"
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/the-declaration-of-independence/
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ReplyDelete"He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf," (Clement Clark Moore, "A Visit from St. Nicholas")
DeleteTenor: He, or St. Nicholas
Vehicle: a right jolly, old elf.
Grounds: St. Nicholas was a plump and jolly man.
"The beard of his chin was as white as the snow." (Clement Clark Moore, "A Visit from St. Nicholas")
Tenor: his beard
Vehicle: the snow
Grounds: He had a very white beard.
"He had a broad face and a little round belly,
That shook when he laughed, like a bowlful of jelly." (Clement Clark Moore, "A Visit from St. Nicholas")
Tenor: his little, round belly
Vehicle: a bowlful of jelly
Grounds: His belly shook like jelly.
These metaphors from "A Visit from St. Nicholas" help the reader to understand what St. Nicholas looked like. From these metaphors, we know he was a plump, jolly man with a white beard and a large belly. This helps us create an image of the story in our head as we read the poem.
Delete“You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog” (Elvis Presley, Hound Dog)
ReplyDeleteTenor: You
Vehicle: Hound Dog
Grounds: You are nothing, but imply just a hound dog.
“Well, you ain't never caught a rabbit, And you ain’t no friend of mine” ” (Elvis Presley, Hound Dog)
Tenor: You
Vehicle: Rabibit
Grounds: You are not a friend of mine.
“Yeah, they said, you was high classed, Well, that was just a lie” (Elvis Presley, Hound Dog)
Tenor: You
Vehicle: High Classed
Grounds: It was all just a lie.
This is a very good song by Elvis Presley. Each metaphor has something describing “you” and talks about this person in a different way. I understand about the poem that this person isn’t a friend of the other person and this person tells him lies and is not a good friend.
"Loving him is like trying to change your mind once you're already flying through the free fall" (Taylor Swift, Red, Red)
ReplyDeletetenor: loving him
vehicle: changing your mind in free fall
grounds: they are both extremely hard to do (implies the person must be hard to love)
"Fighting with him was like yrying to solve a crossword and realizing there's no right answer"(Taylor Swift, Red, Red)
tenor: fighting
vehicle: solving a crossword with no solution
grounds: both can't be won or turn out in your favor
"His love was like driving a new Maserati down a dead-end street" (Taylor Swift, Red, Red)
tenor: his love
vehicle: driving the fast car down a short street
grounds: stopping both (a fast car and love) is difficult to do
These metaphors help the reader see how hard it is for the speaker to love this man. All the experiences stated in the metaphors are things that are almost impossible to experience. This helps the reader to know that the speaker had a difficult time loving a man and uses concrete details to relate it others.
“You, with your words like knives and swords and weapons that you use against me”
ReplyDeleteTenor: words
Vehicle: knives and swords and weapons
Ground: mean words used to put someone down
“You, have knocked me off my feet again got me feeling like I’m nothing”
Tenor: I’m nothing
Vehicle: knocked me off my feet
Ground: using mean words to be mean (bullying)
“You, with your voice like nails on a chalkboard, calling me out when I’m wounded”
Tenor: your voice
Vehicle: nails on a chalkboard
Ground: bad sounding, mean
These lines are ways the person/bully uses words to put me/victim down. The lines are all how the bully is mean to the victim using words and then the victim rises up accomplishes their dreams and becomes “big enough so you can’t hit me”
Mean
Taylor Swift
Speak Now Album
http://www.metrolyrics.com/mean-lyrics-taylor-swift.html
"Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street"[TAYLOR SWIFT - RED]
ReplyDeleteTenor: loving him
vehicule: dricing a new Maserati down a dead end street.
grounds: they both sart well but have no good endings
"Missing him was dark grey all alone"[TAYLOR SWIFT - RED]
tenor:missing him
vehicule: dark grey all alone
grounds:they both have a sad feeling to them.
"Memorizing him was as easy as knowing all the words to your old favorite song"[TAYLOR SWIFT - RED]
tenor:memorizing him
vehicule: knowing all the words to your old favorite song.
grounds: it seemed to her that it was the perfect fit and that they were both so easy.
Tsylor Swift is describing her new boyfriend with only metaphors and is usinng figurative language to make it sound poetic and romantic.
"The last leaves fell like notes from a piano"
ReplyDeleteTenor: Leaves
Vehicle: Notes from a piano
Grounds: Both are results of something. Leaves leave a tree when it's cold, notes leave a piano when played.
"brown-bricked glass above your head as bright as whisky"
Tenor: Brown-bricked glass
Grounds: Whisky
Vehicle: Both have a deep color, very much like amber. Each can be recognized by color.
"So every spring these branches load their shelves, like libraries with newly published leaves"
Tenor: Branches
Vehicle: Libraries with newly published leaves
Grounds: Both "restock" on something. Trees grow new leaves, libraries get new books.
"Forest of Europe" by Derek Walcott. http://famouspoetsandpoems.com/poets/derek_walcott/poems/11265.html
These metaphors all describe trees in the autumn and feelings of warmth and security as winter approaches. It's almost as if the reader can feel the autumn chill in the very air they breath, but are rejuvenated by the heat of a fire. The images are of trees losing their green color, becoming red and brown, and shedding their leaves much like a snake sheds its skin.
"Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street
ReplyDeleteFaster than the wind
Passionate as sin, ended so suddenly"
tenor- loving him
vehicle- driving a maserati down a dead end street
grounds: the both are faster than the wind, passionate as sin, and end so suddenly
"Fighting with him was like trying to solve a crossword and realizing there’s no right answer"
tenor- fighting him
vehicle- trying to solve a crossword puzzle and realizing there's no right answer
grounds- both are pointless. Fighting with someone and realizing no one is going to win, and trying to solve a crossword puzzle that isn't going to have a correct answer
"Forgetting him was like trying to know somebody you've never met"
tenor- forgetting him
vehicle- trying to know somebody you never met
grounds- both are impossible. she is saying its just as impossible to forget him, just as how its impossible to know someone that you've never even met
These metaphors in the song Red By Taylor Swift help me understand much better on how she feels about her boyfriend. All of these metaphors describe how she feels about there relationship and what their relationship is like through her eyes.
Loving him is like driving a new Maserati down a dead end street
ReplyDeletetenor: Loving him
vehicle: driving a new Maserati down a dead end street
grounds: both fast and exciting but ends poorly
Loving him is like trying to change your mind
Once you’re already flying through the free fall
tenor: loving him
vehicle: changing your mind once you’re already flying through the free fall
grounds: both very difficult
Loving him was red
tenor: loving him
vehicle: red
grounds: both radiant and fervent things
Taylor Swift-Red
The metaphors in the song help describe the singers love and passion towards her boyfriend, and how exciting and precious there time was together. As well as how poorly and blue she felt when it ended.
"My eyes are the colour of red like the sunset"
ReplyDeletetenor; eyes
vehicle; sunset
grounds; red
" strumming on my heart strings like you were a grade 8"
tenor; heart "strings"
vehicle; grade 8
grounds; strumming
"Your chest is a pillow for my weary head to lay to rest again"
tenor; chest
vehicle; pillow
grounds; rest on
(Grade 8, Ed Sheeran)
All of the metaphors/similes are all being compared to things that aren't normally associated with the tenor. They all are talking about a person who is affecting them & making them feel differently.
"Loving him is like trying to change your mind once youre already flying through free fall."
ReplyDeleteTenor- change your mind
Vehicle- free fall
Grounds- once you are falling, it's too late to go back and change your mind. You just have to go through with it because its impossible to go back.
"Missing him was dark grey all alone."
Tenor- missing him
Vehicle- dark grey
Grounds- missing him is a terrible feeling. dark grey is a dreary and dull color so if you were to describe feelings using colors dark grey would be the color of missing someone and feeling all alone. It's sad and depressing.
"Loving him was red."
Tenor- loving
Vehicle- red
Grounds- love is having a burning passion for someone, just like red is a burning color. Loving someone and the color red are both fiery and vibrant.
Taylor Swift "Red"
Album: Red
The metaphors in this song help the listener to pick up what the song is about. Each metaphor is describing what affect this person has in the singer's life. they describe the impossibility of trying to love someone else once you have already fallen for that certain person, the dull and horrible feeling of being alone and missing him when he is not around, and lastly, the burning and undying love for the person.
" When I get older I will be stronger they'll call me freedom, just like a waving flag"
ReplyDeleteTenor- Freedom
Vehicle- Waving flag
Grounds- A waving flag represents freedom in any democracy.
(K'naan "Waving Flag")
" Try to control us but they couldn't hold us, because we just move forward like buffalo soldiers."
Tenor- We move forward
Vehicle- Buffalo Soldiers
Grounds- The buffalo soldiers were an African-American unit during the civil war and just like most union units in that war, they would always move forward.
( K'naan "Waving Flag")
" Life is a highway, I want to ride it."
Tenor- Life
Vehicle-Highway
Grounds- Life is just like a roadtrip on a highway: where you want to take an exit, how fast you want to go etc.
( Gary LeVox "Life is a highway" Rascal Flatts)
I feel like all these metaphors are simple and eay to understand, but they represent something bold. Big concepts like freedom, pushing forward, and life that are told through these metaphors making them much easier to understand. Metaphors are everything that express are world, whether it something complex like life or something simple like the color red. You can't describe the color red without using some sort of metaphor.