ENGL 2003: Introduction to Poetry

Hello everyone, I am a seeker for this week and I posted a website that basically summarizes figurative speech expressions in simple terms. I selected this website because it gives reasonable definitions and examples that will further explain each term.  This website was developed by a high school professor trying to teach students the different topics related to poetry. It also displays pictures next to examples along with links that can help you in other areas of literature. I will give you a quick sample of a definition displayed on the website, “A simile makes a comparison between two things which are unalike. Again, you have probably done this and not even realized it. The kicker on this one is you have to use the words like or as. Here are a couple of examples; The muscles on his arms were strong as iron. As easy as A.B.C. As easy as pie. As fat as a pig. As fit as a fiddle.” I found this website helpful, I hope it helps.  

http://sites.google.com/site/english10everyday/english-10-home-1/figurative-language

First responders

In the reading “What’s It like? Simile, Metaphor, and other figures”, it talks about how the mind itself operates by finding likenesses. It is often expressed by simile or metaphor. A simile is a figure of speech in which two unlike things are explicitly compared and metaphor is a figure of speech in which a term or phrase is applied to something to which it is not literally applicable in order to suggest a resemblance. Money was one example that was use when comparing with time, that time is money. It is referring to the notion that time is valuable and money is wasted when a person’s time is not used productively. It also talks about how we save time, waste time, spend time, have extra time to give to someone, etc. This is when we use metaphor to identity something that associate with something else.

The poem The Silken Tent by Robert Frost is an example of using simile and metaphor. It is beautiful poem that can be interpreted differently by different people. You can say that the tent is a metaphor for woman, set out for us in the field that represents society; the pole is the masculine strength and support for the feminine side which is pictured as the ‘tent’. The countless silken ties of love and thought can be her love, loyalty, trust and care to everything around her. The movement of the tent in the capriciousness of summer air, as the woman does something playful or naughty when warm and emotional, she is reminded of her responsibility and that she should go back to her duties.

*First Responder Post*

A simile, metaphor, analogy, synesthesia, allusion, personification and mythology is one of many ways a poet can work their way into a readers mind. These literary devices help broaden the horizon of the poem from a written perspective into a visual one. With the help of these devices readers can now understand the message the poet is trying to convey without saying it directly.

For simile and metaphor the author said on page 19 that “ the mind operates by finding likeness when a new piece of information is fed into the brain”. How he stated this shows how a poet is trying to capture but at the same time make the context simple so it can be compared to real life. For example in the poem My Life Had Stood- A Loaded Gun by Emily Dickinson lines 10 to 11 says, “ upon the valley glow- it is as a vesuvian face”. She compares how the valley looks to the face of a person with rage. But metaphors are still comparing without the use of “like or “as”.

An analogy is closely related to a metaphor by finding a similarity between “unlike objects”. Synesthesia is a type of analogy that shows a mixture of data to understand another part. On page 34 it says how musical notes were compared to color because he saw colors when he heard notes. An allusion is references that you would understand depending on knowledge or background. According to page 35 there is an example that’s found in the first chapter of Genesis, “And God said, let there be light: and there was light”. Personification is the giving of human characteristics to inanimate objects. Lisel Muller said, “ The faucet sweats out a bead of water”. This gave the faucet the human ability to sweat. While mythology is references to ancient myths.

Out of all these literary devices some individuals might prefer personification to similes or synesthesia more than allusion. But is one more important, boring or better than another?

Reading: WW: “What’s It Like? Simile, Metaphor, and Other Figures” (pp. 18-45)

Writing: Blogging Assignment

Additional instructions:

1. Please indicate whether your post is a “first responder” post or a “seeker” post. You can do that by adding a tag if you know how (look in the right-hand sidebar of the editing interface); otherwise, just add those words at the beginning or end of the post itself.

2. Please pay attention to length requirements.

3. Please make an effort to connect your post with our readings. It should be obvious, in your post, that you’ve done the reading and that you’re responding to specific aspects of the reading. Mention specifics and really try to connect your post to the text

If you have any questions about this assignment, please contact me by email or leave a comment here.