Writing week three

Introduction to metaphor

Preparation work for live session

In this session we're going to be looking at how metaphor can help us add some colour to our writing. The preparation materials will introduce you to the idea of metaphor generally, but put simply, we're using physical/concrete words that we already know to describe abstract concepts that we can't touch or see. For example, in English it's common to say "I've hit a wall" to convey that I've run out of energy to complete a task. You already know the words, but might not have heard them used in this way. So, today's session is all about using common, physical words to say what we mean in new and impactful ways. Some metaphors are already firmly embedded in the lexicon. What do you think the image on the right is saying?

Begin activities on metaphor

These arguments are outdated and have now largely been abandoned.

Live session discussion - task review

We saw some examples of everyday metaphors on pages 1 and 2 of the preparation materials.
- What is the difference between the literal and metaphorical meanings of these words and phrases?
- Had you heard any of these examples before?
What are some advantages of owning a 'brick' style mobile phone?
Did you think the use of metaphor on page 4 improved the essay introduction?
On page 6 we looked at two different ways of talking about argument. They can be built or fought.
- Which of the examples can you remember?
- After watching the documentary yesterday, how might men and women view debates differently?
Choose one of the categories of metaphors that we looked at from page 7. What other examples can you think of? How would you extend the metaphors?
Share the sentences you came up with for the task on page 8. This requires a bit of imagination and thought, so please don't be shy! Tell us your ideas. Remember, this is a tricky concept which takes time to master so don't expect to 'get it' in one lesson.

Further practice - finding metaphors in the wild

Opinion pages of newspapers are a good place to start exploring interesting uses of metaphor, because their language needs to be as emphatic and emotive as possible in order to convey their message. Explore some of the articles in the news today, and record any interesting metaphors that you find on your class Padlet. As a guide:

Does any of the language have another, more physical meaning?
In what part of speech do the metaphors appear? (e.g., nouns, verbs, adjectives or adverbs)
Can you find any examples of abstract concepts being described as people? For example, the economic climate harms business, or society encourages sexism.

Opinion | The GuardianLatest opinion, analysis and discussion from the Guardian. CP Scott: "Comment is free, but facts are sacred"

Teacher's notes

Independent study

Here is a short article written last year in the New Statesman on the impacts of the language choices made to discuss Covid 19. Are we really 'at war' with the virus? The article also acts as a useful summary of some of the concepts we've discussed today.

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