MAKING SENSE OF WORDS
​C-A-N B-E E-A-S-Y
​FOR LEARNERS & TEACHERS
​WORD/PLAY
A STUDY OF LANGUAGE FOR IMPACT
WHAT IS A SIMILE?
A technique to draw comparison to two different things. Often the words 'like' and 'as' are used to make the comparison.
For example:
Wendy is as wise as an owl.
Implied meaning:
Wendy is smart and intelligent.
For example:
Joshua’s hands felt as cold as ice.
Implied meaning:
Joshua’s hands felt very cold.
WHAT IS A METAPHOR?
Something that is implied to be another thing.
There is comparison between two things but without using the words 'like' or 'as'.
For example:
Her hope was a fragile seed.
Implied meaning:
Her hopes of achieving something is very thin
(because a fragile seed has a very slim chance
of growing into a plant).
For example:
Time is a thief
Implied meaning:
Time isn’t stealing anything.
Indicates that time and our lives pass quickly.
THE SIMILE & METAPHOR SONG
WHAT IS PERSONIFICATION?
Attaching human traits and characteristics with inanimate objects. In other words, when you assign the qualities of a person to something that isn't human.
For example:
The chair groaned when Matthew stood up to go to the washroom.
Implied meaning:
Matthew could have been tired when he got up from his chair. Instead of lifting the chair up, he dragged it and the chair made a groaning sound.
ACTIVITY - TRY THIS OUT!
1. Watch Katy Perry's Firework video
2. Identify the similes, metaphors and personification in the song Firework.
3. Explain the effect/ implied meaning of the phrase
Do you ever feel like a plastic bag
Drifting through the wind, wanting to start again?
Do you ever feel, feel so paper thin
Like a house of cards, one blow from caving in?
Do you ever feel already buried deep?
Six feet under screams, but no one seems to hear a thing
Do you know that there's still a chance for you
'Cause there's a spark in you?
You just gotta ignite the light and let it shine
Just own the night like the 4th of July
'Cause baby, you're a firework
Come on, show 'em what you're worth
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
As you shoot across the sky
Baby, you're a firework
Come on, let your colors burst
Make 'em go, oh, oh, oh
You're gonna leave 'em falling down
You don't have to feel like a waste of space
You're original, cannot be replaced
If you only knew what the future holds
After a hurricane comes a rainbow
Maybe you're reason why all the doors are closed
So you could open one that leads you to the perfect road
Like a lightning bolt, your heart will blow
And when it's time, you'll know
Understanding
the song:
A good understanding of similes, metaphors and personification will help you realise that the song is not about fireworks.
Instead, this song Firework teaches us not to be afraid to express who we really are and not let our shortcomings stop us from being who we really want to be. If we look deeper, we will find the spark in us that will ignite the firework within us.
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