What's a Metaphor For?

Metaphors are a form of figurative language that are never true, but they always point toward the truth. Metaphors make connections between two unalike things to create an understanding in someone that they could not have experienced without the metaphor's comparison. Time is a thief. It's not really, but time does share some characteristics with what a thief does. For example, a thief takes something away and you don't get it back, just as when time passes things are taken away from us. Our youth. Free time. Loved ones. Think about "skyscrapers". They don't literally scrape the sky, but they are incredibly tall and it's almost as if they do. The term "skyscraper" helps people understand the truth about what they truly are.

1) Students studied metaphors and other forms of figurative language including similes, allusions, and story as metaphor. They saw these in poems, songs, stories, fairy tales, Far Side comics, and in everyday language.

2) Students then had a choice of a project to show their understanding of how metaphors work. They could create a poem showing the truth about who they are; a Far Side type comic delving into allusion; a story or song as metaphor creating an entire narrative showing the truth about a problem in the real world; or create a "literal metaphor" where students show a metaphor in a literal way in the form of film, sculpture, painting, comic book, etc.

3) After spending two weeks working on, revising, and refining their projects along with analyses students presented their work to their classes. This allowed a showcase for their hard work, and a chance to reinforce understandings in all students.

What Am I?

by Amanda F.

I am a hermit crab rising from beneath my shell.


I am a brainiac twisted and mingled in my thoughts, constantly in motion.


I am an elastic band stretching beyond my ordinary limits.


I am a never-ending roller coaster filled with a jungle of impatience and smarts.


I am a flickering light that never fades away.

Led Zeppelin Gathers Moss,

while the Rolling Stones Rock On

Jadon chose to work with the metaphor "a rolling stone gathers no moss," but turned the metaphor literal in an interesting way. A classic rock fan he thought about how Led Zeppelin was a rock band that gathered moss because it stopped rolling (the band broke up), and the Rolling Stones gathers no figurative moss because they continue to tour and put out new albums.   

In this allusion Chandra makes a connection between something students do in class, with what Ororo "Storm" Munroe's mutant power is (i.e. controlling the weather) and what might possibly happen as she gets her brain storming.

Stumping Sherlock

by Abby R.

I am the overflowing dump where people trash their emotions.

I am the needy toddler throwing Cheerios, making commotion.

I am the opportunity of a lifetime you can’t pass by,

I am that sparkly ordainment that catches your eye.

I am transparent, outspoken, someone you can see through.

 I am the Rubix Cube making Sherlock feel like he doesn’t have a clue.

Partial Poem Analysis of Abby's Poetic Brilliance

This “I am” poem shows a lot of characteristics about me. The metaphor “I am the overflowing dump where people trash their emotion,” explains how I am a good person to talk to. A lot of times when people talk to me they tell me why they’re upset, or why they’re mad, or why they had a bad day. This makes it so much harder on me to focus on my own problems because I am worrying about them. This puts so much on my shoulders.

            Another metaphor that shows a characteristic of me is “I am the needy toddler throwing Cheerios, making commotion.” This shows that I am loud. I love this metaphor because toddlers are very funny, and silly. Toddlers are jaw-dropping. They are out there and they don’t have to worry about what other people think of them, they wouldn’t care if someone didn’t like their outfit, or how they looked. This is like me because I think that all people should feel this way. I think people should be who they want and not care what other people think.

            Lastly, the metaphor “I am a Rubix Cube that made Sherlock not have a clue,” shows that sometimes I am confusing. I am confusing because sometimes people don’t understand why I am a certain way or why I do certain things. I think it’s hard for people to understand that I am who I am and I’m not going to change. I am the Rubix Cube and the people around me are Sherlock. Sherlock was a great detective who could figure anything out, but when I was the Rubix Cube, he got confused.

Simon is"Cooler than the Other Side of the Pillow."

When someone says this you're supposed to make the connection between when you flip your pillow over in the middle of a sweltering night to get a refreshing cool feeling, and how we use the word "cool" to mean very popular or interesting. In his sculpture Simon created a fiery hell side of his pillow, that when flipped reveals the cool, calming colors of water.

[hover over pic to see the fiery backside, or click for a cool pin-up for your locker]

Culpa et Intoxicatus

by M. Hlady

The consumption. Such as the name suggests, England was infested and devoured by the rampant plague. This is the story of a business man, a very successful one mind you, afflicted with the insidious tuberculosis. This is his short tale of woe. This is the story of Lelouch Smithson. Lelouch owned a fairly successful building and loan association. He was by no means an old man, and had already become a success, with the rest of his life ahead of him until April the 3rd, when he became bedridden with a savage cough. We begin there, with a “friend” at his bedside.

Time is a Thief

by M. Bell

Take a moment to reflect on all of the things time has stolen, and eventually will steal from you.

Depressing. Thanks Bell.