Figurative Language Lesson

Plans: Identifying Figurative

Language in Poetry
High School English Lesson Plans, Grades 9-12 / By Trent
Lorcher / High School Lesson Plans & Tips
It was my first year teaching and Mrs. Gotohek sat in the back of
the room writing my teacher evaluation. Things were going well
until Loni Burgerflip in the front row asked a question. "Mr.
Troubled," she asked, "These are great figurative language lesson
plans and I kind of like identifying figurative language in poetry,
but when will I ever use this?"
I could have said that identifying figurative language in
poetryincreases enjoyment, reading comprehension, and enables
students to develop critical thinking skills. Instead, my stomach
churned and I threw up on the overhead projector. Mrs. Gotohek
fired me on the spot and my Identifying Figurative Language
Lesson Plans have remained dormant ever since.
Until now.

Identifying Figurative
Language in Poetry
Students must be familiar with the following terms:
 1. Figurative language: a technique poets (and others) use to
create strong imagery. Figurative language conveys meaning
beyond the literal meaning of the words.
2. Simile: a type of figurative language in which two seemingly
unlike things are compared using like or as.
 Payday loans are like a blight on one’s financial soul.

3. Metaphor: a type of figurative language that directly

compares two unlike objects.
 During the day it was a thunderous surge of cars, a great

insect rustling.
4. Personification: a type of figurative language in which
animals, inanimate objects, or ideas are given human
qualities.
 The wind howled its disapproval as we opened the front

door.
5. Synecdoche: a part of something substituted for the whole.
 Romeo, give me thy heart and we shall enjoy our love.

What is a Caesura?
We all speak. We all breathe. We all take breaths when we speak. When we say, 'Julie made the
finals in track,' we take a breath before saying, 'But Brian didn't,' and then another breath before
saying, 'He fell and sprained his ankle.' Besides allowing us to speak without suffocating, these
pauses form the natural rhythms of our speech. Just as there are pauses in our speech, there are
pauses in the lines that make up a poem. These pauses have a name.
A caesura is a pause in a line of poetry that is formed by the rhythms of natural speech rather than
by metrics. A caesura will usually occur near the middle of a poetic line but can also occur at the
beginning or the end of a line. In poetry, there are two types of caesural breaks: feminine and
masculine. A caesura is usually indicated by the symbol // but can be indicated by a single crossed
line.

Examples
A caesura will usually occur in the middle of a line of poetry. This caesura is called a medial
caesura. For example, in the children's verse, 'Sing a Song of Sixpence,' the caesura occurs in the
middle of each line:
'Sing a song of sixpence, // a pocket full of rye.
Four and twenty blackbirds, // baked in a pie.
When the pie was opened, // the birds began to sing;
Wasn't that a dainty dish, // to set before the king?'
These medial caesurae indicate where most native speakers of English would naturally pause, and
in this case, occur at the same point as the commas, which serve to emphasize that natural pause.
(Note: you just heard me use the plural for caesura: caesurae.)
Sometimes a caesura will occur at the beginning of a line, called an initial caesura, or at the end of
a line, called a terminal caesura. For example, in the first line of Elizabeth Barrett Browning's
'Mother and Poet', the caesura occurs after the very first word of the poem: 'Dead ! // One of them
shot by the sea in the east'
This initial caesura emphasizes that first word, 'Dead!', and reflects the grief and heartache of a
mother at the loss of one of her sons. Then, in the fourth line of the 12th stanza, the caesura occurs
just before the last word of the line: 'No voice says 'My mother' again to me. // What!'
This terminal caesura emphasizes that last word, 'What!', and reflects the need to understand why
that accompanies grief; in this case, a mother's need to understand why her sons are dead, yet she
still lives.
https://study.com/academy/lesson/caesura-in-poetry-definition-examples-quiz.html

Caesura
Definition of Caesura
Everyone speaks, and everyone breathes while speaking. For instance, when
you say, “Maria has taken a break,” you take breath before further saying,
“But Adam did not.” Then again you take a little breath and say, “He fell on his
ankle.” Such pauses come from natural rhythm of your speech. Poetry also
uses pauses in its lines.

One such pause is known as “caesura,” which is a rhythmical pause in a

poetic line or a sentence. It often occurs in the middle of a line, or sometimes
at the beginning and the end. At times, it occurs with punctuation; at other
times it does not. Poets indicate such a pause with a parallel symbol thus: ||.
Caesura can be medial (occurring in the middle of line), initial (occurring at the
beginning of poetic line), or terminal (occurring at the end of a poetic line).

Types of Caesura
Caesural breaks, or caesura, are of two types in poetry:

Feminine Caesura

A feminine caesural pause occurs after a non-stressed and short syllable in a

poetic line. This is softer and less abrupt than the masculine version. For
instance:

“I hear lake water lapping || with low sounds by the shore…”

(The Lake Isle of Innisfree by William Butler Yeats)

It has two subdivisions:

 Epic Caesura
 Lyric Caesura

Masculine Caesura

Masculine pause occurs after a long or accented syllable in a line. It creates a

staccato effect in the poem, such as:

“of reeds and stalk-crickets, || fiddling the dank air,

lacing his boots with vines, || steering glazed beetles”

(The Bounty by Derek Walcott)

Short Examples of Caesura

1. The headphone explodes, || breaking the mold
2. Roses, roses! || Two bucks a bunch! They say
The boys in the street, || ready to sell you.
3. Lilac, || locust, || and roses, || perfuming
East End, || West End, || wondrously blooming
From mother earth.
4. You’re nobody! ||Are you?
No, ||You are somebody, ||are you?
5. My candle burns
It may last till mid night;
Oh but, ||my friends, ||and ah, || my foes-
It gives me a shiny light.
 6. I saw a red cow,
I assure you, ||anyhow,
I’d again see that one!
7. The day is dark and dreary;
It’s raining, ||and the clouds are not weary;
8. Often in summer, || the wild bees turn tigers, || their wings
gathering black in a hole
Of a rotten tree.
9. Tonight the moon rises
In my window. || Its glazing light
scattered around the room.
10. From my balcony, || I see the stars
Blistering in the river water much brighter.
11. Love the rain, ||the seagull dives
Love the rain, ||it will bring more rain.
12. The rain, || falls in my backyard where I see it,
Coming down slowly at different rates.
13. I saw you, || she says-
But whom she saw? ||-is it
That right-handed schoolboy?
14. Meow, || meow in my ears,
A little cat follows me everywhere.
15. We gather, || we shout,
Then we gossip together on festivities.

Examples of Caesura in Literature

Example #1: The Winter Tales (William Shakespeare)

It is for you we speak, || not for ourselves:

You are abused || and by some putter-on
That will be damn’d for’t; || would I knew the villain,
I would land-damn him. || Be she honour-flaw’d,
I have three daughters; || the eldest is eleven

This passage is an instance of feminine caesura, which occurs immediately

after an unstressed syllable like “speak,” the second syllable “bused,”
in abused, “him,” and “ters” in word daughters.
Example #2: Mother and Poet (By Elizabeth Barrett)

Dead ! One of them shot by the sea in the east…

What art can a woman be good at? || Oh, vain !
What art is she good at, || but hurting her breast
With the milk-teeth of babes, || and a smile at the pain ?
Ah boys, // how you hurt! || you were strong as you pressed,
And I proud, || by that test.

This poem presents a perfect example of masculine caesura. Look at the

pauses occurring after stressed syllables including “at,” “babes,” “boys,” “hurt,”
and “proud.” You can see the first line uses initial caesura, at “Dead,” followed
by a pause at the beginning of line.

Example #3: Eloisa to Abelard (By Alexander Pope)

Alas, how chang’d! || what sudden horrors rise!

A naked lover || bound and bleeding lies!
Where, where was Eloise? || her voice, her hand,
Her poniard, || had oppos’d the dire command.
Barbarian, stay! || that bloody stroke restrain;…
Death, || only death, can break the lasting chain;

Pope has frequently used caesural pauses in his poems to bring depth. Mostly
he has used masculine caesura happening in the middle of the lines.
However, sometimes initial caesura occurs, such as in the sixth line, it comes
after “Death.” This variation clears the meaning of the text.

Example #4: I’m Nobody! Who Are You? (By Emily Dickinson)

I’m nobody! || Who are you?

Are you nobody, too?
Then there’s a pair of us || – don’t tell!
They’d banish || – you know!

Dickinson has used masculine caesural pauses in the middle of verses. These
breaks create a staccato effect, an uneven rhythm in the flow of sound,
conveying the depth of an idea.

Example #5: Walking Wounded (By Vernon Scannell)

The mud and leaves in the mauled lane
smelled sweet, || like blood. || Birds had died or flown…
Their heads were weighted down by last night’s lead
And eyes still drank the dark. || They trail the night
Along the morning road. || Some limped on sticks;

This couplet uses both caesura and enjambment. Enjambment appears in the
first line. In the second, fourth, and fifth lines, the periods cause readers to
pause for a while and create a caesura.

Example #6: My Last Duchess (By My Last Duchess)

E’en then would be some stooping; || and I choose

Never to stoop. || Oh sir, she smiled, no doubt,
Whene’er I passed her; || but who passed without
Much the same smile? || This grew; || I gave commands
Then all smiles stopped together. || There she stands
As if alive. || Will’t please you rise? || We’ll meet
The company below, || then…

The caesuras in this example tell readers that the speaker is hiding something
and stopping to think. Through these pauses, the Duke is trying to distract the
attention of his readers from his own persona.

Example #7: Ozymandias (By Percy Bysshe Shelley)

Who said—”Two vast and trunkless legs of stone

Stand in the desert … || Near them, || on the sand …
My name is Ozymandias, || King of Kings; ||
Look on my Works, || ye Mighty, || and despair!
Nothing beside remains. || Round the decay …

The poet has broken up all the lines rhythmically by using punctuation. The
use of multiple caesuras serves to make lines more interesting. In the third
and fourth lines, they emphasize the pride of Ozymandias’ works, while the
fourth line has used initial and medial caesuras.

Function of Caesura
A caesural break creates various effects, depending upon the way it is used.
Sometimes it breaks the monotonous rhythm of a line and forces readers to
focus on the meaning of the phrase preceding the caesura. In some other
cases, it might create a dramatic or ominous effect. Normally, it happens in
the middle of a sentence, or phrase in poetry. It also adds an emotional and
theatrical touch to a line, and helps convey depth of the sentiments.

https://literarydevices.net/caesura/

CAESURA
Definition of Caesura
A caesura is a complete stop in a line of poetry. A caesura can be anywhere in a
metrical line—it is called an initial caesura if it occurs at or near the beginning of the
line, a medial caesura if it is found in the middle of the line, and a terminal caesura if
it occurs near the end of the line. The definition of caesura can be further classified
either as masculine or feminine, depending on the syllable following the caesura. A
stressed syllable following a caesura denotes a masculine caesura, whereas a feminine
caesura is followed by an unstressed syllable. Caesurae are usually marked by a pair
of parallel lines (“||”), called a “double pipe” sign. However, some caesura
examples—usually more contemporary ones—are marked with other forms of
punctuation.

The word caesura comes from the Latin word caedere, which means “to cut.”

Common Examples of Caesura

It is easy to find examples of caesura in famous speeches and songs. This is because
caesurae happen naturally in regular speech patterns. We often take breaths or change
direction in the middle of sentences, which gives rise to caesura examples. Here are
some famous phrases that have caesurae in the middle (double pipes added for effect):

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident || that all men are created equal.”—
Declaration of Independence, United States of America 1776
 My country ’tis of thee || sweet land of liberty || of thee I sing.
Land where my fathers died || land of the Pilgrim’s pride,
From every mountainside || let freedom ring!
—“My Country, ’Tis of Thee” by Samuel Francis Smith
  Hey Jude || don’t make it bad
Take a sad song || and make it better
—“Hey Jude” by The Beatles
♦

♦
♦

Significance of Caesura in Literature

Originally, the double pipes were used for the purpose of scansion, which is to say
determining the metrical character of a line of verse. A reader could easily see that an
audible pause was called for in a line of poetry with the double pipes. Caesura
examples were very common in Ancient Greek and Ancient Latin poetry, which both
emphasized the importance of meter. Caesurae help to highlight the meter in a line of
verse. Old English poetry also included examples of caesura in almost every line, as
this type of poetry did not generally involve rhyme or meter; the preferred methods of
creating euphony and poetic unity were through consonance and medial caesurae.

While caesurae was particularly important in the poetic works of ancient cultures,
there are many caesura examples in contemporary poetry as well. There may not be
quite as many rules regarding its usage now. However, most people add natural and
frequent breaks in the middle of lines when speaking normally. Thus, when
contemporary poets make their verse resemble natural speech it is common to use
caesurae.

Examples of Caesura in Literature

Example #1
Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son Achilles,
murderous, doomed, that cost the Achaeans countless losses,
hurling down to the House of Death so many sturdy souls,
great fighters’ souls, but made their bodies carrion,
feasts for the dogs and birds,
and the will of Zeus was moving toward its end.
Begin, Muse, when the two first broke and clashed,
Agamemnon lord of men and brilliant Achilles.

(The Iliad by Homer)

Homer used many examples of caesura in his epic The Iliad. The opening line of the
entire epic, translated above as “Rage—Goddess, sing the rage of Peleus’ son
Achilles” was originally written μῆνιν ἄειδε θεὰ || Πηληϊάδεω Ἀχιλῆος. The medial
caesura is evident here just from looking at the symbols, even if you don’t read Greek.
The break would be between “sing the rage” and “of Peleus’ son Achilles.” Though
there is not a natural break there in English, the translator attempted to keep the sense
of the caesura by creating other breaks such as between “Rage” and “Goddess,” and
“Goddess” and “sing.”
Example #2
Arms and the man I sing, who, forced by fate
And haughty Juno’s unrelenting hate,
Expelled and exiled, left the Trojan shore.

(The Aeneid, Book I by Virgil)

The opening of Virgil’s Aeneid also includes examples of caesura. Again, the first line
was originally written: Arma virumque cano || Troiae qui primus ab oris. The medial
caesura is shown here with the double pipes marking. The translator from Latin kept
the sound of the caesura examples by creating breaks in the first and third lines,
between “sing” and “who,” and “exiled” and “left,” respectively.
Example #3
There was Shield Sheafson, scourge of many tribes,
A wrecker of mead-benches, rampaging among foes.
This terror of the hall-troops had come far.
A foundling to start with, he would flourish later on
As his powers waxed and his worth was proved.
In the end each clan on the outlying coasts
Beyond the whale-road had to yield to him
And begin to pay tribute. That was one good king.
(Beowulf, translated by Seamus Heaney)
The anonymously written Old English epic Beowulf was masterfully translated by
contemporary poet Seamus Heaney. Heaney worked to retain the most important
aspects of the poem, which were the medial caesurae in every line and the emphasis
on consonance. He marks the caesurae with punctuation such as commas and periods.
For example, in the first line there is a caesura between “Sheafson” and “scourge,”
and a much larger break in the final line of this stanza between “tribute” and “that.”
The caesurae in this poem help to create rhythm and regularity.
Example #4
Dead ! One of them shot by the sea in the east,
And one of them shot in the west by the sea.
Dead ! both my boys ! When you sit at the feast
And are wanting a great song for Italy free,
Let none look at me !

(“Mother and Poet” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning)

Elizabeth Barrett Browning uses all three types of caesurae in her poem “Mother and
Poet.” In the above stanza we can see examples of initial caesurae in the lines
beginning with the single word “Dead!” Barrett Browning also uses a medial caesura
in the line “both my boys! When you sit…” In another part of the poem she uses a
terminal caesura in this line: “No voice says “My mother” again to me. What!”
Example #5
Something there is that doesn’t love a wall,
That wants it down.” I could say “Elves” to him,
But it’s not elves exactly, and I’d rather
He said it for himself. I see him there
Bringing a stone grasped firmly by the top
In each hand, like an old-stone savage armed.

(“Mending Wall” by Robert Frost)

Robert Frost uses many caesura examples in his poetry. In his famous poem
“Mending Wall,” there are natural breaks between “down” and “I,” and “himself” and
“I.” Frost marks these metrical pauses with punctuation, periods in these cases.

Example #6
All of these waves crepitate from the culture of Ovid,
its sibilants and consonants; a universal metre
piles up these signatures like inscriptions of seaweed

that dry in the pungent sun, lines ruled by mitre

and laurel, or spray swiftly garlanding the forehead
of an outcrop…

(“The Bounty” by Derek Walcott)

Derek Walcott, a contemporary Caribbean poet, uses many caesura examples in his
poem “The Bounty.” The above excerpt from the poem shows how closely the devices
of caesura and enjambment are linked. Walcott chooses to break lines in the middle
and write many lines that run on to the next line (only one of the above lines is an end
stopped line). It is common especially in contemporary poetry for caesura examples to
be accompanied with strong enjambment.

http://www.literarydevices.com/caesura/

PARADOX

JUXTAPOSITION
Definition of Juxtaposition
As a literary technique, the juxtaposition definition is to place two concepts,
characters, ideas, or places near or next to each other so that the reader will compare
and contrast them. This technique also may imply a link that is not necessarily real or
to be trusted.

The word juxtaposition comes from the Latin for “side by side” with “position,”
originally a French word that became standardized into English. In grammar, the use
of juxtaposition is the absence of conjunctions when grouping words in a list, such as
omitting the “but” or “and.”

Common Examples of Juxtaposition

Many proverbs in English include examples of juxtaposition, as the contrasts between
concepts can provide a lesson.

 What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. In this case, the female
goose is a contrast to the male gander, yet what is good for one is good for the
other. This means that whatever is good for an individual is for the good of all.
 When it rains, it pours. In this case, there is a contrast of magnitude. The literal
meaning is that when it rains, one can expect a downpour. The proverbial
meaning is that when one thing goes right many things will go right, or,
conversely, when one thing goes wrong everyone goes wrong.
 All’s fair in love and war. Love and war are opposites, and yet this proverb
shows that they have one thing in common which is that anything goes. This
juxtaposition demonstrates that there is more alike between the concepts of love
and war than one might originally think.
 Better late than never. While being late is a negative thing, the possibility of
something never happening or someone never arriving is much worse. Therefore,
this juxtaposition puts things into perspective.
 Beggars can’t be choosers. To beg and to choose are opposite functions, and this
proverb implies that in fact one cannot be both desperate and have any choice in
the decision or result.
 Making a mountain out of a molehill. Once again, this is a juxtaposition of
magnitude. A molehill is almost invisible compared to a mountain. This proverb
warns not to magnify a problem that is, in fact, not such a big deal.
  When the cat’s away the mice will play. In this contrast, the cat is an authority
figure while the mice are the subservient creatures, being the natural prey of cats.
This proverb means that without an authority figure watching over people will do
what they want. This can be either a positive negative thing, depending on the
usage (for example, it can be a positive thing to remove a repressive authorial
force, yet it can be negative if chaos breaks out without order enforced).
 You can’t teach an old dog new tricks. In this contrast between old and new,
the proverb indicates that once someone has gotten either literally too old or
metaphorically too stuck in a way of thinking there is no way to change that
person’s mind or manners.

Difference Between Juxtaposition and Foil

The concept of the foil in literature refers to a character with whom another character
(most often the protagonist) can be contrasted. A foil either has completely opposite
characteristics from the main character, or is very similar and yet has one striking
difference or makes one strikingly different decision. The foil character can then be a
way to show what would have happened if the protagonist had made a different choice
or had started off in a slightly or completely different condition. A good example of a
foil character is Draco Malfoy in J. K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. He and Harry
start at school together, but, due to their different personalities and upbringings, make
drastically different decisions and end up on opposite sides of the final battle.

A foil character can be seen as a special case of juxtaposition, as the definition of

juxtaposition covers contrasting concepts of any type, including contrasts between
characters.

Examples of Juxtaposition from Literature

Example #1
IAGO: Zounds, sir, you’re robbed! For shame, put on your gown.
Your heart is burst, you have lost half your soul.
Even now, now, very now, an old black ram
Is tupping your white ewe. Arise, arise,
Awake the snorting citizens with the bell
Or else the devil will make a grandsire of you.
Arise, I say!

(Othello by Shakespeare)
Much of the drama in Shakespeare’s play Othello hinges on the bigoted attitudes that
characters have about the interracial relationship between Othello the Moor and
Desdemona, a Venetian beauty. There are several instances throughout the play that
juxtapose Othello’s dark skin with Desdemona’s light skin, implying a moral
judgment about the divergent natures of the two lovers. In this excerpt, the villain Iago
refers to Othello as “an old black ram” and Desdemona as a “white ewe” to inflame
the anger of Desdemona’s father. Though Othello was well respected in Venice before
his relationship with Desdemona, the juxtaposition of his darkness with Desdemona’s
lightness casts a shadow over Othello’s character and there is an assumption that he
has ruined her innocence.
Example #2
It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the
age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was
the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the
winter of despair, we had everything before us, we had nothing before us, we were all
going direct to Heaven, we were all going direct the other way – in short, the period
was so far like the present period, that some of its noisiest authorities insisted on its
being received, for good or for evil, in the superlative degree of comparison only.
(A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens)
This famous opening to Charles Dickens’s novel A Tale of Two Cities contains many
juxtaposition examples. There are many functions that these juxtapositions play. The
title already sets up the idea of comparison, in that there are two cities, and indeed the
entire novel is full of doubles. This passage sets up the expectation of
that theme continuing, while also showing the intense struggle between love and
hatred, freedom and oppression, and good and evil that lead up to the French
Revolution.
Example #3
Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.

(Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy)

This is another famous opening line to a novel. Tolstoy posits a difference between
happy families and unhappy families, and the ways in which they function. Whether
the juxtaposition leads to a true statement is highly debatable, yet the quote is often
repeated. This line creates the desire in the reader to know the exact way in which the
unhappy family in the novel is unhappy.

Example #4
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

(“The Road Not Taken” by Robert Frost)

Robert Frost’s poem “The Road Not Taken” contains the literal juxtaposition of two
paths, which translates into the metaphorical juxtaposition of two potential decisions.
Frost regrets not being able to try both options, but ends up choosing the road that
looks less traveled. Though many understand the poem to encourage readers to choose
the less popular option, the poem is titled “The Road Not Taken,” meaning that the
speaker still wonders what would have happened if he had made the other choice. The
juxtaposition in the poem shows that one cannot have it both ways.
http://www.literarydevices.com/juxtaposition/
caesura
[si-zhoo r-uh, -zoo r-uh, siz-yoo r-uh]

EXAMPLES|WORD ORIGIN
SEE MORE SYNONYMS FOR caesura ON THESAURUS.COM

noun, plural cae·su·ras, cae·su·rae [si-zhoo r-ee, -zoo r-ee, siz-yoo r-ee] /sɪˈʒʊər i, -ˈzʊər i, sɪzˈyʊər i/.
Prosody . a break, especially a sense pause, usually near the middle of
a verse, and marked in scansion by a doublevertical line, as
in know then thyself ‖ presume not God to scan.

Classical Prosody . a division made by the ending of

a word within a foot, or sometimes at the end of
a foot, especially in certain recognized places near the middle of a verse.
any break, pause, or interruption.
https://www.dictionary.com/browse/caesura
caesura
noun [ C ]
UK /sɪˈzjʊə.rə/ US /səˈzʊr.ə/ PLURAL caesuras or caesurae SPECIALIZED

a pause in a line of poetry, especially near the middle of a line

Thesaurus: synonyms and related words

https://dictionary.cambridge.org/us/dictionary/english/caesura