Literary Analysis: Figurative Language

Literary Analysis: Figurative Language

Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands

Last week, we read “Still I Rise” by Mya Angelou and looked at her use of figurative language. Answer the following questions to review the meaning in her poem and her use of fig. language.What was the overall message in Angelou’s poem “Still I Rise”Based on the meaning you developed, what do you think is her purpose for using figurative language?

DO NOW 4-11-16

You may shoot me with your words,

You may cut me with your eyes,

You may kill me with your hatefulness,

But still, like air, I’ll rise.

Out of the huts of history’s shame

I rise

Up from a past that’s rooted in pain

I rise

I’m a black ocean, leaping and wide,

Welling and swelling I bear in the tide.

Leaving behind nights of terror and fear

I rise

Into a daybreak that’s wondrously clear

I rise

Bringing the gifts that my ancestors gave,

I am the dream and the hope of the slave.

I rise

I rise

I rise.

Analyze the author’s use of figurative language in Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands.

Objective

How does Susan Carol McCarthy’s use of figurative language inform us about the characters?How does Susan Carol McCarthy’s use of figurative language give us information about the setting?How does Susan Carol McCarthy’s use of figurative language give us insight into the time period?How does Susan Carol McCarthy’s use of figurative language give us insight into themes from the novel? (ex: racism; prejudice, injustice, grief)

Your Cards…

You have been annotating for figurative language. Before you begin using the examples you found in the book, we need to make sure you can correctly identify the ones you need.In groups you will readthrough the examples and classify them in one of the four categories:Setting CharacterTime period Theme

Figurative Language

14. “‘I’ll tell Mother you’ll be calling her, ma’am,’ I say lamely, hating how she makes my blood boil.” (41)Character (Reesa or Maybelle)4. “Our house is old, ‘turn of the century,’ my parents say. ‘New England saltbox in a Miss Scarlett petticoat,’ Doto always calls it.” (12)Setting OR time period. 5. “Strangeness has descended on our house like a winter fog bank, blurring the lines between the last few days” (13). Setting (remember setting includes environment or mood and social atmosphere)

Examples

9. “To hear that idiot talk about Marvin like the boy was an animal, a dog to be put out of its misery.” (23)Character OR themes (racism, prejudice, injustice)13. “But, like a lot of people around here, she’s got a gigantic, gaping hole in her head when it comes to Negroes.” (38)Time Period OR themes (racism, prejudice, injustice)

Examples

Classify the figurative language examples on your handout to practice identifying evidence for your EQ.

In Your Groups:

You are supposed to have examples of fig. language identified in the novel, so you will not be using the examples on your handout.You will be using your figurative language annotations to do 2 things:Illustrate how the author uses figurative language to support your topicFigurative language forms a picture in your mind, so this should be relatively easy to doWrite a literary analysis paragraph to accompany your illustrations.

Using Evidence

You will first need to find ten examples of figurative language from the novel that fits the category you were assigned. The ten examples must span the chapters we have read in the novel so far. They cannot all be from the beginning!From these ten examples, you will pick the strongest pieces of evidence for the assignment.

Find Evidence

Should contain 5 quotes that related to your given topic. All of your quotes should not be about the same thing!Everything you quote should be illustrated and explained!You should draw to the best of your ability. This means you put in time and your full effort.I am aware we are not all artists. Illustration should contain color and be worthy of being hung up on the wall.

Illustration Guidelines

Topic sentence/ thesis that includes your given topicEvidence from the novelExplain how the evidence proves your pointMore evidence from the novelExplain how the evidence proves your pointConclusion

Written response outline:

Example:

In Lay That Trumpet In Our Hands, Susan Carol McCarthy uses figurative language to give the reader insight into the characters. For example, McCarthy expertly uses a metaphor to describe the important role Reesa’s mother, Elizabeth, plays in their family. McCarthy writes, “In the small constellation of our family, Daddy may be the sun, but mother is our moon. Her face lights the night’s shadows” (pg. 53). This quote shows that their mother is their guiding light in times of darkness. When the author describes Daddy as the sun, she is informing the reader that the father provides warmth and happiness for the family. However, by describing the mother as the moon, the author is showing the reader that in rough times, or times of darkness, the McMahons turn to their mother for support and guidance. This allows the reader to understand the character of Elizabeth McMahon.

You should decide which quote is the strongest piece of evidence to support the topic you were given.

THIS IS ONLY A PARTIAL EXAMPLE!

Susan Carol McCarthy uses figurative language in Lay that Trumpet in Our Hands to……offer the audience information about the setting. …give the reader insight into the characters.…provide the reader with understanding of the time period.… help the reader interpret the themes of the novel.

How to begin the written section:

Illustration

5 quotes with pictures to represent each quoteColorEffort

Outline

Follow outline:Point (topic sentence)Evidence (quote from novel)Explanation (how quotes relates to point)Evidence (quote from novel)Explanation (how quotes relates to point)Conclusion

How are figurative language and imagery connected? Think about what you will have to do (illustrate your figurative language examples).

EXIT CARD

“Miss Maybelle Mason unpleats her neck, squinting into the afternoon sun, an old turtle sniffing for trouble” (40).“Miss Maybelle’s age-spot-speckled face creases briefly into her snapping turtle smile” (41).“His over-bright smile’s a poor mask for the dark grief lines crisscrossing his face” (44).“In the small constellation of our family, Daddy may be the sun, but mother is our moon. Her face lights the night’s shadows” (53).“When Daddy’s upset, he turns to stone, granite-faced, flinty eyed. Now he sits rock-like at the piano, a one-man Mount Rushmore, fingering his thoughts.” (13)

My Example