Figurative Language - The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica

Presentation

Figurative Language The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica

Lesson Standards

10.1(A)

10.1(D)

10.4(F)

10.5(A)

10.5(E)

10.5(G)

10.7(B)

What will our lesson look like?

I will analyze examples of figurative language in "The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica" and explore how these literary devices contribute to the poem's overall meaning and tone.

I will use academic vocabulary related to figurative language (e.g., metaphor, simile, personification)

I will demonstrate their understanding of figurative language by correctly identifying and explaining examples of different types of figurative language in the poem..

Do Now:

Identify any figurative language elements you can find

Define

Figurative language is language used for descriptive effect, often to illustrate or imply ideas indirectly. Types of figurative language include simile, metaphor, and personification. A simile uses the words like or as to compare two seemingly unlike things. A metaphor directly compares two seemingly unlike things without using like or as. Personification is a figure of speech in which an animal, an object, a force of nature, or an idea is given human qualities. Additionally, writers of prose and poetry may include several other kinds of figures of speech. Hyperbole is an exaggerated statement that is not meant to be taken literally, such as describing someone as being “taller than a redwood tree.” Another is euphemism, or a gentle word or expression substituted for a harsh or unpleasant one, such as “passed away” instead of “died.”

When reading prose and especially poetry, readers must rely on context—including when and where a text was written, for example—to distinguish among the possible meanings of words and draw conclusions about nuanced meanings such as in imagery. *Watch StudySync Video

Vocabulary

euphemism

figurative language

hyperbole

metaphor

a figure of speech that compares two seemingly unlike things but implies a comparison instead of stating it directly with the word like or as

a gentle word or expression used in place of a harsh one, often out of politeness

an exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally; often used for humorous effect

expressions used for descriptive or rhetorical effect that are not literally true but that express some truth beyond the literal level

Vocabulary

personification

simile

a figure of speech that uses the word like or as to compare two seemingly unlike things

a figure of speech in which an animal, an object, a force of nature, or an idea is given human form or qualities

Model

Directions: Review the Checklist for Figurative Language below. Then read the Skill Model to examine how one student used the checklist to analyze figurative language in “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica.” As you read, identify the question from the checklist the student used for each annotation. Checklist for Figurative Language In order to identify an author’s or poet’s use of figurative language, note the following:

Checklist for Figurative Language

• imagery, or figurative language used to appeal to our physical senses and evoke a strong emotion or create a mental image
• figures of speech, or words that mean one thing literally and suggest something else
• similes
• metaphors
• personification
• euphemisms
• hyperbole
• other language used in a nonliteral way

To analyze figurative language, use the following questions as a guide:

• How does the use of figurative language help me visualize what is being described?
• How does the figurative language contribute to mood or tone?
• How does figurative language contribute to the meaning of a text?
• How does this use of figurative language help me better understand the message or theme of the literary work?

Skill Model

Ars Poetica is Latin for “the art of poetry.” Judith Ortiz Cofer’s poem, “The Latin Deli: An Ars Poetica,” explores the poetry that can be found in the most ordinary of places, and discovers just how important a small neighborhood delicatessen can be. Although most people might pass by it without a second thought, within, the store is bursting with the sights and smells and memories of lost homelands. For the people who shop there, it’s not just a place to buy groceries, but a momentary trip to their past. Let’s look at how one reader examines Judith Ortiz Cofer’s use of figurative language, and what it adds to her poem.

Skill Model

A cash register can’t be ancient. This hyperbole suggests that the deli is so full of traditions that it feels like ancient ruins. The simile comparing the food to votive offerings develops a sense of the deli as a sacred place.

The reader begins her analysis by remarking on the author’s use of hyperbole to exaggerate the age of the deli’s cash register. By using this figure of speech, the poet creates a feeling in the reader that the deli feels like a sacred place of cultural importance. The reader notices a simile that builds on this idea. The image of the codfish and plantains hanging like votive offerings reminds the reader of a religious offering. This image is not one typically associated with a deli. By using this figurative language, the poet makes it clear that this deli has an extra layer of cultural significance to the people who frequent it. Let’s take another look at how the reader examines the use of a euphemism in the poem.

Skill Model

I notice the author uses the word “fragile” to describe the old man who comes to her with “lists of items.” The use of a gentle word like this indicates that the woman at the deli looks kindly on the old man.

The reader points out the use of a euphemism to show how the woman feels about the old man. She could have used a word such as “feeble” or “sick” with a harsher or more negative connotation, but the use of the word “fragile” indicates that she treats him with kindness and understanding because of his age. Finally, let’s look at how the reader evaluates the author’s use of figurative language in another part of the third stanza.

Skill Model

The speaker uses a metaphor comparing the customers’ hearts to “closed ports.” Ports are where ships load and unload. “Closed ports” seem lonely. The customers are cut off from their homelands, which is why they treasure the deli.

Here the reader evaluates the poet’s use of a metaphor. By comparing some of the older customers’ hearts to “closed ports she must trade with” she suggests that these older customers are homesick, lost in past memories of their vanished homelands, which is why they seek refuge in the deli—a place that reminds them of their countries of origin.

Thank you!