Compare the use of metaphor to convey intended message in at least three of the set texts. By Cheryl Xu, Janice Leung and Mavis Cheng

1. English
Literature
Presentation
Topic
10
Compare
the
use
of
metaphor
to
convey
intended
message
in
at
least
three
of
the
set
texts.
Group
8
Mavis
Cheng
Cheryl
Xu
Janice
Leung

2. Texts
chosen
• ‘Stopping
by
Woods
on
a
Snowy
Evening’
by
Robert
Frost
• ‘Mushrooms’
by
Sylvia
Plath
• ‘The
Chrysanthemums’
by
John
Steinbeck
• ‘Seventeen
Syllables’
by
Hisaye
Yamamoto

3. Escapism/
Desire
for
Freedom
1. ‘Stopping
by
Woods
on
a
Snowy
Evening’
Woods
→ freedom
Realistic
world
responsibilities
+
burden
• The
persona
wants
freedom
from
responsibilities,
which
is
what
the
woods
represent.
‘The
woods
are
lovely,
dark,
and
deep’
(13),
seducing
the
persona
away
from
the
‘promises
to
keep’(14).
→ related
to
responsibilities/
social
roles

4. Escapism/
Desire
for
Freedom
2.
‘Mushrooms’
•
The
mushrooms
=
women
in
society.
They
penetrate
through
the
bounds
of
social
expectations,
with
their
‘soft
Uists
[insisting]
on/
Heaving
the
needles’
and
‘[Widening]
the
crannies,/
[Shouldering]
through
holes’.
They
act
like
mushrooms,
‘quietly’
gaining
power
in
society.
Power
expanding
→
escape
from
domestic
restrictions

5. Escapism/
Desire
for
Freedom
3.
‘The
Chrysanthemums’
• Tinker
=
the
outside
world
-­‐
“Here
eyes
shone,
she
tore
off
the
battered
hat
and
shook
out
her
dark
pretty
hair.”
→ liberation
-­‐
“She
was
kneeling
on
the
ground
looking
up
at
him.
Her
breast
swelled
passionately”,
“her
face
was
tight
with
eagerness”,
“Elisa’s
voice
grew
husky”
→ connects
with
the
tinker
• Escapism:
out
from
behind
fence
→ breaks
free

6. Escapism/
Desire
for
Freedom
4.
‘Seventeen
Syllables’
• Tome
wants
to
be
isolated
in
the
world
of
haiku,
the
place
of
her
autonomy,
where
she
Uinds
freedom
of
her
Ulow
of
creativity.
She
is
able
to
express
herself
through
Japanese
literature.
• Haiku
=
creativity,
which
enables
her
to
connect
with
the
outside
world.

7. Responsibilities/
Social
roles
1.
‘Stopping
by
Woods
on
a
Snowy
Evening’
• ‘Promises
to
keep
→ his
responsibilities
‘miles’
away.
He
has
‘miles
to
go’
before
he
can
Uinally
rest
from
work
and
responsibilities.

8. Responsibilities/
Social
roles
2.
‘Mushrooms’
• Women,
as
mushrooms,
have
a
domestic
responsibility
in
society.
→‘heaving
the
needles’
→
‘We
are
shelves,
we
are/
Tables’
(furniture
&
women
are
both
quiet
and
easily
found)
• Women
have
no
social
standing
→‘we
are
edible’

9. Responsibilities/
Social
roles
3.
‘The
Chrysanthemums’
• Elisa’s
self-­‐imposed
responsibilities:
chrysanthemums
=
babies,
children
‘No
aphids
were
there,
no
sowbugs
or
snails
or
cutworms.
Her
terrier
Uingers
destroyed
such
pests
before
they
could
get
started’

Elisa
takes
good
care
of
her
chrysantheums
as
if
they
were
her
babies.

10. Responsibilities/
Social
roles
4.
‘Seventeen
Syllables’
• Tome
has
the
responsibilities
of
a
Japanese-­‐American
wife
and
mother.
She
has
the
responsibility
of
passing
on
the
traditions
of
the
Japanese
culture,
such
as
the
language
and
its
literature.
She
teaches
her
daughter
Rosie
about
them,
though
Rosie
fails
to
understand.

11. Realization
1.
‘Stopping
by
Woods
on
a
Snowy
Evening’
• ‘To
watch
his
woods
Uill
up
with
snow’
→ escape.
• ‘Little
horse’
‘gives
his
harness
bells
a
shake’
to
warn
the
persona
from
being
allured
by
the
thought
of
escaping
from
his
‘promises’.
• The
horse
makes
the
persona
realize
that
he
has
‘promises
to
keep’,
and
‘miles
to
go
before
[he
sleeps]’.

12. Realization
2.
‘Mushrooms’
• Women
realize
that
there
are
‘so
many
of
[them]’
that
they
feel
proud
of
being
multiple.
→Realize
their
strength
when
they
unite,
and
they
‘shall
by
morning
Inherit
the
earth.’

13. Realization
3.
‘The
Chrysanthemums’
• Tinker
=
Elisa’s
inspiration
for
her
realization
of
her
need
of
emotionally
opening
up
to
others.
The
tinker
somehow
emotionally
connects
with
Elisa,
who
starts
to
open
her
heart
to
others.
e.g.:
→‘Elisa
took
off
her
gloves
and
stuffed
them
in
the
apron
pocket
with
the
scissors.’
→‘She
was
kneeling
on
the
ground
looking
up
at
him.
Her
breast
swelleed
passionately.’
→‘In
the
bathroom
she
tore
off
her
soiled
clothes
and
Ulung
them
into
the
corner.
And
then
she
scrubbed
herself
with
a
little
block
of
purnice,
legs
and
thighs,
loins
and
chest
and
arms,
until
her
skin
was
scratched
and
red.’

14. Realization
4.
‘Seventeen
Syllables’
• Tome
realizes
that
she
can
only
be
free
in
writing
haikus.
Haikus
=
her
freedom
in
expressing
her
ideas.
She
is
able
to
connect
with
the
Japanese-­‐American
society
through
publishing
her
work
in
Japanese
newspapers.