Metaphors and Clichés, Points to Remember

• A good metaphor surprises by creating a fresh image as a comparison.
• Use a metaphor to make an abstraction clear.
• A cliché is dull, boring, and stale; it has no juice.

Abstraction: Despair

Object: Monster truck

Write five lines (do not go over five lines), making the object a metaphor for the abstraction.

• Share the journal entry and include the approximate time(s) and place(s) at the beginning of your entry.
• State your abstraction, object, and the five lines making the object a metaphor for the abstraction.
• Address these reflection questions: Explain the function of metaphors in poetry and drama. Why would a writer want to avoid clichés?

choose a specific poetry style and write a poem. There are many forms of poems, but you should choose one of the following types for this activity.

• Ode Poem – Write a poem that is an ode to a person, place, situation, or object.
• Free Verse – Anything goes in a Free Verse poem. Try not to rhyme, and do not worry about iambic pentameter, rhythm, meter, line breaks, or formality.
• Haiku – 17 syllables grouped in three lines of 5, 7, and 5 syllables.

write an 8-minute play. Follow these guidelines:

• Your play must be in written script format. You may provide some details of the setting, but 95% (at least) of your play will be dialogue. Be sure to review the bullet list on pages 336-338 of your course textbook (Imaginative Writing) for guidance on making dialogue really work.
• Your play must have conflict and resolution.
• When you have completed your play, read the dialogue out loud. Allow a reasonable amount time for actions to take place in addition to the dialogue.
• Please include stage direction.