English romantic poet John Keats composed the sonnet “Bright Star” in 1819. In it, the speaker of the poem confronts the north star, Polaris, and longs to be as unchanging and eternal as the star. He wishes, too, that his precious moments with his lover might last for such an eternity. Throughout the poem, Keats’s speaker uses metaphors to engage his environment, activating the stars, sea, and snow as actors in his interior drama.

Skills: analysis, drawing inferences from text, close reading, identifying the relationship between words

About This Document

The Owl Eyes Analyzing Metaphor activity gives students an opportunity to practice examining and analyzing metaphors. Students will engage with specific selections of the text and work collaboratively to identify the vehicle, tenor, and implications of each metaphor. The main components include the following:

• A brief introduction to the text
• A detailed handout on metaphor types
• A step-by-step guide to activity procedure
• A detailed answer key for teachers

In completing this worksheet, students will learn to classify and analyze different kinds of metaphors in order to develop close reading skills and draw deeper inferences from the text.