Katherine Mansfield’s short story “Miss Brill” tells the story of an English teacher living abroad in France as she makes her weekly trip to the public park to observe the people there. Because the story unfolds as a stream of Miss Brill’s consciousness, metaphors offer insight into her character, especially in terms of how she views the people and environment around her. These metaphors also hint at just how deeply Miss Brill longs for human connection, allowing her to feel, if only briefly, a connection to those around her.

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.