In “Ode on Melancholy,” Keats describes the relationship between sadness and joy. Melancholy, he contends, illuminates an essential element in humanity—the ability to feel deep emotion; to feel profound sadness means that one also can feel profound joy. Keats also expresses how these emotional states, inextricably intertwined, relate to beauty and its ephemeral nature. Metaphors throughout the text develop ideas that underscore themes in the poem.

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.