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What Is The Mood Of Similes In The Highwayman

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Introduction and Objective

Read the following excerpt from “The Highwayman” by Alfred Noyes:

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,
And the highwayman came riding—
Riding—riding—
The highwayman came riding, up to the old inn-door.

How would you describe the night? How does this excerpt make you feel? How would you describe the mood? What figurative language does the author use to help you envision the scene?

Today, we’re going to talk about similes and metaphors.

Today's lesson objective is:
Students will write poetry that includes similes and/or …show more content…

Now that you understand what a simile is, let’s take a look at metaphors. Like similes, metaphors compare two dissimilar things; however, metaphors do not use either like or as to make the comparison.

Consider the excerpt from the introduction of this lesson. The first three lines are metaphors:

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

The author directly compares the wind to a torrent of darkness, the moon to a ghostly galleon, and the road to a ribbon of moonlight.

Keep in mind that metaphors can also be much more subtle than the above examples demonstrate. Consider the following excerpt from “Caged Bird” by Maya Angelou:

But a caged bird stands on the grave of dreams his shadow shouts on a nightmare scream his wings are clipped and his feet are tied so he opens his throat to …show more content…

If you are describing an object, ask yourself the following: How does it look, taste, smell, feel, or sound? What does this object make me think of? If you are describing an idea (like love or courage), ask yourself the following: How does this idea make me feel? How might others react to this idea? What does this idea make me think of? Jot down your ideas and allow your thought process to lead you to a simile or metaphor that captures the moment – the tone, the mood, the character, the scene, etc.

Consider the excerpt from “The Highwayman.” In the first stanza, the author sets the stage using metaphors:

The wind was a torrent of darkness among the gusty trees,
The moon was a ghostly galleon tossed upon cloudy seas,
The road was a ribbon of moonlight over the purple moor,

The night is dark, dangerous, and foreboding. Can you imagine the moon looking like a ghostly galleon (ship), lost amidst black, rolling waves (clouds)? It might not be your first thought. It probably never even occurred to you to compare the moon to a ghostly ship; however, consider how the author’s use of metaphor contributes to the poem – to the tone (dangerous, foreboding) and to the image. How does it make you feel? Anxious? Unnerved? Do you feel a sense of

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