Section A

Refer to the poem given in Appendix I and answer the questions below:

(i) Identify and describe ONE literary device/feature in the poem that you want Form Four
students to be able to recognize and understand.

The various literary techniques are deliberately used for the purpose of giving a certain
specific effect to words/language. The common structures used in writing, literary devices
are categorized into literary techniques and literary elements. Few of the examples of literary
elements are plot, theme, setting, protagonist, etc. To get a rough idea of what are some
examples of literary techniques, have a look at the following terms: simile, metaphor,
oxymoron, onomatopoeia, etc. The use of literary devices in literature help in developing a
plot or explaining a particular situation quite easily. It is also with the literary devices that
meaning and a proper framework is presented to the writing.

The literary device that I want the students to be able to recognize and understand is,
Personification - Personification is when you assign the qualities of a person to something
that is not human, or in some cases to something that is not even alive. There are many
reasons for using personification. It can be used as a method of describing something so that
others can understand. It can be used to emphasize a point. It is a commonly favored literary
tool, and you may in fact use personification without even knowing it.

Examples of Personification

The following are examples of personification:

The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

The run down house appeared depressed.
The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow.
She did not realize that opportunity was knocking at her door.
He did not realize that his last chance was walking out the door.
Example of the use of personification in this poem:

Theres been a Death, in the Opposite House

Theres been a death in the opposite house

As lately as to-day.
I know it by the numb look
Such houses have always.

The neighbors rustle in and out,

The doctor drives away.
A window opens like a pod,
Abrupt, mechanically;

Somebody flings a mattress out,

The children hurry by;
They wonder if It died on that,
I used to when a boy.

The minister goes stiffly in

As if the house were his,
And he owned all the mourners now,
And little boys besides;

And then the milliner, and the man

Of the appalling trade,
To take the measure of the house
Therell be that dark parade

Of tassels and of coaches soon;

Its easy as a sign,
The intuition of the news
In just a country town.

(Stanza 1 - Line 3 & 4)

I know it by the numb look
Such houses have always it refers to the house feeling numb at the news of the death
(ii) Identify and discuss the theme of the poem that you want these students to understand.

Section B

Identify TWO problems that you anticipate these students may have in understanding

(i) the literary device/feature you have mentioned in Section A. Why would students
have problems? Justify your answer.
(ii) the theme you have mentioned in Section A. Why would students have problems? Justify
your answer.

1. Students do not understand the literal meaning of the poem

Most of the times students are having difficulty in comprehending the literal meaning of a
poem, this is because other than reading the poem they have to understand by unlocking the
meaning of the literary devices that are found in the poem. Therefore, it is very important
for teachers to brainstorm with students prior giving the literal meaning of the poem. Once
the students get the idea, only then they will understand the literal meaning and able to
come up with the theme of the poem.

2. Students background setting

This poem is written by Emily Dickinson who is not from our country and the way she
portrays death in her poem indicates that her experiences with death were based on what she
had observed around her or her surroundings. Therefore, our students who are here in
Malaysia and my students respectively find that it is difficult to understand the scenery,
descriptions and the terms used in the poem. Even though, the setting states that it happens
in a community where each and everyone knows with each other but still that community is
not the same with our community here. Thus, it is important for student to have previous
knowledge or aware of the setting and the background of a poem, because it would help
them to visualize and to come up with the theme upon reading the poem.
Section C
Design ONE activity you would use while teaching this poem that would help students
understand

(i) the literary device/feature you have mentioned in Section A.

Activity to identify metaphors

Objective to drill students into understanding the concept of the literature device metaphors

Procedures :

Teacher explains and reinforces the formation of metaphors phrase by extracting the line taken
from the poem Theres been a Death, in the Opposite House and by giving a few examples
taken from other source, to demonstrate on how metaphors is formed.

Similes and Metaphors (comparisons)

A simile is where two things are directly compared because they share a common feature. The
word AS or LIKE is used to compare the two words. Eg. As cold AS a dog's nose

A metaphor also compares two things, but it does so more directly WITHOUT using as or like.
Eg. The shop was a little gold-mine.

(Please refer to Appendix 1)

*Teacher may give supplement activities in order for the students to understand more on literary
devices.

Suggested activities :

i. writing a poem using metaphor.

ii. locating metaphors within a poem and etc.
(ii) the theme you have mentioned in Section A.
Your activities could include worksheets, task sheets, etc.

Activity : To look for theme

Objectives:
-To help students for main points that associate with the theme.
-To summarize the points located within every stanza of the poem.

Materials :

Task sheet (Appendix 2)

Copy of the poem Theres been a Death, in the Opposite House

Procedures :

1. Teacher divided students into group of five. Teacher reads the poem then students read
afterwards. Teacher may give the correct pronunciation once they finish so that students know
how some words from the poem is pronounced.

2. Teacher then distributes the task sheet to each group. The students will have to go stanza
by stanza looking for any word or phrases that are associated with death. They will have to fill
in the blanks with the words or phrases that they think are connected with death.

3. Each leader of the group has to present what they have found and justify their answers.
Once each group has presented their findings teacher may highlights phrases that are associated
with death and conclude that the theme of the poem is about death.

The next activity would be a session where everyone will get to speak and express how they feel
when they lose someone who is dearly to them or how they feel when they witness someone
passes away. This will give the students opportunity to express how they feel upon confronting
death. This will give them the experience and thorough understanding on the poem when they
share with each other.
Appendix 1

Task One
Copy these sentences into your book. At the end of the sentence, write in brackets whether the
sentence is an example of a metaphor or simile.

Eg. The clouds were fluffy like cotton wool. (SIMILE)

As slippery as an eel.______________
Arnie was a man-mountain.____________
He was a lion in battle.________________
She is as pretty as a picture.______________
The striker was a goal machine.______________
The torch lit up the room as if the sun had risen early.________________
The moon was a misty shadow.______________
My friend has a face like a bag of spanners.______________

Appendix 2
Group :___________________
Poem : Theres been a Death, in the Opposite House By Emily Dickinson
Stanza Remark
Theres been a death in the opposite house
As lately as to-day.
I know it by the numb look
Such houses have always.

The neighbors rustle in and out,

The doctor drives away.
A window opens like a pod,
Abrupt, mechanically;

Somebody flings a mattress out,

The children hurry by;
They wonder if It died on that,
I used to when a boy.

The minister goes stiffly in

As if the house were his,
And he owned all the mourners now,
And little boys besides;

And then the milliner, and the man

Of the appalling trade,
To take the measure of the house
Therell be that dark parade

Of tassels and of coaches soon;

Its easy as a sign,
The intuition of the news
In just a country town.