Learn about METAPHORS in English with a poem by Emily Dickinson
In this lesson, we will look at a poem by an American poet, Emily Dickinson. In this poem, she describes the sunrise and sunset with metaphors. A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is used in a non-literal way to describe something else. Metaphors help the reader get a deeper understanding of the situation the author is trying to convey. You will see how Dickinson almost makes you feel and experience the sunrise and sunset with words only. Watch the lesson to learn more about how to analyse a poem and also improve your reading and writing skills.
Take the quiz at www.engvid.com/metaphors-in-e...
Next, watch these other lessons about poetry in English:
Learn English with a Poem: • Learn English with a p...
English Poetry - The Limerick: • Fun & Easy English wit...
TRANSCRIPT
Hello. I'm Gill from engVid, and today's lesson is a poem. When I did a previous poem called: "The Owl and the Pussycat" by Edward Lear, people said: "Oh, please give us some more poems", so here is one which I hope you enjoy. Okay, so it's a poem by a woman called Emily Dickinson, and she was American. And she lived from 1830 to 1886, and she lived in a place called Amherst in Massachusetts in the eastern... On the eastern side of America; New England. Okay.
And she... She was the kind of person who likes to stay at home most of the time; she didn't go out much. She stayed in her own room, I think writing poetry most of the time; maybe writing letters as well. But she wrote a lot of poetry; and not much of it was published in her lifetime, but it was found after she died, and then it was all published. I think she only published one or two poems in her lifetime. Okay.
So, here is the first half of a poem by Emily Dickinson. And it's very simple, really. It's not a difficult poem. There are some words which may be unfamiliar, but I'll explain them as we go along. Okay. So, here we are, so the poem begins:
"I'll tell you how the sun rose, -
A ribbon at a time.
The steeples swam in amethyst,
The news like squirrels ran."
Okay, so there may be a few words there that you're not familiar with, so let's have a look. So, she's talking to somebody; maybe the person who's reading the poem, and she's telling them: "I'll tell you how the sun rose". She's going to describe what it looked like when the sun came up in the morning. Okay.
And it was "a ribbon at a time". So, when you see the sun and the clouds in the sky sometimes, you have sort of lines in the sky that look... They could look... Be like ribbons; pieces of silk, ribbons that people put in their hair and so on. So, the way it looked as the sun rose, there were coloured lines in the sky-okay-like that. So, a ribbon at a time as the sun came up, these lines appeared. Okay.
The steeples... "steeples" are on a building; they're a pointed thing, like this. So, it's often usually a church building where you have a pointed... It's called a "spire" as well. A "steeple" or a "spire", so that's a steeple - that pointed bit. So, the steeples, there's more than one. So, if she's looking out of her bedroom window, seeing the town and seeing the sun coming up, she's seeing all the buildings as well in the town. There may be several church buildings with a pointed spire or steeple.
So, the steeple swam... swimming. So, it sounds like... It sounds strange because it's more metaphorical; that's why it's poetry. It's not literally true, but the metaphor. "The steeples swam in amethyst". So, "amethyst" is a deep blue colour. So, there's a sort of blue around the steeples in the sky; a deep blue colour. So, it's as if the steeples are swimming; they're almost moving against the sky because of the effects of the light as the sun comes up. So, the steeples swam. It's almost as if they're in water; swimming in water. So, the blue is like water, as well as being the blue of the sky. Okay.
"The news like squirrels ran". "News" we don't know. What? What news? Oh, the news that the sun is rising? Could it be that? Sometimes in a poem it's not exactly clear what's happening; what's going on. What is the news? The news that the sun is rising, perhaps; that a new day is beginning. It's getting light. So, people start to wake up, and animals and birds start to wake up. "Ah, it's a new day." That may be what the news is.
And a "squirrel" is a little animal. Oo, I'll try and draw one. The main thing is that it has a long tail, like that. So, little squirrels, they can go up a tree, and think things like that, you know. So: "The news like squirrels ran". The news ran like squirrels. The way squirrels run - very quickly. So, the news spreads very quickly that it's a new day; everybody wakes up and thinks: "Oh, the new day is starting." You soon notice when the sun rises. Okay. […]
Пікірлер: 241
"I love your voice and how you speak. Today my english becomes less weak. I can listen and I can talk. Your words are gentle like a hawk flying under clouds above the sea. People who were blind now start to see. Oh it's clear so I can learn. You did your job, now it's my turn." I am from Hungary and I write poems. Usually hungarian poems so please, forgive me if it was not perfect :) I like the way you teach and from now on you are one of my favorite teachers on youtube.
@amneris78
4 жыл бұрын
My friend, you wrote really magnificent poem. Thank you! :)
@Rimelek
4 жыл бұрын
@@amneris78 Thank you for the compliment :)
@amneris78
4 жыл бұрын
Good luck, my friend! ;)
@ezequielgonzalez8567
4 жыл бұрын
That was pleasant to read!
@blakeshannon9800
4 жыл бұрын
Ákos Takács ... I have to say that what you wrote for this wonderful lady is absolutely delightful and considerate. Bless you sincerely, dear brother! 👍🤍🌏😊🤗😊🤗😊🤗from Scotland 🏴
For some untold reason, your teaching makes me feel peace and appreciate the beauty of the poem. Thank you Madam Gill.
Im a native speaker, but I still love this analysis to get the perspective of someone learning English.
I would've LOVED to have had you as my English teacher!
@casadearquitetura1
2 жыл бұрын
Está escrito certo....???
@SRISHA
2 жыл бұрын
@@casadearquitetura1 What?
She explains line by line very clearly. She's doing a great job by explaining this poem. I respect her from the core of my heart. Thank you very much.
Many thanks madam Gill I love your way of teaching and how you explain 😍 You are fantastic 👍
Your voice heals me, thank you!
Love your British accent & your knowledge.
I'm brazilian. I love your accent!..Thank you so much!
I'm here watching the lesson with a soft smile in my face whilst staring at Gill's drawing💖
I've just recently joined the channel (I'm from Russia), and I wanted to say: Thank You Very Much! - I loved everything😊 immediately 😳.. - I've looked through the titles of published lessons - 💗 - I'm sure it is The Very help I needed to 'save' my knowledges - Thank You Very Much!👍🌟🙏 - it is such a Great support to have free access with the KZread videos - 🙏🙏💕- Thank You!😊👍🙏
@tatiyana8934
4 жыл бұрын
Oh!, - P.S. - I think I 'loved everything immediately' because I suddenly felt... I'm not sure I could describe this correctly... - well, - I've suddenly felt, that the logic and the structure of the lessons, You're presenting on the channel, - they are much familiar to the way I was taught the language at school (it was 30 years ago) - and I'm absolutely sure, that it was, and it definitely IS, the best methodic - I love it 💗 - Thank You! 😊🙏
@sasakayawhinfield5367
2 жыл бұрын
0qaqaqqp
Gill, I love your accent and your draws, as well.
Gill! Thanks a Lot! You're so wise!
Thank you,Gill! Your way of teaching is very good and your explanations are understandable.I also love your voice 😍
I`m watching you from Azerbaijan, dear professor. Your accent is very clear and i love it. Thanks for everything
You are the greatest teacher I have ever had! Thanks for everything you do for us!
Thank you so much! I love every single of your lessons.
Amethyst is like dark-violet colour :) ❤️
@israelargentina
4 жыл бұрын
amethyst: 1- a transparent purple stone used in jewellery 2- a purple colour dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/english/amethyst#cald4-1-1-1
Thank you very much for your kindness.
Thank you very much Gill. You are wonderful teacher !!!
Many thanks, Madam.I wish I had a teacher like You are.Its a brilliant lecture. Greetings from Poland.
Much more poem please, especially John Clare if that possible.
Thank you, Gill 🙂
Thank you so much, Gill!!
What a charming poem, which you unpacked so gently and gracefully! Thank you!
Delighted to see our savant and super posh teacher.This lesson is a unique one,because nobody does literature on this channel . Thanks Gill.
Thank you! I loved this poem. I'm so happy because I can understand your accent You are amazing :) the best youtube teacher
I really appreciate your precious and precise explanation. I have a desire to read and understand poetry and have been looking for an analysis for it. Thank you so much again.
I am so happy to see you very healthy! Enjoyed your class as always!
Would love to see more of this kind of video from you! Love x
一日師,日日師=Once my teacher, always my teacher !
I really enjoy your style of teaching. This video was interesting and even a bit relaxing too! This was a nice way to teach metaphors. Thanks! Great idea.
me encanta escuchar esta bella dama!!
thank you teacher for your task
Emily Dickinson 1830 -1886 is one of the greatest American poets. Though her poems seem controversial, and many critics have gone puzzled about her philosophy on what artistical messages she aimed to convey to her poetry readers. For me I have come across a number of her poems. Truly speaking I 'm impressed by her poetry and in particular the type of language she uses; though difficult but it bears a great texture of debatable artistical and poetical images on, for example, the matter of life and death, the wordly life and the hereafter. As far as I know Emily prefered to lead a solitary life when she was shocked by missing some reltives of her who died earlier; neices or nephews, I am not sure excatly whom she lost. So most of her poems speak of the issue of death and life and how do we pass from a reality we sense to another reality we know, but not yet experienced and how it looks like. I am so glad Mrs. Gill you 've introduced one poem of this great poet ..thank you so much. I hope you will introduce other poems.
Gil, you are amazing
Thank you for the beautiful poem! ❤️
Thank you. Great analysis
I love your channel! Improving my english a looot! :)
Thank you so much, I know a lot of vocabulary.
Thank you.I enjoy it.
Thanks! You are the best.
Boa tarde Gill! Estou acompanhando seus vídeos e estou achando maravilhosos. Muito didático!
5:40 Exactly madam. The news is the sunrise. I appreciated so much this free lessons, miss Gill. Thank you very much.
Thank you good teacher I will follow you video I'm interested question and answer
Thanks it is fearful to dissect a poem and I love the poem being deconstructed for me.passively I then learnt.
God bless you !
Lovely teacher!
Thank you teacher it's interesting lesson
hello Mam, just wanted to let you know that..i have seen each and every video of your channel.. you are absolutely amazing.. please keep uploading new videos more often.. you might be unaware.. but we wait for them.. May God bless you always for the good work you are doing..
This is beautiful You are truly in love with the English language it is a pleasure to hear you Thank you
Hi Gill I really enjoy to see how you explain Emily's poem. It is full of surrounding images of landscape, human actions, birds, it makes you feel so gentle and peaceful. The way she concludes is beautiful with a shepherd puts down the gate to the flocks. Shepherd could be a church minister and flocks are people. This is a first time i hear some one explain the English poem to me and i really appreciate it. Thanks Gill. Love it ! More please :)
You're a wonderful teacher, thank you very much !
Thank you so much for your conveying the poem!
Such a good teacher you are! I am a beginner in english and this lesson is so comprehensible, so clear. Thank you very much. I have a book of complete emily dickinson poems. So i wish i could understand better with this lesson. Thank you again Gill, love u ❤️
Thanks Mrs Gill ... you are my favorite teacher😍😍😍
💕💕💕 Thank you !
Thank you very much, dear Teacher, best.
Mother, your stories always be helpful! Thank you! I want to learn poem! Thank you!
Much needed!🌻
This woman is amazing!
Dear Gill. Today I realized I can speak English fluently and correctly. Thanks very much. You're a wonderful teacher.
Yes, it was very interesting Mrs Gill and I simple loved it as always. Thank you!
Thank you so much🙏
This video is so good! ❤️
Thank you for the superb class 👏👏👏
Really great lesson , thanks alot ma'am 🌺❤
Thank you so much my dear teacher!
Thank you for teaching this poem for us on the internet! I love your teaching and I learned a lot! You are so good at teaching English as Foreign Language! :D
You are very good teacher, best poem video I have seen so far
Thank you Ms. Gill for your excellent explanation. Your elaboration really helps my son (who is now in grade / year 7 of Cambridge Lower secondary, taking English as First Language (EFL).Your elaboration gave me and my son and insight how to decipher the true meaning of a sentence. Since English is not our mother tongue, your video really help us a lot in improving ways and means to tackle EFL. Will sure look into your others video as well. Thank you very much Ms. Gill. From : Mr. Loke
Thank you for this, I enjoyed it very much, and your way of teaching is very useful. It's a wonderful idea to help understand poems in this way.
Thank you!
Thank you. I loved it.
Thank you so much 💖💖💖
Most enjoyable and instructive
İ like this learning method a lot,i hope we can see more poetry explanation
Thank You Very Much! - Such an absolutely perfect explanations on the every line!.. ('each' or 'every'-?😞)... I've got real pleasure to listen to the absolutely perfect speech and I'm very pleased and grateful to learn so many nuances... - 'you' feel much much better when you realize, that you do understand the meaning of the number of symbols, which are, actually, the words of the foreign language ✌🚩...full of sense... - Thank You🙏💕
Thank you..
youtube recommendation is always something wicked. Thank you for giving us a meaningful lesson
You're so sweet! Thank you for your work
Very interesting. Thanks a lot.
Beautiful wonderfull thanks you.
Thank you🌹☃️💙
Thanks again 🙏
Thank you for your work. I strongly appreciate it and keep doing like that :)
Such a great lesson, and to make it better, a poem by Emily Dickinson. :)
Such captivating manner of teaching and impeccable pronunciation. Dibyendu
Thanks Gill
Best English teacher ever
Thank you
please do more poems!
Excellent...nice to see this sort of lesson :)
Awesome thanks a lot
Best channel! 😍😍
We need more poems and also on medieval and modern english literature please
Very nicely explained! 😊
Thank you so much , madam!
Thanks for your lesson and time you halped me alot In my English and yuo made me love it more thx alot❤❤❤❤❤❤❤xxx❤❤❤
Thank you ma'am, I enjoyed it. 😀