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140 Unit 2 ■ Analyzing Comparisons and Representations Amanda Gorman ■ In This Place 141 UNIT 2

Writers make comparisons primarily through two types of figurative lan-
guage: similes and metaphors. INSIDER Some metaphors extend throughout a text.
AP ® TIP Metaphors aren’t limited to one-sentence descriptions. FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Some authors choose to carry a metaphor throughout
Similes a literary text in order to communicate something more
Similes use words such as like or as to make an explicit comparison between two complex. We’ll come back to this concept in future chapters.
objects or concepts. This kind of figurative language calls attention to the act of
comparing.
Copyright (c) 2023 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Uncorrected proofs were used with this sample chapter.
The boy hurried away like a frightened puppy. GUIDED READING
(main subject) (comparison subject)
INTRODUCING THE TEXT
• The old lighthouse stood firm as an anchor against the waves. TRM Lit Links. Author and National Youth Poet
• My mother’s words were smooth and sweet as honey. Laureate Amanda Gorman performed a recitation
Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.
In This Place (An of another one of her poems, “The Hill We
Metaphors American Lyric) Climb,” at the 2021 presidential inauguration. You
may open class by playing a digital video clip
Metaphors are another type of comparison between two seemingly unlike things. from this momentous reading and ask students
But in contrast to similes, metaphors imply comparisons through the forms of the Amanda Gorman to reflect on the time, place, context, and
verb be. That is, writers equate the two things in a way that reveals or emphasizes collective interpretation of this poem.
one or more of their characteristics.
THE TEXT IN CONTEXT
That book was a roller-coaster ride. The first official National Youth Poet Laureate
(main subject) (comparison subject) of the United States, Los Angeles–native Rob Carr/Getty Images IDEAS IN THE TEXT
Amanda Gorman (b. 1998) is a writer and
This metaphor highlights how a novel’s suspense, surprises, and figurative plot activist who came to wide acclaim after she Community
twists are similar to the literal course of a roller coaster. performed her poem “The Hill We Climb” at the 2021 Presidential Inauguration ceremony. Protest
Her books include The One for Whom Food Is Not Enough (2015), Change Sings: A Hope
• When her name was called at graduation, her heart roared with pride. Children’s Anthem (2021), and Call Us What We Carry (2021). She has also contributed Strength
• I can’t find anything because the website is just a maze of links! articles to publications such as the New York Times and HuffPost. Gorman often writes Spirit
• My younger siblings were sheep, blindly believing whatever I told them. about race, feminism, marginalization, and resilience, among other themes. In “In This Diversity
Writers choose comparison subjects with careful thought and intention. In Place (An American Lyric),” she reflects on tragedy, protest, hope, and poetry in the Humanity
turn, attentive readers should be able to determine what specific aspects, qualities, context of the United States, both past and present.
and traits are being compared. For example, if a writer compares love to a rose,
close readers should ask, “What exactly about the rose is being compared to love? In This Place (An American Lyric) Guided Questions SUGGESTED RESPONSES
The thorns? The petals? The color?” If readers understand different aspects of the There’s a poem in this place — 1. This poem was TO GUIDED QUESTIONS
comparison subject, they can make a more informed interpretation. 1 in the footfalls in the halls presented at the
in the footfalls in the halls
Moreover, interpretations of a comparison are contextual. All interpretation inauguration of Poet 1. The speaker compares the movement, events,
in the quiet beat of the seats.
draws upon the experiences and associations that readers have with the objects in the quiet beat of the seats. Laureate Tracy K. and happenings within a place to the idea of a
and concepts being compared. Similar to historical references, literary quotations, It is here, at the curtain of day, Smith at the Library poem.
or pop culture allusions, comparisons may rely on the audience’s cultural under- 5 where America writes a lyric of Congress. What 2. The wisdom and nobility of the building as
metaphor is being
standing of an idea or object. you must whisper to say. introduced in the well as the resiliency of the collections are
Sometimes comparisons can lose some of their meaning when the audience There’s a poem in this place — opening lines of the transferred to the actions and events wherein
or time frame changes. Especially when reading texts that were written in another in the heavy grace, poem? the poem is found.
time frame or for another culture, close readers must consider, Does this compar- 2 the lined face of this noble building, 2. What characteristics
the lined face of this noble building,
ison still hold meaning for this audience? of subjects are
10 collections burned and reborn twice.
collections burned and reborn twice.
being transferred?

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CRITICAL APPROACHES
Historical
In an interview with Michelle Obama,
author Amanda Gorman says, “Poetry is
the lens we use to interrogate the history
we stand on and the future we stand for.
It’s no coincidence that at the base of the
Statue of Liberty, there is a poem. . . .
Whenever I’m writing, I’m looking at the
history of words.”

Amanda Gorman In This Place 141

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