Using Like or As
For homeschool, we’ve been working on a poetry unit, and Nigel is learning various literary terms. I wasn’t sure how much of it his autistic mind would be able to identify. Things are what they are; he’s a “tell-it-like-it-is” type of person. How could he understand the subtlety and ambiguity of metaphor? I decided that simile would be an easier place to start, with its concrete formula for identification: a comparison of two things using “like” or “as.” His early attempts, tall as a tree and sticky like glue, lacked flair, but we kept at it.
After a long day of homeschool, social skills class at the middle school, and chores, Nigel (who was probably up late last night) claimed he needed a rest before dinner. When I went to call him to the table, I found him splayed on his bed, a hint of a smile across his lips.
“I feel stretched,” he said. “Like butter over too much bread.”
I think he’s got the idea.
This entry (Permalink) was posted
on Monday, October 6th, 2008 at 8:25 pm and is filed under Nigelisms.
You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0
feed.
You can leave a response
, or trackback
from your own site.
2 Responses to “Using Like or As”
October 6th, 2008 at 11:00 pm
Good for Nigel!
I know I often found English class difficult, precisely because I had such trouble with metaphor, symbolism and other subtleties.
One of my all-time favorite teachers was an English teacher who focused on nuts and bolts - especially grammar. And she had a straightforward way of teaching symbolism and similar concepts.
It may not be irrelevant that unlike my other classes, this was not an Honors course. Thus, she was teaching at a less subtle level.
Nigel, keep up the good work. Simile and metaphor will really help you better communicate your thoughts to all sorts of people.
Jeff Deutsch
October 9th, 2008 at 7:30 pm
Jeff, thanks for your input. I’ll be sure to pass it along to Nigel!
Leave a Reply