BRIDGING GAPS

MARIA LYN D. CRUZAT

OBJECTIVES

 1. Identify metaphor as a literary device

used in the poem

 2. Interpret the lines of the poem

 3. Appreciate the value of camaraderie and

bridging gaps by writing a pledge
TASK 1. GUESS WHAT I AM!

You will be given Filipino riddles with

English translation. Try to figure out
what is being described and write it on
your paper.
RIDDLE #1

Isang balong malalim, punong puno ng patalim.

A deep well that is full of chisels.

Answer:
Bibig (mouth)
RIDDLE #2

Dalawang batong maitim, malayo ang dinarating.

Two black stones that reach far.

Answer:
Mata (eyes)
RIDDLE #3

Dalawang balon, hindi malingon.

Two wells which you cannot turn to look at.

Answer:
Iyong Tenga (your ears)
RIDDLE #4

Naligo ang kapitan, hindi nabasa ang tiyan.

The captain took a bath without his belly getting wet.

Answer:
Bangka (canoe)
RIDDLE #5

Limang puno ng niyog, isa’y matayog.

Five coconut trees, one stands out.

Answer:
Daliri (fingers)
RIDDLE #6

Nang hatakin ko ang baging, nagkagulo ang mga matsing.

When I tugged on the vine, the monkeys went crazy.

Answer:
Kampana (large bell)
TASK 2. LET’S READ
Listen as your teacher reads the poem.
Afterwards, everybody in class reads the
poem altogether. Then, some volunteers will
also be asked to read it aloud in class.
 A Martian Sends a Postcard Home
Craig Raine (1979)

Caxtons are mechanical birds with many wings

and some are treasured for their markings –
they cause the eyes to melt
or the body to shriek without pain.

I have never seen one fly, but

sometimes they perch on the hand.
mist is when the sky tired of flight
and rests its soft machine on ground:

then the world is dim and bookish

like engravings under tissue paper.
 Rain is when the earth is television.
It has the property of making colours darker.

Model T is a room with the lock inside –

a key is turned to free the world

for movement, so quick there is a film

to watch for anything missed.

but time is tied to the wrist

or kept in a box, ticking with impatience.

In homes, a haunted apparatus sleeps,

that snores when you pick it up.

If the ghost cries, they carry it

to their lips and soothe it to sleep
 with sounds. and yet, they wake it up
deliberately, by tickling with a finger.

Only the young are allowed to suffer

openly. Adults go to a punishment room

With water but nothing to eat.

They lock the door and suffer the noises

alone. No one is exempt

and everyone’s pain has a different smell.

At night, when all the colours die,

they hide in pairs

and read about themselves –

in colour, with their eyelids shut.
TASK 3. DISCUSSION OF THE TEXT
Study the use of metaphors as a literary device of
poetry.
Metaphor Definition
Metaphor is a figure of speech which makes an implicit, implied or
hidden comparison between two things that are unrelated but share
some common characteristics. In other words, a resemblance of two
contradictory or different objects is made based on a single or some
common characteristics.
In simple English, when you portray a person, place, thing, or an
action as being something else, even though it is not actually that
“something else,” you are speaking metaphorically. “He is the black
sheep of the family” is a metaphor because he is not a sheep and is not
even black. However, we can use this comparison to describe an
association of a black sheep with that person. A black sheep is an
unusual animal and typically stays away from the herd, and the person
you are describing shares similar characteristics.
Furthermore, a metaphor develops a comparison which is different
from a simile i.e. we do not use “like” or “as” to develop a
comparison in a metaphor. It actually makes an implicit or hidden
comparison and not an explicit one.
SAMPLE METAPHORS
 My brother was boiling mad. (This implies he was too
angry.)
 The assignment was a breeze. (This implies that the
assignment was not difficult.)
 It is going to be clear skies from now on. (This implies
that clear skies are not a threat and life is going to be
without hardships)
 The skies of his future began to darken. (Darkness is a
threat; therefore, this implies that the coming times are
going to be hard for him.)
 Her voice is music to his ears. (This implies that her
voice makes him feel happy)
TASK 4. MATCH US
Match the lines of the poem with the mechanical object
being referred to. Write only the letter of the correct
answers.

_______1. Television A. Lines 1-6

_______2. Automobile/Car B. Lines 7-10
_______3. Mist/Fog C. Lines 11-12
_______4. Books D. Lines 13-16
TASK 5. LET US COMPARE
Based from your answers in MATCH US!, make the
comparisons between what the Martian thought of and the
actual mechanical object he found on earth. Divided into 4,
each group will be assigned specific lines to explain.
Common guide questions will be given to each group.

Group 1 Group 2 Group 3 Group 4

Lines 1-6 Lines 7-10 Lines 11-12 Lines 13-14

Guide Questions:
 1. What two objects are compared in the lines assigned to you?
 2. What characteristics do the two objects have in common?
 3. What words in the lines make you think that that is the object being
referred to by the Martian?
 4. Is the object referred to in the line natural or man-made?
 5. If you happened to meet the Martian, what will you tell him to
convince him not to leave the Earth anymore and not to go back to
Mars? What positive things about the Earth will you tell him?
 6. How will you convince him to also spend some time to stay in Tayabas
City?
 7. What if the Martian were your age, how will you convince him to
study in Luis Palad National High School?