When Is a Comparison a Simile and When Is It a Metaphor?
A Tulu poetry class is working through a 12-line poem in which the speaker describes a mother. Line 3 compares her to the shade of a banyan tree and uses the word 'ಲೆಕ್ಕ' ('like'). Line 7 says 'her words are a lamp'. The 5-mark appreciation question asks students to name two figures of speech and explain their effect. Twenty-eight students answer. Student 1 labels both lines as simile. Student 2 labels line 3 as simile and line 7 as metaphor. Student 3 labels line 7 as personification because 'a lamp cannot speak'. The teacher has four minutes before the next period and must decide whether to accept personification as a alternative. The answer key lists only 'simile' and 'metaphor'. A parent has complained that poetry marking is subjective, so the teacher wants a defensible ruling that can be explained to the class.
1. Which student's labelling is correct, and how many of the 5 marks should each student receive?
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Student 2 is correct. Line 3 is a simile because it explicitly compares the mother to shade using 'ಲೆಕ್ಕ'. Line 7 is a metaphor because it asserts that 'her words are a lamp' without using a comparison word. Student 1 is half right: line 3 earns credit, but line 7 is mislabelled, so I would award about 3 of 5, assuming the effect explanations are sound. Student 3 has noticed the oddity but misapplied the term. Personification gives human qualities to a non-human thing; here the lamp is used as an image for words, not as a character who speaks. Student 3 should receive credit for recognising that the line is figurative, but not for the label 'personification'. I would award 2 if the effect is explained, and record the distinction in the key.
2. A student says 'a metaphor is just a simile with the word like removed'. How would you correct this in 40 seconds?
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Say: 'A simile says one thing is like another; a metaphor says it is the other thing.' Then test the two lines. 'Her words are like a lamp' is a simile: it invites you to see a resemblance. 'Her words are a lamp' is a metaphor: it makes a stronger claim and asks you to accept the image for the moment. Removing 'like' is not a mechanical trick, because the grammar changes the force. A simile keeps the two things separate; a metaphor fuses them. That is why line 7 feels more intimate and more absolute than line 3. The 40-second explanation should end with a quick check: 'Which line would you use to say the mother is gentle, and which to say her words guide the family?'
3. Design a 2-mark sub-question that tests effect rather than label, and explain what a full-mark answer would contain.
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Sub-question: 'Choose one figure of speech from lines 3 or 7. What does it make you see or feel about the mother? Answer in one or two sentences.' A full-mark answer must do two things: identify the figure accurately and connect it to a specific effect. For example: 'The metaphor "her words are a lamp" makes the mother's advice feel like a guide in darkness, so she seems steady and protective.' This earns 2 because the label is correct and the effect is tied to the image. A label with no effect earns 1. A vague statement such as 'it is beautiful' earns 0, even if the label is right, because the question asks about effect. This sub-question separates students who memorised definitions from students who can read the poem.