The top 6 most impressive lesson plans on "Metaphor" for 6th grade.

I. BASIC KNOWLEDGE TO MASTER

This lesson helps students understand metonymy as a rhetorical device. Therefore, students need to:

- Understand what metonymy is;

- Know the types of metonymy;

- Begin to analyze the effects of metonymy.

1. What is metonymy?

Metonymy is the use of the name of one thing to refer to something closely associated with it, in order to enhance the vividness and emotional impact of the expression.

Example:

Fifteen years that we can't forget

The revolutionary homeland that founded the Republic.

(Tố Hữu)

In the verse above, the revolutionary homeland is a metonymy. Here, the revolutionary homeland is used to refer to the base area of Việt Bắc, where the Party and Uncle Ho led the sacred resistance against French colonialism.

2. Types of Metonymy

Based on the relationship between A and B, metonymy can be categorized into four main types as follows:

a) Part-to-whole relationship (B) - whole (A): using the name of a part to represent the whole.

Example:

- A few butterflies fluttering gently in the wind

The buffaloes leisurely bow their heads eating in the rain.

(Anh Thơ)

butterfly wings (part): standing for butterflies (whole).

- Following Uncle Ho’s footsteps (Tố Hữu)

foot (part): standing for Uncle Ho (whole).

b) Containing-object to contained-object relationship (B) and contained-object (A): using the name of the containing object to represent the contained object. Example:

I return to Uncle Ho, down the road

To tell Vietnam's northern region, I can never forget Him.

(Tố Hữu)

Vietnam's northern region (container): standing for the people of Vietnam's northern region.

c) Relationship between the sign of an object (B) and the object itself (A): using the name of the sign of an object to represent the object. Example:

But on the boat with six paddles, one can still clearly hear the brief and sharp commands of the boatman.

(Nguyễn Tuân)

six paddles (sign of the object): used to represent the six rowers (object).

d) Relationship between the concrete (B) and the abstract (A): using the name of the concrete to represent the abstract. Example:

The resistance for three thousand days without rest

The calf muscles remain firm.

(Tố Hữu)

calf muscles remain firm (concrete) is used to refer to the abstract (the resilient and enduring spirit of the resistance).

II. EXERCISES

Question 1. The exercise requires students to:

- Identify the metonymy in the sentences, verses.

- Determine the relationship between the objects in the metonymy, referring to one of the four relationships discussed in the lesson.

To find the metonymy, students need to understand that metonymy involves calling one object by the name of another, based on their close relationship. Therefore, when reading a sentence or verse, if students notice that object A is used to refer to object B due to their close relationship, this is a metonymy.

Once students identify the metonymy in the sentence or verse, they can classify the type of metonymy used, based on the four types described in the textbook.

a) Metonymy: our village. Relationship between the containing object (B) and the contained object (A):

+ Containing object: our village.

+ Contained object: the people living in the village.

b) Metonymy: ten years, a hundred years. Relationship between the concrete (B) and the abstract (A):

+ Concrete object: ten years, a hundred years.

+ Abstract object: an unspecified number of years (many years).

c) Metonymy: blue shirt. Relationship between the sign of an object (B) and the object (A):

+ Sign of the object: blue shirt.

+ Object: the people of Vietnam's northern region.

d) Metonymy: the Earth. Relationship between the containing object (B) and the contained object (A):

+ Containing object: the Earth.

+ Contained object: humanity.

Question 2. The exercise asks students to differentiate between metaphor and metonymy, so students must identify the similarities and differences between them and provide examples.

Metaphor and metonymy share similarities and differences as follows:

a) Similarities

Both involve a transformation in naming: calling B to represent A, using B to understand A. Example:

- Metaphor: Eating the fruit, remember the person who planted the tree.

+ eating fruit (B) - enjoying the result (A)

+ planting the tree (B) - the person who created the result (A).

- Metonymy: The revolutionary homeland founded the Republic.

+ revolutionary homeland (B)

+ the base area of Việt Bắc (A), the sign of an object.

c) Differences

- A metaphor involves a shift in naming based on some similarity or analogy between A and B, but this similarity is not always obvious and requires discovery. For example, there are metaphors where readers do not always interpret them in the same way. Example: Hibiscus flowers lighting up the red fire.

+ lighting (similar to blooming flowers).

+ red fire (similar to the red color of the flowers).

- Metonymy involves a transformation in naming based on a direct, obvious, and easily recognized relationship between A and B.

Example:

+ Calling the rowers 'paddlers' because paddling requires the use of hands and oars.

+ Calling a table tennis player a 'racket hand' because playing table tennis involves the hand and racket.

+ Calling a writer or poet a 'pen hand' (or 'pen') because they write with a pen.

+ In contrast, calling a football player a 'foot striker' because they use their foot to kick the ball.

Due to this close relationship, metonymy is usually understood more quickly and is more easily agreed upon by readers.

Students can see the difference between metaphor and metonymy in the following comparison table:

Metaphor
Metonymy

There is a similarity in aspects:

There is a close relationship in aspects:

- form

- part-whole

- implementation method

- containing object - contained object

- qualities

- sign of an object - calling the object

- sensations

- concrete - abstract

I. What is Metonymy?

1 - Page 82 in the textbook

Which individuals do the bolded terms in the following verse refer to?

Brown jacket linked with green jacket

Rural areas with urban areas standing up.

(Tố Hữu)

Answer:

- Brown jacket: refers to farmers.

- Green jacket: refers to workers.

- Rural areas: refers to people living in rural areas.

- Urban areas: refers to people living in urban areas.

2 - Page 82 in the textbook

What kind of relationship exists between brown jacket, green jacket, rural areas, and urban areas?

Answer:

These terms are closely related to each other:

– Brown jacket evokes the image of farmers living in rural areas.

– Green jacket is a characteristic symbol of workers living in urban areas (during Vietnam’s Doi Moi period).

3 - Page 82 in the textbook

What is the effect of this expression?

Answer:

The expression in the above verse is concise but evokes vivid imagery and emotional depth in its delivery.

II. Types of Metonymy

1 - Page 83 in the textbook

How do you interpret the bolded terms in the following lines?

a.

Our hands create everything

With human strength, even stones become rice.

(Hoàng Trung Thông)

b.

One tree cannot make a mountain

Three trees together form a high hill.

(Folk poetry)

c.

On the day Hue bled

The uncle from Hanoi returned

By chance, we met at Hang Be.

(Tố Hữu)

Answer:

- Hand: refers to the human body part used for labor, grasping, symbolizing physical labor and hardworking individuals.

- One, three: represent specific quantities, here showing that individual units combine to form collective strength.

- Bloodshed: symbolizes injury, loss, sacrifice, here indicating the beginning of war.

2 - Page 83 in the textbook

What is the relationship between hands and what it represents in example a, one and three with their quantities in example b, bloodshed and the event it represents in example c?

Answer:

– Example a shows the relationship between a part and the whole.

– Example b illustrates the relationship between the concrete and the abstract.

– Example c shows the relationship between a sign of something and the thing itself.

3 - Page 83 in the textbook

From the examples analyzed in sections I and II, list some common types of relationships used to create metonymy.

Answer:

Common relationships used to create metonymy include:

– Using a container to represent the contained

– Using the concrete to represent the abstract

– Using a part to represent the whole.

III. Exercises

1 - Page 84 in the textbook

Identify the metonymy in the following verses or sentences and specify the relationship between the objects in each metonymy.

a) Our village used to be poor, struggling all year, still always hungry and cold. Now, our village is bustling with collective work throughout the year.

(Ho Chi Minh)

b)

For ten years, you must plant trees,

For a hundred years, you must nurture people.

(Ho Chi Minh)

c)

The blue jacket bids farewell

We hold hands, not knowing what to say today.

(Tố Hữu)

d)

Why? The Earth carries such gratitude

Always remembering the name of the Leader: Ho Chi Minh

(Tố Hữu)

Answer:

a. Metonymy with a relationship between a container and the contained:

– Our village: the container

– The people living in the village: the contained

b. Metonymy using the relationship between the concrete and the abstract:

– The concrete: ten years, a hundred years

– The abstract: an unspecified number of years

c. Metonymy: the relationship between a part and the whole

– Blue jacket: sign of a person

– Represents: people from the northern region

d. Metonymy: the relationship between a container and the contained

– The Earth: the container

– Humanity: the contained

2 - Page 84 in the textbook

What are the similarities and differences between metonymy and metaphor? Give examples.

Answer:

– Similarities: Both are rhetorical devices based on the relationships between things or phenomena.

– Differences:

+ Metaphor: The relationship between objects is based on their similarity (implied comparison).

+ Metonymy: The relationship is based on close proximity, familiarity between the objects.

I. What is Metonymy?

Question 1, Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2

Brown jacket: Refers to farmers with muddy hands.

Green jacket: Refers to workers. Rural areas: Refers to people living in the countryside.

Urban areas: Refers to people living in the city.

Question 2, Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2

These terms are closely interlinked: Brown jacket: Evokes the image of farmers in the simple, rustic countryside.

Green jacket: Reminds us of the workers during the time when the nation embarked on its reconstruction efforts.

Question 3, Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2

The expression above is concise, compact, and highly evocative in both imagery and emotional appeal.

II. Types of Metonymy

Question 1, Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2

Hand: A part of the human body used for labor, symbolizing the hardships and work of laborers.

One, three: Numbers that indicate exact amounts, here symbolizing the connection between individuals and the larger whole.

Spilled blood: Represents loss, sacrifice, the consequences of war, or marks the beginning of conflict.

Question 2, Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2

Sentence (a): Represents the relationship between a part and the whole.

Sentence (b): Represents the connection between the concrete and the abstract.

Sentence (c): Represents the sign relationship between things.

Question 3, Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2

Common relationships used to form metonymy:

Using a container to represent what is contained.
Using the concrete to represent the abstract.
Using a part to represent the whole.

III. Practice

Exercise 1, Page 84, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2

a. Metonymy showing the relationship between container and contained: Our village: the container.

The villagers: the contained.

b. Metonymy using the relationship between the concrete and the abstract:

Ten years, a hundred years: The concrete.
An unspecified number: The abstract.

c. Metonymy showing the part-whole relationship:

Blue jacket: symbol of the thing.
Northern people: standing for the whole.

d. Metonymy representing the container-contained relationship:

Earth: the container.
Humanity: the contained.

Exercise 2, Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2

Similarity: Both are rhetorical devices based on the relationships between objects and phenomena.

Difference:

Metaphor: Represents a relationship between objects that are similar to each other, often seen as a concealed comparison.
Metonymy: Represents the relationship between objects that are closely related or intimately connected.

I. What is Metonymy?

Question 1 (Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

- Brown jacket: refers to the farmer

- Green jacket: refers to the worker

- Rural areas: refers to people living in the countryside

- Urban areas: refers to people living in the city

Question 2 (Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

These words are interconnected:

- Brown jacket evokes images of farmers in rural areas

- Green jacket symbolizes workers living in the city (during our nation's Doi Moi period)

Question 3 (Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

The above expression is concise, vivid, and emotionally resonant.

II. Types of Metonymy

Question 1 (Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

- Hand: represents the body part used for labor, grasping, symbolizing manual labor and real workers

- One, three: signify specific, measurable amounts, representing the coming together of individuals to create collective strength

- Bloodshed: refers to injury, loss, sacrifice, symbolizing the start of war

Question 2 (Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

- Sentence a expresses the relationship between the part and the whole

- Sentence b expresses the relationship between the concrete and the abstract

- Sentence c expresses the sign relationship between things

Question 3 (Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

Some typical relationships commonly used to form metonymy:

- Using the container to refer to what is contained

- Using the concrete to refer to the abstract

- Using a part to refer to the whole

EXERCISES

Exercise 1 (Page 84, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

a. Metonymy using the container-contained relationship:

- Our village: the container

- The people living in the village: the contained

b. Metonymy using the relationship between the concrete and the abstract:

- Concrete: ten years, a hundred years

- Abstract: an undefined number

c. Metonymy using the part-whole relationship:

- Blue jacket: a sign of the thing

- Northern people: standing for the whole

d. Metonymy using the container-contained relationship:

- Earth: the container

- Humanity: the contained

Exercise 2 (Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

Similarities: Both are rhetorical devices built on relationships between things and phenomena.

Differences:

+ Metaphor: The relationship between similar things (an implicit comparison)

+ Metonymy: The relationship between objects that are closely related or interconnected.

WHAT IS METONYMY?

Answer to Question 1 (Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

Who do the bold words in the poem refer to?

Brown jacket and green jacket

The countryside and the city stand together

Answer:

- Brown jacket, green jacket: refers to farmers and workers.

- The countryside and the city: refers to people living in rural and urban areas.

Answer to Question 2 (Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

What is the relationship between the bolded words (brown jacket, green jacket, countryside, city) and the objects they represent?

- The relationship between brown jacket, green jacket, and the objects they represent is one of characteristic and feature: farmers typically wear brown jackets, while workers often wear green jackets when working.

- The relationship between the countryside, the city, and the objects they represent is one of container and contained: the countryside and city are the containers, and the people living in these places are the contained.

Answer to Question 3 (Page 82, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

What is the effect of this form of expression?

Answer:

This usage is concise, enhancing the imagery and nuance of the sentence, while highlighting the characteristics of the people being discussed.

Part II: TYPES OF METONYMY

Answer to Questions 1 + 2 (Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

What do the bolded words mean in the following examples?

a) Our hands do everything

With human strength, even stones become rice.

(Hoàng Trung Thông)

b) One tree cannot make a hill

Three trees together can make a high mountain.

(Folk Poetry)

c) On the day Huế bled

The Hanoi boy returned

Coincidentally, we met on Hàng Bè Street.

(Tố Hữu)

2. What is the relationship between 'hand' and what it represents in example (a), 'one' and 'three' with the quantities they represent in example (b), and 'bloodshed' with the event it signifies in example (c)?

a) Hand - a part of the human body, used as a substitute for workers in general (part-to-whole relationship).

b) One, three - specific quantities, used as substitutes for singular and plural numbers in general (concrete-to-abstract relationship).

c) Bloodshed - a sign, often used as a substitute for sacrifice, loss, or death in general (sign-to-thing relationship). In Tố Hữu's poem, bloodshed signifies the onset of war.

Answer to Question 3 (Page 83, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

Based on the examples discussed above, list some common relationships used to form metonymy.

Some common relationships used to create metonymy include:

- Using a part to refer to the whole.

- Using the container to refer to the contained.

- Using a sign of something to refer to the thing itself.

- Using the concrete to refer to the abstract.

Part III: EXERCISES

Answer to Question 1 (Page 84, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

Identify the metonymy in the following lines of poetry and prose, and describe the relationship between the objects in each metonymy.

a) In the old days, our village was busy with hardship, but always hungry and destitute. Today, our village is vibrant with collective work throughout the year.

(Hồ Chí Minh)

b) For the benefit of ten years, one must plant trees,

For the benefit of a hundred years, one must plant people.

(Hồ Chí Minh)

c) The blue jacket says farewell

Holding hands, what should we say today?

(Tố Hữu)

d) Why? The Earth holds a debt of love

Constantly remembering the name: Hồ Chí Minh

(Tố Hữu)

Answer:

The metonymy in the verses and prose and their relationships are:

a) Village - the farmer: the relationship between the container and the contained.

b) Ten years - a short period; a hundred years - a long time: the relationship between the concrete and the abstract.

c) Blue jacket - the people of the Vietnamese North: the relationship between the sign and the thing.

d) Earth - humanity: the relationship between the container and the contained.

Answer to Question 2 (Page 84, Literature 6 Textbook, Volume 2):

What are the similarities and differences between metonymy and metaphor? Provide examples.

Detailed Answer:

You can clearly see the similarities and differences between metonymy and metaphor through the following table:

SIMILARITIES: Calling the name of one object or phenomenon using the name of another object or phenomenon

DIFFERENCES: Based on relationships of similarity.

Specifically, similarity in:

- form

- method of execution

- quality

- feeling

Based on relationships of proximity.

Specifically:

- part-to-whole

- container-to-contained

- sign-to-thing

- concrete-to-abstract

Example: Metaphor:

The boat returns, does it remember the dock?

The dock waits faithfully for the boat.

Metonymy:

Remember the old man with bright eyes

In the brown jacket, with the beautiful fabric bag.

I – WHAT IS METONYMY?

Question 1. Who do the bold words in the following verse refer to?

Brown áo together with blue áo

The countryside together with the city stand up.

The bold words in this verse refer to:

Brown áo: refers to the farmers;
Blue áo: refers to the workers;
The countryside: refers to people living in rural areas;
The city: refers to people living in urban areas.

Question 2. What is the relationship between brown áo, blue áo, the countryside, and the city with the things they refer to?

The relationship between brown áo, blue áo, the countryside, and the city with the things they refer to is:

Vietnamese farmers often wore brown-dyed áo in the past.
Workers often wear blue áo. It is also called worker blue.
The countryside, where farming is done, is home to the majority of Vietnamese farmers.
The city is home to various people such as merchants, intellectuals, civil servants, but in the context of the verse, workers are the ones being called upon.

Question 3. What is the effect of this way of expression?

The effect of this way of expression:

The relationship between what is signified and the signifier in a metaphor is one of similarity;
The relationship between what is signified and the signifier in metonymy is a close relationship, not a similarity.

Remember

Metonymy refers to naming something or someone by using the name of another object or concept that has a close relationship with it, in order to evoke stronger imagery and emotion.

II – TYPES OF METONYMY

Question 1. How do you understand the bold words below?

a) Our hands make everything

With human strength, even stones can become rice.

(Hoàng Trung Thông)

b) One tree cannot form a hill

But three trees together make a mountain high.

(Folk poetry)

c) The day Hue bled

Chú Hà Nội returns

By chance we meet

In Hàng Bè.

(Tố Hữu)

Our hands: is a part of the human body used for labor, here it refers to the workers, the labor force;

One, three: are words that express specific quantities, here used to refer to the general idea of a few (one) and many (three), no longer expressing a specific or definite quantity;

Spilled blood: is a sign of conflict and injury, here used to refer to the time of war and struggle.

Question 2. How do the bold words relate to the things they signify in examples a, b, and c?

The relationship of the bold words with the things they signify is:

What is used to signify

Type of relationship

What is signified

Brown áo, blue áo

Using the sign of the object to refer to the object

Farmers, workers

The countryside, the city

Using the container to refer to the contained

People in the countryside, people in the city

Our hands

Using a part to refer to the whole

Laborers, labor force

One, three

Using the concrete to refer to the abstract

Few, many

Spilled blood

Using the sign of the object to refer to the object

Time of war

Question 3. From the examples discussed in sections I and II, list some common types of relationships used in metonymy.

Common relationships used in metonymy include:

Using the container to refer to the contained
Using a part to refer to the whole
Using the concrete to refer to the abstract
Using the sign of the object to refer to the object

Remember

There are four common types of metonymy:

Using a part to refer to the whole
Using the container to refer to the contained
Using the sign of the object to refer to the object
Using the concrete to refer to the abstract

B. EXERCISES AND GUIDELINES

Question 1: Page 84, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 2

Identify the metonymy in the following verses or sentences and explain the relationship between the things represented in each instance of metonymy.

a) Our village was poor for many years, yet still struggled in poverty. Today, our village is vibrant with the collective work of its people.

(Ho Chi Minh)

b) Because of the benefit of ten years, we must plant trees,

Because of the benefit of a hundred years, we must cultivate people.

(Ho Chi Minh)

c) The brown áo waves goodbye

Holding hands, what can we say today?

(Tố Hữu)

d) Why? The Earth carries the weight of love

Always remembering the name of Người: Hồ Chí Minh

(Tố Hữu)

Answers:
The metonymy examples in the above verses are:
Example a: Our village (refers to the people in the village)
=> Relationship between the container and the contained;
Example b: Ten years (refers to short-term time), one hundred years (refers to long-term time)
=> Relationship between the concrete and the abstract;
Example c: Brown áo (refers to the people of Vietnam’s northern region)
=> Relationship between the sign of the object and the object;
Example d: The Earth (refers to all people living on Earth, humanity in general)
=> Relationship between the container and the contained.

Question 2: Page 84, 6th Grade Literature, Volume 2
What are the similarities and differences between metonymy and metaphor? Provide examples.

Answer:
Metonymy and Metaphor:
Similarities: Both are based on the relationship between things and phenomena.
Differences:
Metonymy: The objects or phenomena have a close relationship with each other.
Metaphor: The objects or phenomena must share similarities.
Examples:
Metonymy: "The brown áo waves goodbye"
=> The people of Vietnam’s northern region (A) traditionally wear brown áo (B). So, when the brown áo (B) appears, we associate it with the people of the northern region (A).
Metaphor: "Day by day, the sun crosses above the mausoleum,
And we see a sun so red in the mausoleum."
(Viễn Phương)
=> The poet uses metaphor here. The key signifier is the similarity between the sun and Hồ Chí Minh (greatness, dignity, and permanence).

Write a paragraph using metonymy and identify the metonymy used in the paragraph
Example 1:
Summer arrives, and the rice fields wear a new yellow coat like a giant carpet stretching far into the horizon. The rice plants bend, heavy with grains, ready for harvest. On the fields, we spot the white hats of farmers working tirelessly. Hands quick to harvest without weariness. Drops of sweat fall from the faces of the farmers, yet their laughter and chatter ring out as the bountiful harvest erases the scorching heat of summer. Seeing their hard work, I recall the folk saying: "Plowing the fields under the midday sun, the sweat falls like rain on the plowed land"—which makes me appreciate rice even more.
Metonymy: Hands quick to harvest – referring to the farmers (Using the sign of the object to refer to the object)

Example 2:
"Tung tung tung..." The bell rings, signaling the recess. The playground is as noisy as a bustling market. The students rush out from their classrooms like bees swarming. Some groups of girls gather under the shade of an old banyan tree, while pairs of boys play shuttlecock. Their bodies are drenched in sunlight. Another group rushes to the canteen for a snack. The scene is lively and joyful, and no student can forget it. Each recess lifts our spirits, filling us with energy for better studying.
Metonymy: The noisy playground – referring to the sound of the students (Using the container to refer to the contained)