In this humorous poem, inspired by Herman Melville’s voyages as a sailor, the speaker teases and satirizes a shark. The speaker critiques the shark’s monstrous appearance, laziness, and lack of intelligence while curiously studying the school of small fish who trail the beast. Melville uses metaphor to bring an imaginative and sardonic edge to the rendering of the shark.

Skills: analysis, drawing inferences from text, close reading, identifying the relationship between words

About This Document

The Owl Eyes Analyzing Metaphor activity gives students an opportunity to practice examining and analyzing metaphors. Students will engage with specific selections of the text and work collaboratively to identify the vehicle, tenor, and implications of each metaphor. The main components include the following:

• A brief introduction to the text
• A detailed handout on metaphor types
• A step-by-step guide to activity procedure
• A detailed answer key for teachers

In completing this worksheet, students will learn to classify and analyze different kinds of metaphors in order to develop close reading skills and draw deeper inferences from the text.