‘After Dark’: exploring Murakami’s extended metaphor
I can analyse Murakami's use of semantic field and extended metaphor.
‘After Dark’: exploring Murakami’s extended metaphor
I can analyse Murakami's use of semantic field and extended metaphor.
These resources will be removed by end of Summer Term 2025.
Lesson details
Key learning points
- A semantic field is a group of words linked together via their meaning.
- Semantic fields can help to create extended metaphors.
- Murakami uses the semantic field of biology in the opening of 'After Dark'.
- Murakami uses the semantic field of biology to characterise the city as a living organism via extended metaphor.
- Murakami emphasises the dynamic, interconnected nature of the city.
Keywords
Cumulative - increasing as new additions are added
Semantic field - a group of words related in meaning
Extended metaphor - a metaphor that extends multiple lines of a text
Dynamic - characterised by constant change or activity
Common misconception
Students may misinterpret Murakami's semantic field and assume the text is a horror, mystery or thriller story.
If you really break down Murakami's use of semantic field, his word choice is more centered around dynamism of a living organism.
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: ‘After Dark’: exploring Murakami’s extended metaphor, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your year 10 english lesson on: ‘After Dark’: exploring Murakami’s extended metaphor, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
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The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
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Explore more key stage 4 english lessons from the Fiction: read around the world unit, dive into the full secondary english curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.
Equipment
For this lesson you will need a copy of the opening paragraph from Chapter 1 of Haruki Murakami's 'After Dark'.