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‘After Dark’: exploring Murakami’s extended metaphor

I can analyse Murakami's use of semantic field and extended metaphor.

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Year 10
Eduqas

‘After Dark’: exploring Murakami’s extended metaphor

I can analyse Murakami's use of semantic field and extended metaphor.

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Lesson details

Key learning points

  1. A semantic field is a group of words linked together via their meaning.
  2. Semantic fields can help to create extended metaphors.
  3. Murakami uses the semantic field of biology in the opening of 'After Dark'.
  4. Murakami uses the semantic field of biology to characterise the city as a living organism via extended metaphor.
  5. 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.

You could use a visualiser to show students how you found the semantic field in the extract when giving feedback for Learning Cycle 1.
Teacher tip

Equipment

For this lesson you will need a copy of the opening paragraph from Chapter 1 of Haruki Murakami's 'After Dark'.

Licence

This content is © Oak National Academy Limited (2024), licensed on Open Government Licence version 3.0 except where otherwise stated. See Oak's terms & conditions (Collection 2).

Lesson video

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Starter quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
Which group of words are most related in meaning?
love, hate, envy
Correct answer: seed, bud, blossom
car, rose, walk
Q2.
What theme links all of these words: river, sea, sand, grass?
Correct answer: nature
the beach
love
Q3.
What is a metaphor?
comparing two things using the word 'like' or 'as'
the continuation of a sentence beyond the end of a line
Correct answer: a figure of speech that involves comparing two things using the verb 'to be'
Q4.
What is a possible meaning of the following metaphor: 'Her voice is sunshine.'?
she speaks in a high pitch
Correct answer: she speaks kindly and warmly
she speaks calmly
Q5.
What does tone mean?
how fast or slow you read a text
Correct answer: the general mood of a text
the style of a text
Q6.
What does 'perceptive analysis' mean?
analysing similes and metaphors in a text
Correct answer: looking closely at and carefully unpicking complex parts of a text
zooming into any word from the text

Exit quiz

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6 Questions

Q1.
What is a semantic field?
a metaphor that extends over multiple lines of a text
Correct answer: a group of words related in meaning
something that is characterised by constant change or activity
Q2.
Why might a writer use a semantic field?
Correct answer: to create a persistent image of something
to create a dull image of something
to create a fleeting image of something
Q3.
In 'Ozymandias', Shelley uses the semantic field of ...
wealth.
love.
Correct answer: decay.
Q4.
Why might Murakami have used the semantic field of biology in 'After Dark'?
to create a mysterious atmosphere
Correct answer: to present the city as living organism
to introduce the laboratory setting
Q5.
Through the use of an extended metaphor, what effect does Murakami create in 'After Dark'?
he presents the city as slow-moving
Correct answer: he emphasises the dynamism of the city
he shows the city is a wild animal
Q6.
Which word adds to the image of the city as dynamic in Murakami's 'After Dark'?
nucleus
skeletal
Correct answer: transmit