Ocean Swimmer, Woodchopper, Road Tripper: Using Metaphor to Develop Students’ Identities as Writers

Abstract

Students who understand their writing process and see themselves as writers are more likely to successfully tackle unfamiliar genres and writing tasks. In this self-study, a college English professor and two first-year college students make a case for an extended-metaphor assignment that helps students build stronger identities as writers. Metaphor plays a critical role in our understanding of the world and, hence, has high pedagogical value. By giving students a familiar framework with which to analyze their (less familiar) writing process, the metaphor essay develops students’ identities as academic writers, in turn helping them think more strategically about future writing tasks. Excerpts from each author’s own metaphor essay are interwoven with reflections on how the extended-metaphor essay assignment scaffolded their awareness of the writing process and supported their development as writers. Comments from students suggest that they drew strategically on their extended metaphor in subsequent writing tasks.