Figures of Speech in „Sunday”
Figures of Speech in „Sunday”
Open by placing the lesson in the Romanian language curriculum for Year 5: students read a lyrical text, observe expressive language, and connect meaning with artistic form.
Learning goal
I can identify simple figures of speech in the poem „Sunday” by Grigore Vieru and explain how they make the poem more expressive.
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One word you connect with Sunday in a poem
Use the responses to activate mood and imagery before introducing figures of speech. Likely answers: calm, family, warmth, rest, peace, home.
The poem as a lyrical text
„Sunday” is a lyrical poem.
The poem expresses feelings, not a story with many events.
The speaker presents Sunday as warm, gentle, and close to family life.
This emotional tone prepares us to notice artistic language.
If needed, remind pupils that a lyrical text focuses on emotions, images, and mood. Keep this short so the lesson stays centred on figures of speech.
Why poets use figures of speech
Figures of speech help ordinary words become more vivid. In poetry, they make an image clearer, a feeling stronger, or an idea more memorable. When we identify them, we understand not only what the poem says, but also how it creates emotion.
Stress that figures of speech are not decoration only; they support meaning and mood.
What is a figure of speech?
A figure of speech is a special way of using language to create expression. Instead of saying something in a plain way, the poet chooses words that suggest, compare, animate, or emphasise. In this poem, figures of speech turn Sunday into a living, meaningful image.
Use simple classroom language. Year 5 pupils need a practical definition they can apply while reading.
Reading for image and feeling
Look for words that seem unusual or especially beautiful.
Notice where an object or idea is described as if it were alive.
Notice where one thing is compared with another.
These clues often show a figure of speech.
This slide replaces a worksheet-style prompt with a reading method. It prepares pupils to spot figures of speech in the poem itself.
What makes a lyrical poem different here?
It tells many events
It explains grammar rules
It expresses feelings
It lists facts only
Checks slides 2–5. Distractors reflect confusion between lyrical text, narrative text, and informational text.
Complete the ideas about poetic language
A figure of speech is a special way of using language to create expression. In a lyrical text, the poet builds feeling and image. We look for unusual words, clear comparison, or signs that something non-human seems alive.
Echoes the phrasing from slides 3–5 and checks whether pupils connect figure of speech with image and feeling.
Personification
Personification means giving human qualities to something non-human: an object, a season, a day, or an idea. In a poem, personification makes the image feel alive and close to the reader.
Give an easy oral example if needed, such as 'The wind whispered'. Do not overload the slide with extra examples.
Personification in „Sunday”
In the poem, Sunday is not presented as a simple day in the calendar.
It appears gentle, active, and full of presence.
This personification makes Sunday feel like a being welcomed into family life.
The mood becomes calm, warm, and affectionate.
Refer to the lines from the poem read in class. Because the exact school edition may vary, keep the slide interpretive rather than tied to one isolated quotation.
Comparison
Comparison shows a similarity between two things. It often uses words such as like, as, or another clear linking structure. A comparison helps the reader imagine the image more easily.
If pupils know the term 'simile', note that comparison here refers to that school-level category.
How comparison works in the poem
When the poet connects Sunday with familiar, gentle images, the day becomes easier to imagine. Comparison brings the abstract idea of a day closer to the world of home, care, and peace. The reader does not only understand Sunday; the reader feels it.
Link this to concrete images pupils noticed during reading. Accept simple paraphrases from pupils during teaching, even if the slide itself stays concise.
In the poem, Sunday is personified because it feels like
a calendar date
a living presence
a grammar task
a noisy machine
Based on slides 6–7. The key idea is that Sunday is presented as active, gentle, and close to family life.
Fill in the key terms
Personification gives human qualities to something non-human. A comparison shows similarity between two things. In the poem, both help the reader imagine Sunday more easily and feel it more closely.
Checks understanding of the two figures introduced in this block and their effect, not just their names.
How does personification change the image of Sunday?
Expected elements: Sunday is made to feel alive, gentle, close to family life, warm, peaceful, and emotionally present. Encourage pupils to refer to effect, not only to name the figure of speech.
Epithet
An epithet is an expressive descriptive word, often an adjective, that highlights an important quality. In poetry, epithets colour the image and guide the reader's feeling about it.
In Romanian language teaching, pupils often meet the epithet as an artistic adjective. Keep the explanation practical and linked to effect.
Epithets in „Sunday”
The poem uses expressive descriptive words to build a tender atmosphere.
These words do more than describe; they add emotion.
Through epithets, Sunday seems pure, peaceful, and dear.
The lyrical voice becomes softer and more intimate.
Point out that a simple adjective is not automatically an epithet; it becomes one when it has expressive force in the poem.
Repetition
Repetition means using a word, image, or structure more than once for emphasis. In poetry, repetition can strengthen a feeling, create rhythm, and keep the reader focused on a central idea.
If repetition is less visible in the chosen excerpt, present it as a feature pupils may detect in wording, structure, or recurring image.
What repetition adds
It gives the poem a musical quality.
It makes the main image easier to remember.
It deepens the emotional tone.
It helps one idea stand at the centre of the poem.
Connect rhythm with oral reading: lyrical texts often rely on recurrence to sound memorable.
Which figure uses an expressive descriptive word?
Repetition
Comparison
Epithet
Personification
Based on slides 10–13. A straightforward recall check before moving to effect.
Complete the summary
An epithet colours the image and guides the reader's feeling. Repetition gives emphasis and rhythm. Together, they make the poem more memorable and deepen its emotional tone.
Captures the load-bearing effects from slides 10–13: image, rhythm, memory, tone.
What does repetition add most clearly to the poem?
Rhythm
Mystery
Conflict
Humour
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From figure to meaning
In „Sunday”, figures of speech do not appear separately. Personification, comparison, epithet, and repetition work together to create one image of Sunday: peaceful, affectionate, and close to the child’s world. This is how poetic language builds meaning.
This is the synthesis slide for the poem. Emphasise combination, not isolated labelling.
What the poem expresses
Sunday is shown as more than a day of the week.
It becomes a symbol of warmth, rest, and family closeness.
The figures of speech support this positive image.
Artistic language helps the reader enter the poem’s mood.
If appropriate, connect this to Grigore Vieru's frequent themes: childhood, family, tenderness, and simple sacred everyday life.
Together, the figures of speech make Sunday seem
cold and distant
strict and formal
peaceful and dear
dark and fearful
Synthesises slides 14–15. The correct answer matches the poem's final mood and meaning.
Why is Sunday more than a day in this poem?
Expected elements: Sunday is more than a day; it becomes a symbol of warmth, rest, family closeness, tenderness, peace. Students may mention several figures of speech working together.
What will you remember best from this lesson?
Reflection only. Invite short personal statements about the main idea, a figure of speech, or the poem's mood.
What helped you understand figures of speech today?
Reflection only. Encourage pupils to mention a helpful example, explanation, or activity.
Glossary
lyrical text - a text that expresses feelings, moods, and personal impressions
figure of speech - an expressive way of using language to create a stronger effect
personification - giving human qualities to something non-human
comparison - showing similarity between two things to make an image clearer
epithet - an expressive descriptive word that highlights a quality
repetition - repeating a word, image, or structure for emphasis or rhythm
tone - the feeling or attitude created in a text
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