Figurative Language

1B

Part 1Review of terms

Figurative Language

• Writing that shows feelings or thoughts, but it is not meant to be interpreted literally.

• Relies on the reader’s imagination.

• Often used in poetry but can also be used in prose.

Simile, Metaphor

• Simile – compares two unlike things by using the words like or as.– Example

• Metaphor – compares two unlike things without using like or as. (It is more direct.)– Example

Analogy

• Is the use of a simile or metaphor that is extended to show more ways that two unlike things are similar.– Living in a dormitory is like a candy bar. The

freedom is sweet, but you can run into some nuts.

– The Internet is a superhighway because of its speed and connections to so many computers.

Personification, Hyperbole

• Personification – gives human characteristics to a non-human thing.– Example

• Hyperbole – uses extravagant exaggeration for emphasis.– Example

Oxymoron, Idiom

• Oxymoron – combines opposite and contradictory words.– Example

• Idiom – is an expression that means something different from the literal meaning of the words.– Example

Hyperbole vs. Idiom vs. Cliché• A hyperbole deals with inflating or

stretching the truth.– I have told you the answer a million times.– She could have cried a river.

• Idioms have nothing to do with what they mean.– She sang at the top of her lungs.– He dragged his feet to get finished.

• A cliché is overused, but it basically means what it says.– An apple a day keeps the doctor away.

Hyperbole Vs. MetaphorOxymoron Vs. Simile

• His mother had warned him a million times that he would be severely punished if she caught him in a lie.

• After studying all night, Charles walked around like the living dead.– Remember OXYMORONS are two

CONTRADICTORY terms.

• A symbol is an object that represents something else.

• Popular symbols – fire in Fahrenheit 451 – night or sleep may symbolize death

Symbol

Irony

• The use of words to express the opposite of what one really means or the difference between the actual result of events and the expected result.– Situational – exists when the outcome (tragic

or funny) is the opposite of expectations. – Verbal – is a person saying the opposite of

what is meant. (This is often sarcastic.)– Dramatic – occurs when the reader or

audience knows something important that a character does not know.

Irony examples

• Your teacher says to you, “Well you really worked hard!” when all you turned in is half the assignment.

• John is summoned into his boss’s office. Since John has worked especially hard this month and has broken sales record, he is expecting a raise. When he goes into the boss’s office, he finds that he is being fired.

Paradox

• Contains ideas that seem to contradict or go against logic.

• Is different from irony because it contains the truth but sounds totally impossible!!!– “Water, water, everywhere and not a drop to

drink.”– Putting your cell phone on the charger all

night will run down the battery.– Exercising will increase your energy level.

Allusions

• Are an indirect reference to cultural works, people, or events.

• Can come from history, literature, sacred texts, art, or current events.

• Cause the reader to compare one thing with the thing being alluded to.– He was a Scrooge around Christmas.– She threw us to the lion’s den.– When you spoke about uniforms, you opened

Pandora’s box.

Imagery

• A collection of word pictures that appeal to the reader’s senses and is sometimes referred to as sensory imagery.– Can include literary devices (simile,

metaphor, etc.)– Can create a picture in the reader’s mind

• The young girl shivered on the icy stone bench as she watched each breath appear in the frosty air. The mournful sounds of the large ship horns were her only company as she waited near the harbor.

• FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE– Symbolism– Irony– Paradox– Allusion– Imagery– Oxymoron– Simile– Metaphor– Personification– Hyperbole– Analogy– Cliché

These deal with the meaning of the words, the ideas themselves.

• STYLISTIC DEVICES– Alliteration – Assonance– Onomatopoeia– Rhyme– Repetition– RhythmThese deal with the

sound of the writing, with the concrete sense of sound that you hear when the writing is read.

Figurative Language andStylistic Devices

Rhyme Vs. AssonanceVs. Alliteration

• Alliteration is the repetition of similar sounds at the beginning of the words.– He was determined to doubt and dared me to

debate it.• Assonance is the repetition of similar vowel

sounds. (used for effect or sound)– I saw a life of blind kindness.

• Rhyme is the same / similar sound at the end of the words.– Little Miss Muffet sat on a tuffet eating her curds

and whey. Along came that spider and sat down beside her…

Onomatopoeia, Repetition

• Onomatopoeia – the use of a word that imitates a sound, such as buzz and hiss.– The bang outside my window and the whirring

of the chainsaw could mean only one thing; the men were still working to remove the fallen tree.

• Repetition – the intentional use of the same words or words over and over again.– Often used for emphasis

• “We will not tire, we will not falter, and we will not fail.” – George W. Bush

Terms• To convey

• To exaggerate

• To emphasize

• To elaborate

• To clarify

• To rely

• To entreat

• To inspire

• To express

• To establish

• To contrast

• To portray

• To compare

• To reinforce

• To underscore

• To employ

• To heighten

• To invoke

PART 2Going Further

withFigurative Language

Going Further withFigurative Language

• You must know the specific type of figure of speech or stylistic device.

• You must decide what the figure of speech really means.

• You must tell what the purpose of using it is (or what it affects).

• You must do this with multiple texts.

Why use figurative languageand stylistic devices?

• Writers use diction and figurative language to affect these literary elements:– Setting– Mood– Tone– Atmosphere– Characterization

Setting

• Is the time and place of a story, which include the surroundings or the environment.– Time may be specified or general– Place may be specified or general.

• Often described using imagery.

– As I entered the elaborate ballroom, my ears met the lilting lyrics of softly sung music. The dancers gracefully waltzed, and I was wooed to watch.

Mood, Tone, Atmosphere

• Mood – the feeling created in the reader.

• Tone – the writer’s attitude toward the subject or toward the characters.

• Atmosphere – the overall feeling that an author creates by using mood, tone, and setting.

Words to describemood and tone

MOODhappy, contented,

uplifting, sad, despairing, depressing, shocking suspenseful, scary, horrific, dreadful

TONESerious, playful,

humorous, sarcastic, sympathetic, mocking, formal, casual, matter-of-fact, bitter, critical, optimistic, carefree, hopeless

Characterization• Direct characterization – when the author comes

right out and tells you what the characters are like.– Jordan at five is a sweet but mischievous girl who

loves to dress up and play pretend games.

• Indirect characterization – when you have to learn about the character through his actions. This is most effective because the author is showing, not telling. – The husband was angry with his wife. “That bag of

lettuce is half empty. Why didn’t you try to get one that had more in it?

Here is what you must decide

• What is the figure of speech or stylistic device used?

• What is the picture the author wants us to get in our minds when he used it?

• What literary element is affected by the author’s choice of words?

Possible questions• How does the use of figurative language by these two

authors contribute to the mood?

• How does figurative language help reveal the meaning of the above statements?

• Justify the accuracy or inaccuracy of the analysis by selecting the statement below that accurately evaluates the analysis.

• Which statement below accurately evaluates the use of hyperbole and metaphor in the revised excerpt?

• Justify the decision to include the personification in the revised excerpt by selecting the statement below that correctly evaluates the effect of the personification on the poem.

Mississippi SATP English II Revised:

Multiple Choice

Student Review Guide for

Vocabulary/Reading