In any English or literacy course, figurative language, the use of language not meant to be taken literally, is the spice of instruction. It is what makes writing come alive from the literal to the symbolic; it is the vehicle that transports simple language and meaning to a higher and exciting level –it is what takes the mundane to the exotic.
Knowing the various literary terms that apply to figurative language is indispensable for both the professional as well as the lay person; for a teacher, we must be familiar and able to share the definitions and usage of each special literary technique to help our students lift their work to the next level. For parents, being familiar with the terminology and usage is equally valuable (maybe you remember some of this lingo from school ?!) in supporting your child in his/her writing. Taking simple writing and enhancing it with the following techniques is sure to make your student’s/child’s work glitter!
Key Literary Tools:
Allegory: Here, symbolism live in the allegory. AN allegory is a fictional tale where characters, actions and setting symbolize an abstract idea.
Eg: George Orwell’s Animal Farm, symbolizes government control of its population.
Alliteration: occurs when two or more words in a line of text begin with the same sound, most often a consonant.
Eg: “The constant, candid, conversation could not convince the people of the candidate’s qualification.”
Allusion: This is a reference to a widely recognized person, place or thing in fiction or in history.
Eg: Ulysses, by James Joyce reads, “If Socrates leaves his house today, he will find the sage seated on his doorstep. If Judas go forth tonight it is to Judas his steps will tend.”
Analogy: This compares two things closely, and emphasizing the relationship between them
Eg: Referring to Ford’s Model T, Craig Raine, famous poet wrote, “Model T is a room with a lock inside- a key turned to free the world.”
Assonance: This is the repetition of vowel sounds in two or more words that are close to each other to help us to concentrate on the words themselves.
Eg: “Go slow over the road.” (repetition of long “o” sound)
Foreshadowing: This refers to an indication of events to come in a story; there are generally three types of foreshadowing: covert, where the shadow appears later in the work and the hidden clues are realized in hindsight, overt, where the hint comes before the event, leaving hints along the way, and event foreshadowing, where scenes are created to reflect a climactic situation.
Eg: “A character in a story comments on the weather, and says, “I think a storm is coming.” This can signify a physical storm or a metaphorical storm that is coming in the story.
Imagery: This tool refers to illustrious words that help the reader to construct a strong mental image.
Eg: Persian poet Rumi’s words, “Close both eyes to see with the other eye…”
Inversion: Here, a writer scribes a sentence out of its usual, expected order to emphasize and draw attention to the details.
Eg: In The Hobbit, writer, J.R.R. Tolkien writes, “In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit.”
Irony: In the use of this took, an incongruity or surprise contrast between what is expected and what actually happens occurs in writing.
Eg: “The old woman in the shoe (from the favorite poem, “Old Woman Who Lived in a Shoe”) actually hated children!”
Metaphor: This is the direct comparison of two different things
Eg: The gentleman was a strong steel structure as he faced the difficult situation without wavering.
Onomatopoeia: This is the use of words to imitate sound that are associated with a thing or an action.
Eg: Edgar Allan Poe’s words that emulate the sound of bells: “Keeping time, time, time, In a sort of Runic rhyme, To the tintinnabulation that so musically wells from the bells, bells, bells, bells, Bells, bells, bells…”
Personification: This refers to when an object abstract concept or animal is given human qualities. Human traits and qualities such as emotions, desires, sensations, gestures and speech are the frequently given qualities.
Eg: The lightening danced across the sky.
Simile: This is the comparison of two things using “like,” or “as.”
Eg: You are sweet like a cube of sugar; The problem is as large as a mountain.
Symbolism: Here is the use of symbols or images to represent something larger.
Eg: In William Blake’s “Ah Sunflower,” the sunflower is symbolic of people and the sun, life:
“Ah Sunflower, weary of time, Who countest the steps of the sun; seeking after that sweet golden clime where the traveler’s journey is done.”
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