Module 4 Lessons: Figures of Speech

6. Figures of Speech

Lesson 52

Figures of Speech

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You have learned that imagery appeals directly to the five senses. It accomplishes this by using descriptive language literally, in that all of its meaning is on the surface. The literal language of imagery says what it means and no more.

In this lesson, you'll look at language that is used figuratively and not literally.

For example, if a writer says, "Her hair was blonde," this is a literal statement.

By contrast, if the writer says, "Her hair was pure gold" or "Her hair shone like the sun," that's figurative language.

You can see that figurative language allows for much more colourful, vibrant descriptions than literal language does.

1. Here are five phrases—some literal, some figurative. Decide which each is.

a. fire dancing merrily
b. eyes like jewels
c. a rainy day
d. a kind man
e. a class clown

You may not realize this, but many of the things you say in the course of a day are a mixture of figurative and literal speech.

Review of Figurative Language

You've been using the terms simile, metaphor, and personification for some time now, so you should be quite used to the process of identifying such figurative devices in the literature that you read. If, however, you continue to have difficulty, the discussion that follows should help clear up any fuzzy spots in your understanding.

Simile

Mr. Haas: Give me an example of a simile.

Lin: My dad is as wise as an owl. The crook was as sly as a fox!

Mr. Haas: Both examples conform exactly to the definition of a simile, but there is one problem with both of them.

Lin: Hey! What could be wrong with my similes?

Dominic: Well, they do seem a little old. Aren't they clichés?

Mr. Haas: I'm afraid so. Clichés, as you know, are common expressions that are used so often they've lost any real impact. Good poets always try to invent their own figures of speech.

2. Similes are everywhere. Your task is to prove this statement! To do so, locate ten similes from media other than your textbook or other school materials. You can search for similes in articles and advertising in a newspaper or magazine. For that matter, you could also look for examples from television broadcasting.

Write the ten examples of similes in your notebook. For each example that you locate, identify the specific source. You can record your similes in a chart similar to the one that follows. The chart has been started for you.

Simile	Source
"Cleans like a liquid tornado" ï¿½2002 www.clipart.com	ad in Chatelaine magazine

Metaphor

Mr. Haas: Give me an example of a metaphor.

Brandon: How about these two? Lin's toast; she's history.

Mr. Haas: Those are metaphors, to be sure, but they do have a small problem. Lin?

Lin: Since I was the victim of Brandon's metaphors, I'd love to answer. She's toast and she's history are slang, right? I guess if they last for another 20 years, they'll become clichés.

Mr. Haas: True. A good metaphor should help you visualize the two things being compared and jump-start your imagination. But with a slang expression or a cliché, you know exactly what is meant and you hardly have to think at all to understand the comparison.

Some students have difficulty identifying metaphors because metaphors can have different grammatical constructions.

• Metaphors are often used with the verb to be.

To him, morning was a bright light bulb in his face.

• Metaphors sometimes occur as verbs.

Love roots me to this place.

• Metaphors may also occur as adjectives.

The cat had silky hair.

3. When you consider metaphors, try to identify the two unlike things being compared and what the implied similarities are. Here's a list of not-so-obvious implied metaphors. For each, tell what's being compared, and identify at least one similarity between the two things. The first one has been done for you.

Metaphor	What's Being Compared
a. The football sailed through the air. ï¿½2002 www.clipart.com	The football is compared to a sailing ship. They both float—one through the air and the other through water. ï¿½2002 www.clipart.com
b. The leaves were whispering secrets in the wind.
c. She struggled desperately to move the rubble, but it mocked her futile
d. The car sputtered, gasped, and then sprang to life.
e. Suddenly the idea clicked on in his head and shone with a bright, steady light.

Personification

Mr. Haas: Did you notice in question 3 that at least two of the examples were personification? The reason is that personification is a type of metaphor.

Dominic: Personification—isn't that when you give human qualities to non-human things, like the sun or wind or trees?

Mr. Haas: You're right. And remember that almost any non-human creature can be personified. Birds, fish, even insects. Anything else?

Chelsea: Abstract ideas or concepts can be personified too, can't they? Like in the sentence Freedom cheered when the dictator was overthrown.

No Man Is an Island

Have you heard the expression No man is an island? It comes from a famous piece of writing that you'll be looking at more closely in the next lesson. The expression has become ingrained into the English language, so much so that it inspired Paul Simon to use it in the chorus of his famous song "I Am a Rock."

Journal Entry

In your journal, reflect on the expression No man is an island. Consider what it means. Consider the ways in which islands and people are similar and the ways in which they differ. Are there times when you feel like an island? Explain.

As a challenge, try using as many metaphors and similes as you can in this journal entry.

Going Further

If you have access to the Simon and Garfunkel song "I Am a Rock" on a CD, LP, audiocassette, or MP3 file, listen to the song now. As you listen, read along with the lyrics on page 3 of Sightlines 10. This is the song as originally released in 1966.

4. The title and the chorus repeat the metaphor I am a rock. What does the use of this metaphor suggest? To answer this question, create a list of all the similarities you can think of between an isolated person and a rock.

5. Did you notice that Paul Simon capitalizes "I Am A Rock" in the chorus of the song? Why do you think he does this? What effect does he want to create?

6. The song lyrics use a series of parallel statements to echo the opening claim, "I am alone." Find the other statements that parallel this statement. Explain what this parallelism accomplishes.

7. What is revealed about the speaker in the last two lines of the lyrics?

8. What does the song say to you about people who have been hurt by love?

The Importance of Dreams

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You're about to read a poem that has inspired generations of people all over the world. It's quite likely that you've seen it before. Studying this poem will enable you to better appreciate what it has to say about life and about people. It will also give you an opportunity to practise what you know about figurative devices.

Before reading this poem, complete the following journal entry:

Journal Entry

Reflect on what your dreams and goals are for the future. Here are some questions you may want to consider in your journal:

What do you imagine yourself doing and being ten years from now?

What do you think of people who have what may appear to be unrealistic or unattainable dreams?

What do you think of people who have no dreams or goals for themselves?

Do you think your dreams or goals are ambitious or realistic?

How important is it to have dreams and goals? Explain.

Langston Hughes's famous poem "Dreams" is found on page 89 of Sightlines 10. Read the poem carefully, and then answer the following questions.

9. Describe your feelings when you read the poem.
What images do you see? What aspects of the poem particularly strike you?

10. Describe a recent situation that can be linked to the ideas expressed in this poem. It can be from your own life, the news, literature you've read, or any other source.

11. Read the biographical sketch of the poet, Langston Hughes, on page 396 of Sightlines 10. Explain a connection between the poem and the author's life. If you're interested, research other biographical information about the author that may have influenced his writing.

12. What do you notice about the way this poem is organized or structured?

13. Many people have found this poem inspiring and memorable. No doubt, there are some readers not at all impressed with the poem. Do you think this poem is one to which you might return in the future or recommend to someone else to read? Explain why or why not.

In this lesson, you learned more about the differences between literal and figurative language. You then reviewed figurative devices such as simile, metaphor, and personification. You applied your knowledge to the analysis of two works—song lyrics and a poem.

ï¿½2002 www.clipart.com

Suggested Answers

1. a. figurative

b. figurative

c. literal

d. literal

e. figurative

2. Did you notice that ads feature a lot of similes? Sportswriters in newspapers are also fond of using similes to spice up their articles. Hopefully, you did not have to spend too much time on this task. The point of it was to illustrate how pervasive similes are in the media.

3. Responses will vary. This is how one student responded:

Metaphor	What's Being Compared
a. The football sailed through the air.	The football is compared to a sailing ship. They both float—one through the air and the other through water.
b. The leaves were whispering secrets in the wind.	The leaves are being compared to whispering people. Whispering and wind sound similar.
c. She struggled desperately to move the rubble, but it mocked her futile	The rubble is being compared to a mocking human enemy. Both emphasize the futility of her efforts.
d. The car sputtered, gasped, and then sprang to life.	The car is being compared to a living thing—human or animal. Both make similar noises and actions.
e. Suddenly the idea clicked on in his head and shone with a bright, steady light.	The idea is being compared to an electric light. Both come on quickly.

4. Responses will vary. These are just some of the comparisons put together by a group of students. Your list may be longer than this one.

Both isolated persons and rocks

are alone in being unable to communicate
are silent
have hard exteriors
are cold
can be warmed (rocks by the sun; people by love—if they allow this to happen)
can feel or be out of touch
can feel or be worthless
can feel or be tossed aside

5. The capitalization makes the statement seem more heartfelt, more important, and stronger. Perhaps the speaker wants to convince others (as well as himself) by making the statement appear more emphatic.

6. The phrase "I am alone" is paralleled by these statements:

verse 2: I have no need of friendship
verse 3: I won't disturb the slumber of feelings that have died
verse 4: I am shielded in my armour
chorus: I Am A Rock, I am an island.

This parallelism describes and develops a fuller picture of what it feels like to be isolated—regardless of whether or not it is self-imposed.

7. The last two lines suggest quite strongly that the speaker's claim that he is a rock is not true. The opposite is true—he does feel pain and he does cry. Otherwise, why would he deny it so strongly?

8. Responses will vary. Perhaps it says that people who have been hurt by love feel that they have to push other people away to prevent being hurt again. It may also suggest that some people fool themselves into thinking they are strong just because they feel they don't need anyone.

9. Responses will be personal. Here are the ideas of one student.

When I read the poem, I see a large piece of paper divided in two with a diagonal line. The top section shows a bird struggling to fly, but it cannot. The bottom section is a snowy field. It's a collage because I can't draw! Across the line dividing the two images is the word dreams in large red letters. Behind the word are shadowy versions of the word.

The aspects of the poem that struck me most were the two images of a disabled bird and a barren, frozen field in which nothing grows.

10. Responses will vary. Here is one student's response.

When the riots over the verdict of the first Rodney King trial broke out in Los Angeles, we saw people responding without hope. The result was anger and destruction. Dreams can help people avoid involvement in such situations.

11. Langston Hughes wrote "proudly and optimistically about black people." He, like another great African-American dreamer, inspired people who struggled against great difficulties and were in need of hope. This poem offers such hope and advice to anyone, rich or poor, of any skin colour.

12. Following is a full response that a group discussion might eventually end up with. Your individual response does not need to have all of this detail.

Two four-line stanzas develop one metaphor of life without hope. The first stanza compares a life without dreams to a broken-winged bird unable to fly, while the second stanza describes a winter field. Both stanzas begin with the same line, in which the speaker directs readers to keep their dreams. The last two lines provide metaphorical examples of what happens "if dreams die."

13. Check to see that you provided a reason to support your view. Could there be any relationship between your responses to the earlier questions and your personal judgment expressed here? Does anything in your Journal Entry relate to the opinion you have expressed here? Many of us find that memories of poems pop up where we don't expect them to. Will "Dreams" occur to you in your future? Only time will tell.

Lesson Glossary

cliché: a trite or common expression that has been overused
simile: a comparison of two unlike things using the words like or as
metaphor: an implied comparison between two unlike things that doesn't use the words like or as
personification: a type of metaphor in which human qualities are attributed to non-human things