Figures of speech such as simile, metaphor, analogy, synesthesia, allusion, personification, and mythology are ways of helping the author express themselves creatively. These figures of speech help the author create an image of what they are trying to express without literally writing out word by word.
“The Latin word simile means alike. Metaphor is from the Greek word for transfer.” Similes and Metaphors are two figures of speech that we’ve seen throughout high school and previous english courses. As we all know similes compare two things using the words “like” or “as”. A metaphor as described in the book, is when we transfer to one thing the identity of something else that we associate with it.
An analogy is basically the reasoning behind the metaphor. To my understanding, an analogy is the explanation to why the metaphor is used to compare the two things. Synesthesia comes from a Greek word meaning “blended feelings.” “Synesthesia is an interpretation of data in one sense in terms of another.” (Manson)
“An allusion is another regonition of similarity, usually following an “it-reminds-me-of” pattern.” Personification is when you give an object the charasterestics of a human being.
After reading and reviewing this chapter, i felt this was more of a review from previous courses.
Hello everyone, I am a seeker for this week and I posted a website that basically summarizes figurative speech expressions in simple terms. I selected this website because it gives reasonable definitions and examples that will further explain each term. This website was developed by a high school professor trying to teach students the different topics related to poetry. It also displays pictures next to its examples and other links that can help you in other areas of literature. I will give you a quick sample of a definition displayed on the website, “A simile makes a comparison between two things which are unalike. Again, you have probably done this and not even realized it. The kicker on this one is you have to use the words like or as. Here are a couple of examples; The muscles on his arms were strong as iron. As easy as A.B.C. As easy as pie. As fat as a pig. As fit as a fiddle.” I found this website helpful, I hope it helps.
http://sites.google.com/site/english10everyday/english-10-home-1/figurative-language
Hi I’m a commenter. After reading the chapter I had a few questions.
In the reading it says that “language itself is nothing but ‘figure of speech'”. What exactly does that mean ‘figure of speech’?
As a kid i had a problem understanding the difference between a simile and a metaphor. Can anyone say what the main differences are between a simile and metaphor and give some examples.
I like this analogy the football coach used near the end of a winning season when he was asked to change his strategy: “No, I’m going to dance with the girl that brought me.” Basically he is saying that the strategy thy were using got them so many wins that he would continue with that strategy.
I found this definition for ‘figure of speech’
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that departs from everyday literal language for the sake of comparison, emphasis, clarity, or freshness. Metaphor and simile are the two most commonly used figures of speech, but things like hyperbole, synecdoche, puns, and personification are also figures of speech. Used well, figures of speech greatly enhance your fiction, and can be a very economical way of getting an image or a point across, but used incorrectly, they will confuse the reader.
http://fictionwriting.about.com/od/glossary/g/FigureSpeech.htm