Hidden Meaning There are so many places in life where we see, hear, or feel hidden meaning. Just think about it…

Literal vs. Figurative Meaning  Before talking about figurative language, you must understand the difference between literal and figurative.  Literal=in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical: the literal meaning of a word.  Figurative Language=in accordance with, involving, or being the primary or strict meaning of the word or words; not figurative or metaphorical: the literal meaning of a word.

Figures of Speech Figurative language uses figures of speech to convey unique images and create some sort of special effect or impression. A “figure of speech” is an intentional deviation from the ordinary usage of language.

Poetry works by comparison  Poets often create images or enhance meaning by comparing one thing to another for special effect.  A most important figure of speech is the Metaphor

 "By far the greatest thing is to be a master of metaphor. It is the one thing that cannot be learned from others. It is a sign of genius, for a good metaphor implies an intuitive perception of similarity among dissimilars." --Aristotle

Metaphor  The term metaphor has two meanings, a broad, more general meaning and a concise, specific meaning. –All figures of speech which use association, comparison, or resemblance can generally be called types of metaphor, or metaphorical. –One specific figure of speech which compares two things by saying that one IS the other is called a metaphor.

Metaphor  A metaphor also compares, but a metaphor is a bit more sophisticated than a simile.  For one thing, in a metaphor, the words like or as are missing. So readers have to recognize the comparison on their own without those easy words which help us to spot a simile so quickly.

Metaphor (continued) In a metaphor, a poet writes that X is Y. Readers understand that we are not to take the comparison literally, but that the metaphor helps us to see X in a new way. My brother is a prince. Razorback Stadium was a slaughterhouse.

More metaphors Richard was a lion in the fight. Her eyes are dark emeralds. Her teeth are pearls. But Avoid Mixed Metaphors (combining two or more incompatible images in a single figure of speech): Management extended an olive branch in an attempt to break some of the ice between the company and the workers.

Simile  A simile is a type of metaphor, a figure in which an explicit comparison is made using the comparative words like, as, resembles, than. Similes are easy to spot. (X is like Y: X is compared to Y in order to illustrate X more fancifully, poetically, or effectively. But Y is not a literal representation of X, not actual.)  The team’s center looked like a skyscraper.  My love is like a red, red rose.  We were as quiet as frightened mice.

More similes  Kennedy and Gioia offer a good list of ways to make a simile: My love is like a red, red rose. My love resembles a rose. My love is redder than a rose. She came out smelling like a rose! (767)

Personification Another kind of comparison is called personification. Here, animals, elements of nature, and abstract ideas are given human qualities. John Milton calls time “the subtle thief of youth” (599). Homer refers to “the rosy fingers of dawn” (599). Other examples of personification – The stars smiled down on us. – An angry wind slashed its way across the island.

 The three main uses of figurative language needed to read poetry are the previous : –Simile –Metaphor –Personification –Next week we will talk about several other types of figurative language. –You will have a quiz Friday about these three terms, so be sure to study!

Birkerts, Sven. Literature: The Evolving Canon. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Ginsberg, Allen. “A Supermarket in California.” Literature: The Evolving Canon. Sven P. Birkerts, ed. Boston: Allyn and Bacon, Kennedy, X.J. and Dana Gioia, eds. Literature: An Introduction to Fiction, Poetry, and Drama. 7th ed. New York: Longman, Works Cited