FIGURES OF SPEECH terms of something else. They always involve some Words or phrases that describe one thing in terms of something else. They always involve some imaginative comparison between seemingly unlike things. Not meant to be taken literally, figurative language is used to produce images in a reader’s mind and to express ideas in fresh, vivid, and imaginative ways. The most common examples of figurative language , or figures of speech, used both in prose and poetry are simile, metaphor, and personification.

Metaphor A comparison of two unlike things not using like or as; something “is” something else. “You seek for knowledge and wisdom, as I once did; and I ardently hope that the gratification of your wishes may not be a serpent to sting you, as mine has been. “ Frankenstein The quote enhances understanding of the character’s emotions by comparing the “gratification of wishes with a serpent.”

Oxymoron A form of paradox that combines a pair of opposite terms into a single unusual expression “sweet sorrow” “cold fire”

Personification A metaphor that gives inanimate objects or abstract ideas human characteristics. “But when he entered, misery and despair alone welcomed him.” The comparison of his companions to misery and despair suggests the depth of his unhappiness. “The very winds whispered in soothing accents, and maternal nature bade me weep no more.” Frankenstein The character compares nature to a mother soothing her son.

Simile A comparison of two different things or ideas through the use of like or as. “The saintly soul of Elizabeth shone like a shrine-dedicated lamp in our peaceful home. Elizabeth’s “saintly soul” is compared to a “shrine-dedicated lamp” indicating the purity and loyalty of her soul.

HYPERBOLE Deliberate, extravagant, and often outrageous exaggeration. …the sun lets go ten million silver lizards out of snow It may be used for either serious or comic effect.

Sound Devices Stylistic techniques that convey meaning through sound Rhyme Assonance Consonance Alliteration Onomatopoeia

Alliteration Beginning several consecutive or neighboring words with the same sound. “Thus strangely are our souls constructed, and by such slight ligaments are we bound to prosperity or ruin.” The repeated “s” emphasizes the strangeness and seriousness of the statement.

Assonance The repetition of vowel sounds in a series of words “But I was doomed to live: and, in two months, found myself as awaking, from a dream, in a prison, stretched on a wretched bed, surrounded by gaolers’ turnkeys, bolts, …” The repeated “e” sound and the “etch” emphasizes the hideousness of the situation, like it might make you “retch”.

Consonance Repetition of a consonant sound within a series of words to produce a harmonious effect. “But sleep did not afford me respite from thought and misery; my dreams presented a thousand objects that scared me.” The repeated “d’s” mimic the sound of dread.

Onomatopoeia The use of words that mimic the sounds they describe. HISS BUZZ BANG

Rhyme Repetition of sounds in two or more words or phrases that appear close to each other. End rhyme occurs at the end of lines. Internal rhyme occurs within a line. Rhyme scheme is the pattern of end rhymes (in poetry). “I lay down on the grass, and was overpowered by a deep sleep.”