Imagery & Figurative Language Imagery, Simile, Metaphor, Hyperbole, and Personification

Imagery What are your five senses? Sight, Hearing, Touch, Taste, and Smell An image conveys a sense perception , i.e., a visual picture, a sound, a feeling of touch, a taste, or an odor Imagery = Language that portrays sensory experiences, or experiences of the five senses Authors use imagery to describe actions, characters, objects and ideas, and to heighten the emotional effect of their writing.

And straightway like a bell Came low and clear The slow, sad murmur of the distant seas, . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . And in the hush of waters was the sound Of pebbles rolling round, For ever rolling with a hollow sound. And bubbling sea-weeds as the waters go Swish to and fro Their long, cold tentacles of slimy grey. —from “The Shell” by James Stephens

Figurative Language The literal meaning of a word is its definition that you would find in a dictionary. Figurative language is different because it uses words in some way other than the literal meaning to add emphasis, make a comparison, or say something in a fresh and creative way. Poets often use figurative language to create imagery.

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

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.

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. My love is like a red, red rose. My love resembles a rose. My love is redder than a rose. My love smells as fresh as a rose!

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, readers understand that we are not to take the comparison literally, but that the metaphor helps us to see the subject in a new way. My brother is a prince. My room is a disaster zone. Her voice was nails on a chalkboard.

Personification Another kind of comparison is called personification. Here, animals, elements of nature, and abstract ideas are given human qualities. The stars smiled down on us. An angry wind slashed its way across the island. The sunflowers turned their heads to greet the sun.

Hyperbole Hyperbole is intentional exaggeration or overstating, often for dramatic or humorous effect: Your lost homework saddens me so much that I feel a flood of tears coming on. I’ve told you a million times to clean your room. I will absolutely die if he asks me to dance. When I saw the season finale, my head exploded!

Foreshadowing Foreshadowing occurs when an author uses words or phrases to hint at what is to come without revealing the story or spoiling the suspense. He had no idea of the disastrous events to follow. The private eye told himself there would be no more bodies, but he didn’t even believe a word of it.

Deus ex Machina An author uses deus ex machina when a seemingly unsolvable problem is suddenly and abruptly (and often too conveniently) resolved by an unexpected intervention. The term comes from Latin and means “god from a machine.” The cavalry comes charging over the hill just as the last soldier is about to die. A family about to lose their house finds out that an unknown relative has died and left a large inheritance.