Introduction to Figurative Language

Journal Entry

Why are we learning this? Shakespeare was not only a playwright, he was a poet Romeo and Juliet written in iambic pentameter Known as traditional verse Unstressed followed by a stressed syllable In poetry, figurative language is used A LOT

Alliteration Repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds within a phrase or sentence Examples: Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers How much wood could a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck would?

Assonance A type of alliteration Repetition of vowel sounds to create internal rhyming within phrases or sentences Examples: Pink Floyd: "I lie down by the side of my bride"/"Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese"/"Hear the lark and harden to the barking of the dark fox gone to ground” “Men sell the wedding bells.”

Consonance A type of alliteration Repetition of consonant sounds to create commonalities within phrases or sentences Examples: She sells sea shells by the sea shore. Peter Piper

Antithesis Two opposite ideas are put together in a sentence to achieve a contrasting effect Examples: “One small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” Paradise Lost: “Better to reign in Hell, than to serve in Heaven.”

Hyperbole A figure of speech that involves an exaggeration of ideas for the sake of emphasis Examples: This suitcase weighs a ton! I’m so hungry, I could eat a horse!

Check Point! Divide into five groups Each group will receive a short passage/ cartoon Group’s job is to figure out which literary device it is We will go over each example after groups have had time to collaborate!

Irony Figure of speech in which words are used in such a way that their intended meanings is different from the actual meaning of the words Examples: Someone posting a video on YouTube about how boring and useless YouTube is “Water, water, everywhere, Nor any drop to drink.”

Metaphor Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two things or objects that are not normally compared to one another Used to describe/imply Examples: “Shall I compare thee to a summer’s day?” My dog is a teddy bear because she’s so soft.

Onomatopoeia A word or phrase which imitates the natural sounds of the thing that it is describing Examples: Moo Meow Pow!

Oxymoron Figure of speech in which two opposite ideas are joined to create an effect. Common oxymorons are a combination of an adjective with a noun with a contrasting meaning Examples: The living dead Seriously funny

Paradox Statement that appears to be self contradictory or silly but is actually truthful Makes the reader think Different than an oxymoron: as an oxymoron is just two contradictory words Oxymorons don’t have to make sense Examples: Your enemy’s friend is your enemy. “What a pity that youth must be wasted on the young.”

Check Point! I will show you five quotes from one of Shakespeare’s plays Your job is to tell me which literary device (irony, metaphor, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, paradox) is being represented First person who can tell me and explain why gets a prize!

Passage Number One: Hamlet “I must be cruel to be kind.”

Passage Number Two: As You Like It “All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players. They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages.”

Passage Number Three: The Tempest “Hark, hark!
Bow-wow.
The watch-dogs bark!
Bow-wow.
Hark, hark! I hear
The strain of strutting chanticleer
Cry, ‘cock-a-diddle-dow!’”

Passage Number Four: Romeo and Juliet “Go ask his name: if he be married. My grave is like to be my wedding bed.”

Passage Number Five: Julius Caesar “fearful bravery”

Personification Figure of speech in which a thing, idea, or animal is given human attributes or characteristics Examples: The flowers danced in the gentle breeze. The fire swallowed the entire forest

Pun A play on words in which a humorous effect is produced by using a word that suggests two or more meanings or by using similar sounding words having different meanings Examples: An elephant’s opinion carries a lot of weight. A horse is a very stable animal

Simile Figure of speech that makes a comparison between two different things using “like” or “as” Examples: “My love is like a red rose.” The soldiers were as brave as lions.

Synecdoche Figure of speech in which a part of something is used to represent the whole thing Examples: Using the word “wheels” to refer to a car as a whole Using “threads” to refer to clothes

Understatement A figure of speech designed to make something seem less important than it really is Examples: It is an understatement to claim that “it was a tiny bit cold today” in the middle of a polar vortex It is an understatement to claim that “he could stand to lose a few pounds” when referring to a 550 lb. man.

Check Point! Get in the same groups that you were in for the first check point. Each group will be assigned a literary device (understatement, synecdoche, simile, pun, or personification” Your group must come up with an example of their own We will be sharing these!

Review Activity! Remember that story you had to write about the glow worm caves? Get it back out! You will be re-writing this story (yes, re-writing the WHOLE story) using at least FIVE of the new literary devices we have learned I want you to highlight these devices and label them as well on the sheet provided You may use more than five if you would like!