1. Figurative Language
Creative Writing

2. Figurative Language
A word or phrase that describes one thing in terms of another and that is not meant to be taken literally.
Figures of speech always involve a comparison of two things that are basically very dissimilar.

3. Figurative Language
Figurative language is basic to everyday speech, i.e. “She is a tower of strength” or “He’s a pain in the neck.”
Hundreds of figures of speech have been identified by scholars; the most common ones are simile, metaphor, personification, and symbol.

4. Simile
A figure of speech that makes an explicit comparison between two unlike things, using a word such as like, as, than, or resembles.
Ex. Her eyes were like sunshine.

5. Metaphor
A figure of speech that makes a comparison between two unlike things without the use of such specific words of comparison as like, as, than, or resembles.
Three types of metaphors:
Directly stated
Implied
Extended

6. Metaphor Ex. “Fame is a bee” (Emily Dickinson).
1. A directly stated metaphor states the comparison explicitly:
Ex.
“Fame is a bee” (Emily Dickinson).
Life is a rollercoaster.

7. Metaphor Ex. His sandpaper hands clumsily smoothed the satin sheets.
2. An implied metaphor does not state explicitly the two terms of the comparison.
Ex. His sandpaper hands clumsily smoothed the satin sheets.

8. Metaphor
3. An extended metaphor is a metaphor that is extended or developed so that the metaphor takes on a symbolic quality.
In “A Rose for Emily” Faulkner makes the comparison between Emily and the Southern way of life throughout the whole story so that Emily is a symbol.

9. Personification
Personification is a figure of speech in which an object or animal is given human feelings, thoughts, or attitudes.
Personification is a type of metaphor in which two dissimilar things are compared.

10. Personification
Ex. The heat pulsed under your dress, along your legs, with a stealthy and not unpleasant sense of invasion.

11. Symbol
A person, place, things or event that has meaning in itself and that also stands for something more than itself.
We can distinguish between public and private symbols.
The dove, for example is a public symbol of peace, accepted all over the world.

12. Symbol
The dove, for example is a public symbol of peace, accepted all over the world.
Most symbols used in literature are personal symbols; even though a symbol may be widely used, a writer will usually adapt it in some imaginative, personal way so that it can suggest not just one, but a myriad of meanings. For example, the journey.

13. Your Thoughts
Why do you think that figurative language is used in writing?
What quality does figurative language add to writing? What happens to writing when figurative language is used effectively?
Can figurative language ever be overused or inappropriate?

14. Journal #12 Reflect on Bradbury’s writing.
Pick out specific quotations (3-5) that are particularly meaningful to you. What makes these quotations meaningful?
How is Bradbury’s writing effective?