How might you engage your reader by incorporating more figurative language (anecdote, narrative, simile, metaphor, dialogue, personification and such)? How might you offer more valid comparisons using these techniques?
“All the world’s a stage”—have you ever wondered why people remember and quote lines from Shakespeare so much? One of the reasons is because he used figurative language very effectively in his writings. You may have heard the term “figurative language” before, and perhaps when you heard it you were in a class analyzing novels or poetry. But figurative language is not just used in literature: you can employ it in your essay writing to great effect. Figurative language adds color to your writing by taking your words and applying them to other, often unexpected,
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Metaphors do not use “like” or “as” but equate the two terms you are comparing. Effective metaphors capture your reader’s attention, and by creating strong, clear, interesting images, help the reader better understand and remember your point.
The financial crisis in America was a tsunami whose waves of destruction battered the economies of countries all over the world.
Racial injustice is a disease that never seems to be cured.
A simile is a particular type of metaphor that compares two objects that are essentially not like one another. A simile, unlike a metaphor, introduces this comparison with the words “like” or “as.” My essay’s introduction is like the first sip of a fine wine—that is a simile; My essay’s introduction is the first sip of a fine wine—that is a metaphor. Used sparingly, similes can help your statements stand out and evoke thought-provoking images for your reader:
The fast food industry’s attempts to offer healthy menu options are like the 11th hour plea bargain of a death row inmate.
"Writing a book is a horrible, exhausting struggle, like a long bout of some painful illness" (Orwell 316).
A metaphor is comparing two objects without the use of like or as. One example of a metaphor in the letter is found in 39th paragraph and reads “Let us all hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice will soon pass away.”(King). This is a metaphor because it compares dark clouds to racial prejudice without like or as. Another metaphor is in the 39th paragraph and reads “the deep fog of misunderstanding will be lifted from our fear drenched communities, and in some not too distant tomorrow and the radiant stars of love and brotherhood will shine over our great nation with all their scintillating beauty.”(King). This is a metaphor because it compares radiant starts to love and brotherhood without like or
Similes also help readers understand many different themes throughout the novel. One can understand a story better if they can figure out what the main theme is. Figurative language can
Metaphors help readers visualize and develop a greater understanding of the text, which in this case, is neuroscience. In conclusion, Elizabeth Kolbert's use of metaphorical expressions stimulates imagery and connections, which in turn, appears to strengthen the thesis of her essay to the
Metaphors are considered to be one of the most important forms of figurative languages used in everyday speech, prose, fiction, and poetry. According to the American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, a metaphor is “a figure of speech in which a word or phrase that ordinarily designates one thing is used to designate another, thus making an implicit comparison” (Van Engen, 2008). Metaphors are used to enhance imagination of the reader when reading stories and poems. Metaphors make imaginative comparisons between two completely different objects; one object said to be another. For instance, in the poem Casey at the Bat, the author uses a metaphor to compare players to objects by stating the players are those actual
How does an author write a great book? How should they convey their message? Some may say the key to writing a great book is by creating a very detailed plot, and others by making complex, dynamic characters. Any way that successfully communicates the author’s message is a great strategy for writing a book. How should an author convey the meaning of their works?
A simile is a form of figurative language that uses the word “like” or “as” to make a comparison. An effective simile can tell a lot about a character or scenario. Early on in Wiesel’s book he describes Moishe as “Physically, he was awkward as a clown. His waiflike shyness made people smile” (3).
In “Shitty First Drafts,” Anne Lamott illustrates the challenges and difficulties writers face while preparing to write their first drafts, by explaining many different examples and how to eliminate those issues and exceed into creating the “Shitty First Draft.” Anne Lamott’s use of figures of speech, narration, and audience appeals, teach the readers how to write their first draft. Lamott’s descriptive writing and use of details allows the readers to experience her struggles and compare that to themselves. “Even after I’d been doing this for years, panic would set in. I’d try to write a lead, but instead I’d write a couple of dreadful sentences, XX them out, try again, XX everything out, and then feel despair and worry settle on my chest like
“The light, full and smooth, lay like a gold rind over the turf” (Adams 123) “I can feel the danger like a wire round my neck-like a wire-Hazel, help?” (Adams 13). These are examples of similes because they use the words like or as to compare two different things. Simile help the reader to be able to see what is happening in the story in their mind and to be able to imagine it. For example, “Her hair was red” is dull and is not very descriptive, but “Her hair was as red as fire” gives the reader an idea of how red it the hair was and allows the reader to imagine it.
a metaphor, which is the comparison of two things by just stating that one thing is the other.
Shakespeare uses metaphors and figures throughout his plays to give the reader and audience a further understanding of the story he is telling. In Metaphors We Live By, it is stated that “…Metaphorical expressions in everyday language can give us insight into the metaphorical nature of concepts that structure our everyday activities…” (Lakoff & Johnson 7). Through these conceits Shakespeare expands a normal idea and transforms it into
Example: “She 's as fierce as a tiger” is a simile, but “She 's a tiger when she 's angry” is a metaphor.
An example : “you are like a red rose”, a red rose is a metaphor for beauty.
The power of language holds great significance not only in Shakespearean study but of our daily lives as well. Every nuance Shakespeare creates leaves a clue to a greater truth or understanding of our humanity. Exploring the works of Shakespeare with this in mind allows for audiences to gain more appreciation and awareness of the depth of language and communication through his dialogue and characters as Shakespeare: “asks us to adorn the actor with our thoughts and ‘carry them here and there, jumping o’er the times’” (Bevington xiii).
Simile is a phrase that uses the words like or as to describe someone or something by comparing it with someone or something else that is similar. Simile and metaphor genuinely have an identical definition. Both of them compare two things that absolutely different. Simile is the explicit comparison of two things,
metaphor. Which is basically comparing two things without using like or as. The poem starts