Mr. Sabolcik
West Forsyth HS
2012
 Figurative Language
 Simile
 Metaphor
 Hyperbole
 Personification
Make a T-Chart!
Literal
Figurative
Language
Literal
Figurative

Literal
 Maintains the same
meaning regardless
of who is reading it.
 Stays absolutely true
to the intended
meaning of the
words.
 “That is a piece of
cake” =

Figurative
 the use of words in
such a way where the
literal meaning of the
words is not true or
does not make sense
 However, we get what
the author means.
 It is used so that
authors can be fresh,
creative, and clear.
 “That is a piece of
cake” =
 Math Test: 1+1=?
Figurative or Literal?
 I love school!
 That test was harder than a rock.
 The quarterback flew past the defender.
 Lamar is faster than the speed of light.
 Mr. Sabolcik is old.
Figurative Language
Metaphor
SIMILE
Has “like” or “as”
"My love is like a
red, red rose."
“His temper
was as explosive as a
volcano.”
Comparison of
two unlike
things using
“Like” or “As”
(or “As
though” or
“than”)
Flint by Christina Rosetti
An emerald is as green as
grass,
A ruby red as blood;
A sapphire shines as blue as
heaven;
A flint lies in the mud.
A diamond is like a brilliant
stone,
To catch the world's desire;
An opal holds a fiery spark;
But a flint holds a fire.
What are the two things being compared
in each simile and how are they similar?
 Write a simile and explain how your
simile compares the two things.
 Begin your simile: “My pet is like a…”
 Think, Pair, Share!
 Be prepared to share yours with the
class.
Figurative Language
Simile
METAPHOR
- A comparison
between 2 unlike
things to show
similarity
- No explicit words
(like, as, than)
No “like,” “as,”
Or “Than”
“Tyler is the
Michael Jordan of
English I.”
“Life is a journey full
of ups and downs.”
Explain the Metaphor!
Hold fast to dreams
For if dreams die
Life is a brokenwinged bird
That cannot fly.
What are the two things
being compared and how
are they similar?
What does it mean that life
is a broken-winged bird?
What does the poet tell us
about life without dreams?
Hold fast to dreams
For when dreams go
Life is a barren field
Frozen with snow.
What are the two things
being compared and how
are they similar?
What does it mean that life
is a barren, frozen field?
What does the poet tell us
about life without dreams?
 Write a sentence with a metaphor and
explain the relationship between the two
things it compares.
 Begin your metaphor in the following
way: Friendship is a …(thing)…
 Think, Pair, Share!
 Be prepared to share your work with the
class.
Figurative Language
Hyperbole
James is faster than light.
Sabolcik is ancient!
- An
exaggeration.
- It adds
emphasis to
words or
phrases!
Quickwrite: Explain the
hyperbole!

These books weigh…
I Ate a Spicy Pepper by Mr. Sabolcik
I ate a spicy pepper
From my brother on a dare.
The pepper caught my head on fire
And burned off all my hair.
My mouth erupted lava
And my tongue began to melt.
My ears were shooting jets of steam.
At least that’s how they felt.
 Adds a more colorful or exciting
emphasis
 Gets the reader’s attention
 Comedic effects


Write your own hyperbole about how great
English I is, and describe what effect it has on
your reader!
Be prepared to share your work with the class for
participation points!
Figurative Language
Metaphor
Personification
This is a more specific
Kind of metaphor where
Non-human things do
Something that humans do
“The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.”
“The funeral raced by me in a blur.”
- When a writer
gives human
characteristics or
qualities to a nonhuman thing
Quickwrite: How is this
personification?
Two Sunflowers Move in the Yellow Room.
"Ah, William, we're weary of weather,"
said the sunflowers, shining with dew.
"Our traveling habits have tired us.
Can you give us a room with a view?"
They arranged themselves at the window
and counted the steps of the sun,
and they both took root in the carpet
where the topaz tortoises run.
 Use a personification to describe
something within your reach right now.
 Think, Pair, Share!
Figurative Language
Onomatopoeia
Thud
Boom!
Meow
- When a word
sounds like what it
describes
Cynthia in the Snow
It SUSHES.
It hushes
The loudness in the road.
It flitter-twitters,
And laughs away from me.
It laughs a lovely whiteness,
And whitely whirs away,
To be,
Some otherwhere,
Still white as milk or shirts.
So beautiful it hurts.
Gwendolyn Brooks
Write your own onomatopoeia!

For each of the following situations:





Someone slips on a banana peel
Car drives b y
Someone feels angry
The door slams shut
A gun is shot
Figurative Language
Paradox
Oxymoron
This is a more specific
Kind of metaphor where
Non-human things do
Something that humans do
“Living Dead”
“Jumbo Shrimp”
“Light Darkness”
-a combination of
contradictory
words that are
next to each other


An oxymoron can be used by a reader to
deliberately bring attention to a contradiction.
For example Wilfred Owen, in his poem “The
Send-off” refers to soldiers leaving for the front
line, who "lined the train with faces grimly gay.“
 In this case the oxymoron grimly gay highlights the
contradiction between how the soldiers feel and how
they act: though putting on a brave face and acting
gay, they actually feel grim
Whoever gets the most wins!
Figurative Language
Metaphor
IDIOM
An idiom doesn’t
Compare different
Things. It’s just a
common phrase.
“It’s raining cats and dogs!”
"Put a lid on it."
-groups of words
whose meaning is
different from the
ordinary meaning of
the words
-Common phrase that is
not meant to be taken
literally, but everyone
knows what it means.
Common Idioms





That test was a piece of cake!
Even when John was in the voting booth, he was
still on the fence for who he wanted to be
President.
She really missed the boat with that joke.
That car probably costs an arm and a leg!
Why might people from other countries who
speak a foreign language have a hard time with
idioms?
FIGURATIVE
LANGUAGE
Picture
Imagery
Imagery makes an
Impression on your
senses. It affects
you!
“He fumed and charged
like an angry bull.”
-When words
appeal to the
senses very
precisely!
-When
something is
described by
using sight,
sound, taste,
smell, and
feel.
“The eerie silence was
shattered by her
scream.”
On a starry winter night in
Portugal
Where the ocean kissed the
southern shore
There a dream I never thought
would come to pass
Came and went like time spent
through an hourglass
-Teena Marie, “Portuguese Love”
Figurative Language
Metaphor
Allegory
Longer.
The comparison lasts
the entire poem or
story.
George Orwell’s Animal Farm
Christina Rossetti’s “Uphill”
- Extended
comparison where
every character and
situation takes on
another meaning.
- Longer metaphor.
First, it's a seed,
She has special needs.
Then she grows into a plant,
That grows up saying I can't.
Then she turns into a bud,
The color red as blood.
Then she grows thorns in her
stem,
To keep away from them.
Then she blooms,
No longer hiding in her
cocoon.
They then try to bring her
down,
Taking away her crown.
They really enjoy it most
of all,
Watching her petals fall.
She now starts to wither,
Turning the color of
leather.
She's starting to die,
From hearing all those
lies.
She then falls to the
ground,
Not wanting to be found.
Figurative Language
Simile
Symbol
Relationship between
Symbol and its meaning
Is determined by reader,
Not author.
Green – Symbol
for stop
-An object or
action that means
more than just
itself
-Concrete thing
that means more
than meets the
eye
Coffin – Symbol for death
The sick rose
O Rose, thou art sick!
The invisible worm
That flies in the night,
In the howling storm,
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy,
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
William Blake

Think of a symbol for how you feel about this
class. What is your symbol and why did you
choose it?
Poetic Devices!
Alliteration
Assonance
Poetic Device
Consonance
Alliteration
Alliteration occurs only
With the FIRST letter or
Sound in the group of words
“Peter Piper Picked a Peck of Pickled Peppers”
Dunkin’ Donuts
- Repetition of
consonant
sounds in the
beginning of
words
Poetic Device
Alliteration
Assonance
- Repetition of
VOWEL sounds
anywhere in
words next to
each other
Alliteration deals with
Consonants in the beginning;
Assonance Deals with vowels anywhere!
"Fleet feet sweep by sleeping geese“ – Pink Floyd
"Strips of tinfoil winking like people“ – Sylvia Plath


Gives the words more rhythm
Connects the words together more
 Adds emphasis to the words

Makes us remember the phrase more
 It “sticks” in our minds

The sounds that words make can set the mood or
tone of the poem when we read it aloud.
 “Pitter patter” is quick and light
 “GOOD FREND FOR JESUS SAKE FORBEARE…
CURST BE HE THAT MOVES MY BONES” … the oohs are
ghost-like and omnious
Before we get to
work, are there any
questions?