FIGURATIVE
LAUNGUAGE
And poetry review
LYRIC POEMS
 A lyric poem expresses the thoughts and feelings of a single speaker.
• Example: “A Funeral In My Brain” by Emily Dickenson
I felt a Funeral, in my Brain,
And Mourners to and fro
Kept treading - treading - till it seemed
That Sense was breaking through –
And when they all were seated,
A Service, like aDrum –
Kept beating - beating - till I thought
My Mind was going numb -
ANGLO-SAXON POEMS
 An Anglo-Saxon lyric poem, composed for easy memorization (given
that they didn’t generally write things down), contain the following
elements:
• Lines with regular rhythm
• Caesuras, pauses for breath in the middle of lines (shown either
by punctuation or empty space)
• Kennings, two-word poetic re-namings, like “whales’ home” for
the sea.
• Assonance, repeated vowel sounds in unrhymed, stressed
syllables
• Alliteration, repeated initial consonant sounds in stressed
syllables
REGULAR RHYTHMS
 rhythm: the pattern of stressed and unstressed syllables in a line.
^
The
/^
falling
/
^
out
of
/^
/
^/^
faithful friends, renewing
/
^
is
of
/
love
REGULAR RHYTHMS
Oft to the wanderer, weary of exile
Cometh God’s pity,
compassionate love.
Though woefully toiling
With churning oar
on wintery seas
in the icy wave,
Homeless and helpless
he fled from fate.
from “The Wanderer”
CAESURAS
 Pauses for breath in the middle of lines (punctuation or space)
Oft to the wanderer, weary of exile
Cometh God’s pity,
compassionate love.
Though woefully toiling
With churning oar
on wintery seas
in the icy wave,
Homeless and helpless
he fled from fate.
KENNINGS
Storms now batter
these ramparts of stone;
Blowing snow and the blast of winter
Enfold the earth; night-shadows fall
Darkly lowering,
from the north driving
Raging hail in wrath upon men.
from “The Wanderer”
ASSONANCE
“Poetry is old, ancient, goes back far. It is among
the oldest of living things. So old it is that no man
knows how and why the first poems came.”
Assonance is subtle… it’s more about creating tone and mood than
being in-your-face poetic.
from “The Wanderer”
ASSONANCE
“Poetry is old, ancient, goes back far. It is among
the oldest of living things. So old it is that no man
knows how and why the first poems came.”
Assonance is subtle… it’s more about creating tone and mood than
being in-your-face poetic.
from “The Wanderer”
ALLITERATION
 repeated initial consonant sounds in stressed syllables
Sea-birds bathing, with wings outspread,
While hailstorms darken,
and driving snow,
Bitterer then is the bane of his wretchedness.
from “The Wanderer”
ALLITERATION
 repeated initial consonant sounds in stressed syllables
Sea-birds bathing, with wings outspread,
While hailstorms darken,
and driving snow,
Bitterer then is the bane of his wretchedness.
from “The Wanderer”
OTHERS TO LOOK FOR
 Look for similies and metaphors in ALL writing, not just poetry.
• But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
• What’s the metaphor? Object A = Object B
OTHERS TO LOOK FOR
 Look for similies and metaphors in ALL writing, not just poetry.
• But, soft! what light through yonder window breaks?
It is the east, and Juliet is the sun.
Arise, fair sun, and kill the envious moon,
Who is already sick and pale with grief,
• What’s the metaphor? Object A = Object B
• Juliet = the sun
OTHERS TO LOOK FOR
 Metaphor or simile?
For a brief while your strength is in bloom
but it fades quickly; and soon there will follow
illness or the sword to lay you low,
from Beowulf
OTHERS TO LOOK FOR
 Similie
“O my Luve's like a red, red rose
That's newly sprung in June;
O my Luve's like the melodie
That's sweetly played in tune.”
- Robert Burns
LANGUAGE
 Be aware of denotation and connotation when it comes to the
author’s word choice. It’s also incredibly important in setting the tone
or mood of a piece.
• Denotation: the explicit or direct meaning or set of
meanings of a word or expression
• Connotation: The emotional or cultural meaning
attached to a word.
DENOTATION
 Know the definitions of the words you are reading! The dictionary
(and the Dictionary.com app) are your best friends. Denotation is easy
if you’re willing to look stuff up (which you really, really should be).
“Even in slumber his sorrow assaileth.”
• What does “assail” mean?
• Assail: Make a concerted or violent attack on.
• What does “concerted” mean?
• Jointly arranged, planned, or carried out; coordinated.
DENOTATION
Even in slumber
his sorrow assaileth.”
• What does “assail” mean?
• Assail: Make a concerted or violent attack on.
• What does “concerted” mean?
• Jointly arranged, planned, or carried out; coordinated.
 Suddenly, his sorrow becomes a living, calculating thing! It is
violently and purposefully attacking this warrior! Much more terrible
than saying “he was sad even when he was sleeping.”
CONNOTATION
 The emotional or cultural meaning attached to a word.
• SPECIFIC, PURPOSEFUL WORD-CHOICE
Con = Latin for “with,” so think “with other meaning”
Childlike,
Youthful,
Childish,
Young
Disabled,
Crippled,
Handicapped,
Retarded
Talkative,
Conversational,
Chatty,
Nosy
FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
 I PROMISE YOU, EVERY WORD WAS CHOSEN
DELIBERATELY. IT’S YOUR MISSION TO FIGURE OUT
WHY