Figurative Language: Tropes
Change in the meaning of words
Figurative language
 is language that goes beyond the normal
meaning of the words used. It’s language
that is not meant to be taken literally.
 (metaphors and similes are examples of
figurative language)
– Example:
Her eyes are like two diamonds. (her eyes
aren’t actually diamonds—it’s figurative, not
literal)
What is figurative language?
Here are some examples. What do you
think figurative language means?
 The wind whispered softly through the
trees.
 The cafeteria pizza was a soggy, droopy
piece of cardboard.
 The teacher glared like a furious dragon.
What is figurative language?
The wind
whispered through
the trees
Can wind really
whisper?
What is the author
trying to tell us
about wind?
What is figurative language?
 The cafeteria pizza
was a soggy, droopy
piece of cardboard.
 Is the pizza really
cardboard?
 What is the author
trying to tell us about
the pizza?
What is figurative language?
The teacher glared
like a furious
dragon.
Was the teacher
really a dragon?
What is the author
trying to tell us
about the teacher?
What is figurative language?
 Figurative language
expresses an idea that
goes beyond the actual
meaning of the words
 Wind can’t
whisper…but the
expression gives you
an idea of how the
wind sounds
Types of Figurative Language
 Simile - a comparison between two unlike
objects using like or as.
 Similes are easy to spot!!
Examples:
 The team’s center looked like a skyscraper.
 My love is like a red, red rose.
 We were as quiet as frightened mice.
Types of Figurative Language
Metaphor - a comparison between two unlike
things that does not use “like” or “as”
 A metaphor is a bit more sophisticated than a
simile.
 In a metaphor, a poet writes that X is Y. Readers
understand that we are not to take the comparison
literally, but that the metaphor helps us to see X in
a new way.
Examples:
 My brother is a prince.
 Richard was a lion in the fight.
 Her eyes are dark emeralds. Her teeth are pearls.
Types of Figurative Language
Personification – to give human thoughts and qualities
to non-human objects.
Examples:
 John Milton calls time “the subtle thief of youth” (599).
 Homer refers to “the rosy fingers of dawn” (599).
 The stars smiled down on us.
 An angry wind slashed its way across
the island.
Personification (continued)
The tree stood tall and
proud by the curving
path
 How is this sentence
showing the tree doing
something that trees
don’t really do?
Practice: example 1
The airplane landed as gracefully as a
ballerina.
What is it?
 Personification
 Simile
 Metaphor
answer: Example # 1
The airplane landed as gracefully as a
ballerina.
What is it?
 Simile
Example # 1
The airplane landed as gracefully as
a ballerina.
Interpret the simile
 What is the author
comparing?
 What is the author
trying to tell us?
Practice: Example #2
The water smashed angrily against the
rocks.
What is it?
 Personification
 Simile
 Metaphor
Answer: Example #2
The water smashed angrily against the
rocks.
What is it?
 Personification
Example #2
The water smashed angrily against the
rocks.
Interpret the personification!
 What is the water
doing that water doesn’t
really do?
 What is the author trying to
tell us about the water?
Practice: Example #3
My brother’s room was a dark, mysterious
cave.
What is it?
 Personification
 Simile
 Metaphor
Answer: Example #3
My brother’s room was a dark, mysterious
cave.
What is it?
 Metaphor
Example #3
My brother’s room was a dark, mysterious
cave.
Interpret the metaphor!
 What is the author
comparing?
 What is the author trying
to show about the
brother’s room?
Types of Figurative Language
Onomatopoeia (o no mat o pee ya) – a word
that sounds like what it means
Examples:
buzz
cock-a-doodle-doo
whip
Onomatopoeia (continued)
The onomatopoeic Snap, Crackle
and Pop!
-- Kellog’s Rice Crispies
Onomatopoeia (continued)
"Onomatopoeia every time I see ya
My senses tell me hubba
And I just can't disagree.
I get a feeling in my heart that I can't describe. . . .
It's sort of whack, whir, wheeze, whine
Sputter, splat, squirt, scrape
Clink, clank, clunk, clatter
Crash, bang, beep, buzz
Ring, rip, roar, retch
Twang, toot, tinkle, thud
Pop, plop, plunk, pow
Snort, snuck, sniff, smack
Screech, splash, squish, squeak
Jingle, rattle, squeal, boing
Honk, hoot, hack, belch."
(Todd Rundgren, "Onomatopoeia")
Types of Figurative Language
Allusion – referring to a person, idea, event,
etc. from art, culture, or history to get across
an idea.
– Allusion means 'reference'
– Allusion relies on the reader being able to
understand the allusion and being familiar with
the meaning hidden behind the words.
Allusion (continued)
Examples:
 She is the Brittany Spears of our school!
– What would this mean about the girl he/she is
describing?
 Describing someone as a "Romeo" makes
an allusion to the famous young lover in
Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare.
Types of Figurative Language
Hyperbole – exaggeration used for emphasis
– Often for dramatic or humorous effect
Examples:
 I’m so hungry I could eat a horse!
– Could I literally eat an entire horse? NO!
– Why would I say that if I didn’t mean it?
– To show I am really, really hungry.
Practice: Is it hyperbole,
personification, allusion,
onomatopoeia, simile, or metaphor?
1. Alladin
Jafar: Gazeem was obviously less than
worthy.
Iago: Wow! There’s a big surprise! I think
I'm going to have a heart attack and die,
from that surprise.
Answer: hyperbole
Practice: Is it hyperbole, allusion,
onomatopoeia, personification,
simile, or metaphor?
 2. Austin Powers: International Man of
Mystery
Austin: She's the village
bicycle! Everybody's
had a ride.
Answer: metaphor
Practice: Is it hyperbole, allusion,
onomatopoeia, personification, simile, or
metaphor?
 Ferris Bueller’s Day Off
Cameron: What'd I do?
Ferris: You killed the car.
Answer:
personification
Practice: Is it hyperbole, allusion,
onomatopoeia, personification,
simile, or metaphor?
 Ghostbusters
Egon: "I feel like the floor of a taxi cab."
Answer:
simile
Practice: Is it hyperbole, allusion,
onomatopoeia, personification, simile, or
metaphor?
 Family Guy
Tom Tucker: A bit of breaking news. A
local family is forced out of their home by
ghosts. Who are they gonna call?
Answer:
allusion
Diane Simmons (sighs):
Ghostbusters, Tom.
Tom Tucker: No, Diane. Their insurance
company. That's just stupid what you said.
Practice: Is it hyperbole, allusion,
onomatopoeia, personification, simile, or
metaphor?
 Hot Shots!
"I've fallen for you like a blind roofer.“
Answer: simile
“I could never find time for
love -- too heavy -- it's an
anchor that drowns a man.”
Answer: metaphor
Practice: Is it hyperbole, allusion,
onomatopoeia, personification, simile, or
metaphor?
 Mary Poppins
Mary Poppins: In every job that must be done,
there is an element of fun. You find the fun
and - SNAP - the job's a game!
Answer: onomatopoeia
Practice: Is it hyperbole, allusion,
onomatopoeia, personification, simile, or
metaphor?
 Meet the Parents
Greg "Gaylord" Focker: “The only way that I
would ever let go of my bag would be if
you came over here right now and
tried to pry it from my dead,
lifeless fingers, okay?”
Answer: hyperbole