Figurative Language
How authors create sensory images
in texts
Types of Figurative Language
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Metaphor
Simile
Personification
Allusion
Juxtaposition
Oxymoron
Paradox
Metonymy (symbolism)
Sound devices
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Rhythm
Rhyme
Alliteration
Assonance
Consonance
Onomatopoeia
Construction
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Parallelism
Hypophora
Anaphora
Rhetorical question
Figurative Language in The Book Thief
Figurative language is an important feature of Markus Zusak’s
style and contributes a lot to his authorial voice. Here are
some definitions of the most common figurative language
used in novels:
• SIMILE: when the subject is compared to another subject,
using the words like, as or such.
• METAPHOR: describes a direct comparison between two or
more seemingly unrelated objects.
• PERSONIFICATION: Gives animals and objects human traits
and qualities. These may include sensations, emotions,
desires, gestures, expressions and powers of speech.
Figurative Language in The Book Thief
Zusak uses a lot of this figurative language to express Death’s
perception of the events around him so we also get to
understand a lot about the narrative voice and point of view
from this imagery.
• Choose one quote containing figurative language that has
particularly captured you imagination.
• Draw your visual representation or picture of this quote,
making sure to include the quote as part of the picture.
• Write a PEE paragraph explaining the significance of the
quote. Engage with the quote at word level during your
explanation. (Put the paragraph on the back of the picture.)
• We will present these as part of a gallery walk.
Figurative Language in The Book Thief
Use a quote from the novel (some examples are
provided) and interpret it creatively from the
image in your mind’s eye onto paper. Then,
write a half page description of your picture and
use this to present your ideas to other students
in a small group situation.
Figurative Language in The Book Thief
• “I travelled the globe as always, handing souls to the conveyer
belt of eternity” (Death, 23).
• “I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black
robe when it’s cold. And I don’t have those skull-like facial
features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance”
(Death, 329).
• “Five hundred souls. I carried them in my fingers like suitcases.
Or I’d throw them over my shoulder” (Death, 359).
• “This time, his voice like a fist, freshly banged on the table. (136)
• “The soft spoken words fell off the side of the bed, emptying
onto the floor like powder” (67).
• “Everything was so desperately noisy in the dark when he was
alone. Each time he moved, there was the sound of a crease. He
felt like a man in a paper suit”(152).
Exemplar PEE Paragraph
Point
Evidence
Explanation
Synthesis
This quote captures the intense mental anguish that
prolonged solitude brought Max. The word
‘desperately’ captures the overriding emotion that
drives Max’s conviction to stay in the dark. The
reader feels that desperation made him accept any
situation, but it also means he is constantly
agitated, both physically and mentally. The active
‘noisy’ mind contrasts with the fear of movement.
The image of a ‘paper suit’ definitely shows his fear
of movement and how ill-prepared he is for the life
he now leads. The reader knows that Max is a
physical man, a fist fighter, who is used to activity
so stillness must be especially challenging for him.