FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE
Metaphors Metaphor Simile Tenor & Vehicle Extended Metaphor Mixed Metaphor
metaphor Using the traits of one thing to describe another. example: He was a wad of crumpled Hanukkah wrapping paper tossed out on the ice.
simile a comparison of two unlike things using like or as example: The figure skater was twisted like a pretzel.
These are NOT similes The wind was blowing outside like a hurricane. He was as tall as an NBA Pro. She was a little old lady who looked very much like other little old ladies. She was like really old and stuff. Turn off the lights as you leave the room. A simile doesn t just mean using like or as.
tenor & vehicle parts of a metaphortenor: the thing to which traits are given vehicle: the thing from which traits are borrowed All the world s a stage
tenor & vehicle parts of a metaphortenor: the thing to which traits are given vehicle: the thing from which traits are borrowed All the world s a stage TENOR VEHICLE
extended metaphor A metaphor in which the primary comparison is expanded to include greater detail and length. example: All the world's a stage, And all the men and women merely players They have their exits and their entrances; (William Shakespeare, As You Like It, 2/7)
mixed metaphor A metaphor which combines two different vehicles. It is often comprised of two clichéd phrases. The effect is often humorous. example: You're sailing close to thin ice.
more mixed metaphors You re out on a limb without a paddle. We are beating a dead drum. We re robbing Peter to pay the piper. I m kind of tired of walking on kid gloves. There s a pot of gold at the end of the tunnel. It s a walk in the cake. You can beat a dead horse to water, but you can t make him drink. We ll tackle that bridge when we come to it. That sure did take the steam out of your sails. We should get our foot in the door and get the ball rolling.
allegory An allegory is an abstract representation of principles or ideas through the use of characters, figures or events. It is also the classification for a creative work, such as a story or a play, which makes use of allegory. In most cases, allegory is the term used (rather than metaphor) when the symbolic representations reflect an aspect of human behavior or values.
metonymy meta = change onoma = name Reference to something or someone by naming one of its attributes. example: She s a contender for the gold.
more examples of metonymy The pen is mightier than the sword We await word from the crown. I'm told he's gone so far as to giver her a diamond ring. The boss is giving me crap again? Great. All I need is some suit telling me how to do my job.
synecdoche A whole is represented by naming one of its parts (genus named for species), or vice versa (species named for genus). Shows like the Ice Capades have been good to all the Brian Boitanos out there.
more examples of synecdoche The rustler bragged he'd absconded with five hundred head of longhorns. Both "head" and "longhorns" are parts of cattle that represent them as wholes Listen, you've got to come take a look at my new set of wheels. One refers to a vehicle in terms of some of its parts, "wheels" "He shall think differently," the musketeer threatened, "when he feels the point of my steel." A sword, the species, is represented by referring to its genus, "steel"
personification giving human traits to something which is not human example: The daffodils nodded their heads in approval of the breeze.
subtext Meaning that is implied but not overtly stated.
examples of subtext I can t tell you how good it feels to compete at the Olympic level. Mother to son: I see the garbage hasn t taken itself out to the curb. Don t let the door hit you on the way out.
unreliable narrator A first person narrator who, because of specific biases and/or limitations in his/her ability to understand what is being witnessed, presents an inaccurate account of the events and/or characters of the story. The reader must decipher what has really happened by understanding the limitations of the narrator, recognizing narratorial unreliability from clues provided by the author.
Irony Verbal Structural Dramatic Tragic
verbal irony When what is said has an underlying meaning that may be the reverse of the literal or surface meaning, or may be an additional meaning. example: I can t tell you how much I enjoy watching figure skating.
sarcasm (From Webster) a sharp and often satirical or ironic utterance designed to cut or give pain example: Here s Miley Cyrus being a role model for children.
structural irony occurs when a double level of meaning is continued throughout a work by means of some inherent feature such as a hero, narrator, or persona who is either naive or fallible
dramatic irony a situation in which the reader or audience knows more about the immediate circumstances or future events of a story than a character within it; thus the audience is able to see a discrepancy between characters' perceptions and the reality they face.
tragic irony a form of dramatic irony found in tragedies such as Oedipus the King, in which Oedipus searches for the person responsible for the plague that ravishes his city and ironically ends up hunting himself.
Idioms A familiar saying in a language that doesn t literally mean what it says. Native speakers will intuitively understand what it means, but someone learning the language would be baffled, e.g. It s raining cats and dogs.
hyperbole Extreme exaggeration, overstatement Ugh! We re NEVER going to learn how to do this right!
understatement the reverse of exaggeration a minimizing statement Hm. We may need to practice this a little before competition.
litotes understatement in which an affirmative is expressed by the negative of the contrary Usain Bolt isn t slow.
paradox A seeming contradiction that is actually true. example: The only constant is change.
pun A play on words that sound similar or exactly the same example: paradox pair o Docs
more puns Tires cost 100 bucks a pop. My friend Max hates going up steep hills. He's always been a bit of an anti-climb Max. How do you get holy water? Boil the hell out of it.
apostrophe act of addressing some abstraction or personification that is not physically present example: Death, be not proud
oxymoron Phrase consisting of contradictory words Examples: jumbo shrimp living dead peace force tight slacks pretty ugly
antithesis Using opposite phrases in close conjunction. example: I burn and I freeze
rhetorical question Do we need to define this?
Questions?