Figurative Language Symbolism and Imagery Painting the picture

Figurative Language, Symbolism and Imagery Painting the picture.

Why? To help us better understand materials we read we must engage higher level thinking skills. When considering this we must identify the why something occurs in the story. What is the characters reason for having a certain opinion or what caused a character to feel a certain way or the message they are trying to express?

Symbolism and Figurative Language Writers often create images through the use of symbolism in figurative language. Often when creating stories authors will use such things as personifications, metaphors and similes to create an atmosphere or emotion of the story.

Figurative Language For todays activities we will focus most on the three forms of figurative language listed below.

Other forms of figurative language Idiom – idioms are most often seen a figure of speech or special saying. These can be tricky when traveling to different parts of the world they may not make sense especially considering they do not mean what they say. For example “go jump of a cliff” does usually not mean to actually jump off a cliff, it’s figure of speech. Think of it like sarcasm…. “dumb as a sack of hammers” or “I'd rather have a stick in my eye”

Other forms of figurative language Onomatopoeia – word used to describe a sound Hyperbole – an exaggeration or tall tale. “He hit the ball to the moon and back. ”

Symbolism contained within the text “Touching Spirit Bear” The spirit bear- symbolizes trust and courage as well as it can also be seen as a reflection of Cole in the sense that he symbolizes just the opposite. By trying to hurt/kill the spirit bear, he hurts and almost kills himself.

The at'oo- A blanket that symbolizes trust and is passed down through the family. In the beginning of the text the blanket is annoyance because he trusts no one and feels alone in the world. It is almost destroyed by fire but then later in the story it comes to symbolize safety and comfort.

Imagery Authors describe one of the senses to allow a reader to imagine an event or emotion and allow the reader to put themselves in the story. Feel Smell Senses Hear Taste See