Literary and Language Elements Set 2 Figurative Language

Literary and Language Elements Set #2: Figurative Language English I 2011 -2012

I. Irony The difference between what we expect and what actually happens There are three types of irony: • Verbal Irony: Saying something when you mean the opposite(ex: General Zaroff in “TMDG” says, “We try to be civilized here. ”) • Situational Irony: Occurs when a situation turns out to be just the opposite of what we expect (ex: Meeting the Wizard of Oz) • Dramatic Irony: When we know something that the characters in the story do not (ex: In many scary movies, the audience can see the killer, but the victim cannot)

II. Symbolism Symbol: a specific object, person, or event that functions as itself but also functions as something more than itself. l Symbols help to reinforce theme! Dove= Peace Sun=Power that produces life Fork in the road = ? A torrential rainstorm = ?

III. Comparisons Personification: A figure of speech in which human qualities are given to an object, animal, or idea. Examples: l“The wind whistled through the trees. ” l“The earth trembled beneath my feet. ”

III. Comparisons Simile: A figure of speech that makes a DIRECT COMPARISON between two unlike words, often (but not always) using comparisons such as “like” or “as. ” Examples: l “The wind sounded like a freight train as it tore apart the house. ” l l Comparison is between the sound of the wind a freight train “’What I like best about this tree, ’ he said in that voice of his, the equivalent in sound of a hypnotist’s eye…” l Comparison between his voice and the effect of a hypnotist’s eye

III. Comparisons Metaphor: A figure of speech that makes an INDIRECT COMPARISON between two unlike things that have something in common. They DO NOT contain the words “like” or “as. ” Examples: l “His face was a stone mask. It did not move or show any emotion. ” l “The tree was a steely black temple beside the river. ”

IV. Theme A theme is the central idea of a work of literature. It is not the same thing as the subject. It is what the work means. l It is the “BIG PICTURE” message that the author wants us to discover as we read.

IV. Theme How do we talk about theme? l A theme is NOT a one-word concept. That is the subject. We state theme as a full sentence. l EXAMPLE: § If a story is about revenge, theme of that story is not revenge. Revenge is the subject. § The theme is the idea or insight about revenge, such as “Revenge is not always as sweet as it seems. ”

V. Motif A motif is a recurring subject, theme, or idea. A motif is important because through repetition, it allows the reader to see what the main points and themes of a story are. For example: The Bible and other similar religious texts have the recurring theme of the triumph of good over evil. This is a motif.