Poetry Figurative Language Figurative language does not mean

Poetry

Figurative Language Figurative language does not mean exactly what it says (literal), but instead forces the reader to make an imaginative leap in order to comprehend an author's point. The two most common examples are simile and metaphor.

Denotation – Literal. The dictionary definition of a word.

Connotation – Figurative. What is implied beyond the literal definition of a word. That which is associated with the word or symbol.

Let’s practice Make an imaginative leap…

Light

Darkness

Poet

Imagery the "mental pictures" that readers experience with a passage of literature. Imagery is not limited to visual imagery; it also includes auditory (sound), tactile (touch), thermal (heat and cold), olfactory (smell), gustatory (taste), and kinesthetic sensation (movement).

Symbol A word, place, character, or object that means something beyond what it is on a literal level. In literature, symbols can be cultural, contextual, or personal.

Fire and Ice Some say the world will end in fire, Some say in ice. From what I've tasted of desire I hold with those who favor fire. But if it had to perish twice, I think I know enough of hate To say that for destruction ice Is also great And would suffice. Robert Frost

Speaker The narrative voice in a poem (created by the author) that speaks of his or her situation or feelings. Example: Eminem (author) Slim Shady (speaker)

Child

Elder

Introduction to Poetry Billy Collins I ask them to take a poem and hold it up to the light like a color slide or press an ear against its hive. I say drop a mouse into a poem and watch him probe his way out, or walk inside the poem's room and feel the walls for a light switch. I want them to waterski across the surface of a poem waving at the author's name on the shore. But all they want to do is tie the poem to a chair with rope and torture a confession out of it. They begin beating it with a hose to find out what it really means.

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