Simile A simile is a figure of speech

Simile • A simile is a figure of speech that compares two unlike things. • Uses the words “like” or “as” in the comparison • • “She’s as blind as a bat” “Life is like a box of chocolates” “As easy as shooting fish in a barrel” “He’s as thin as a toothpick”

Simile • Makes language more descriptive and enjoyable. • Adds depth and greater meaning to the text. • “In his blue garden men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars. ” (39) • Comparing Gatsby’s guests to moths • “…then the glow faded, each light deserting her with lingering regret, like children leaving a pleasant street at dusk. ” (14)

Metaphor • Indirect comparison of two things • Does NOT use the words “like” or “as” • When you portray a person, place, thing, or an action as being something else, even though it is not actually that “something else” • “That class was a breeze” • “All the world’s a stage” • “He has a heart of gold”

Metaphor • Applies to the reader’s senses • Gives a life-like quality to conversations • “The exhilarating ripple of her voice was a wild tonic in the rain. ” (85) • Compares the sound of Daisy’s voice to a tonic • Her voice is enchanting and alluring • A tonic = medicinal cure • Sound of her voice is a cure for Gatsby’s longing

Personification • Assigning the qualities of a person to something that isn't human • Human qualities can be assigned to animals or objects (doesn’t have to be alive). • “Opportunity is knocking at your door. ” • “That pizza is calling my name. ” • “The sun glared down from the sky. ”

Personification • Used as a method of describing something so that others can better understand. • Emphasize a point • Paint a clearer picture • “As my taxi groaned away I saw Gatsby walking towards me across his lawn. ” (81) • “An hour later the door opened nervously and Gatsby hurried in” (84)

Hyperbole • An exaggerated statement or claim not meant to be taken literally. • “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse. ” • “Grandpa is older than dirt. ” • “Redbull gives you wings. ” • “If I don’t get tickets to the One Direction concert, I am going to die. ”

Hyperbole • Used for effect and emphasis • Makes text more interesting • “Wilson? He’s so dumb he doesn’t know he’s alive. ” (26) • “The flowers were unnecessary, for at two o’clock a greenhouse arrived from Gatsby’s. ” (84)

Alliteration • the repetition of usually initial consonant sounds in two or more neighboring words or syllables • Tongue twisters • Does not need to be an entire sentence. • Any two-word phrase can be alliterative. • Alice’s aunt ate apples and acorns around August. • She sells seashells by the seashore.

Alliteration • Companies use alliteration to make their products or name more memorable • Adds interest to a sentence • Oftentimes improves the way a sentence sounds • “a fantastic farm where ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills and grotesque gardens” (23) • "The wind had blown off, leaving a loud, bright night, with wings beating in the trees and a persistent organ sound as the full bellows of the earth blew the frogs full of life. “ (20)