2. Figure of Speech
A figure of speech is a word or phrase that possesses
a separate meaning from its literal definition. It can be
a metaphor or simile, designed to make a comparison.
It can be the repetition of alliteration or the
exaggeration of hyperbole to provide a dramatic effect.
3. Types of Figure of Speech
Some common figures of speech are alliteration,
anaphora, antimetabole, antithesis, apostrophe,
assonance, hyperbole, irony, metonymy,
onomatopoeia, paradox, personification, pun, simile,
synecdoche, and understatement.
4. Simile
Simile (pronounced sim--uh-lee) is a literary term
where you use “like” or “as” to compare two different
things and show a common quality between them. A
simile is different from a simple comparison in that it
usually compares two unrelated things. For example,
“She looks like you” is a comparison but not a simile.
On the other hand, “She smiles like the sun” is a
simile, as it compares a woman with something of a
different kind- the sun.
5. Examples of Simile
Consider this description of a thin man:
He’s as thin as a rail!
There can be no real similarity between a man and
a rail. But, describing a man as “as thin as a rail” evokes
the image of a remarkably thin man, as a rail is a very
thin pole.
6. Example
Consider a description of a graceful woman:
She moved like a deer.
In this case, the comparison is much closer; a deer and
a person are at least both living creatures. But they are
still different enough for it to be a simile. After all, if
she literally moved just like a deer, she might be
graceful, but we would also worry about her sanity. The
simile is still figurative, because we’re just saying that
she moves with some of the qualities of a deer, not just
like one!
7. Importance of Simile
Similes are an important tool that make language
more creative, descriptive, and entertaining. The mind
thinks in images and associations, so similes are used
to make stronger and more effective descriptions than
if only adjectives or literal descriptions were used;
they can stir up associated emotions, create new
connections in the mind, and emphasize certain
characteristics. Similes are almost essential to creative
expression from everyday speech to poetry.
8. Poetic example of Simile
For a poetic example of simile, read an excerpt from
Christina Rossetti’s poem “A Birthday”:
My heart is like a singing bird
Whose nest is in a water’d shoot;
My heart is like an apple-tree
Whose boughs are bent with thickset fruit;
My heart is like a rainbow shell
That paddles in a halcyon sea;
My heart is gladder than all these
Because my love is come to me.
9. Explanation
Rossetti uses simile three times in this section of the
poem: her heart is “like a singing bird,” “like an apple-
tree,” and “like a rainbow shell.” Rossetti compares the
heart to a joyful bird in a full nest, an apple tree full of
fruit, and a beautiful shell in a peaceful sea in order to
poetically describe its joy, fullness, and peacefulness.
10. Metaphor
An expression that describes a person or object by
referring to something that
is considered to possess similar characteristics:
"A heart of stone" is a metaphor.
11. Examples
Nature Metaphors
The snow is a white blanket.
He is a shining star.
Her long hair was a flowing golden river.
Tom's eyes were ice as he stared at her.
The children were flowers grown in concrete gardens.
Kisses are the flowers of affection.
The falling snowflakes are dancers.
The calm lake was a mirror.
12. Metaphor Example
"He is the apple of my eye."
There is, of course, no apple in someone's eye. The
apple is someone held dear.
"She has such a bubbly personality."
No one's personality can bubble up like a glass of
champagne. This metaphor is used to signify someone
who's especially cheerful.
13. Example
"I'm feeling blue."
Until we become like the little girl in Willy Wonka's
Chocolate Factory, none of us are likely to turn as blue
as a blueberry. This metaphor means someone is sad.
"I think he's about to fade off to sleep."
Fortunately, none of us fade into thin air when we fall
asleep. This expression simply means that someone
has drifted into a state of slumber.
14. Comparison
While both similes and metaphors are used to make
comparisons, the difference between similes and
metaphors comes down to a word. Similes use the
words like or as to compare things—“Life is like a box
of chocolates.” In contrast, metaphors
directly state a comparison—“Love is a battlefield.”
15. Key Differences
Key Differences Between Simile and Metaphor
The difference between simile and metaphor can be drawn clearly on
the following grounds:
A simile is a figurative statement, wherein two, unlike objects, are
compared, by means of words as and like. Conversely, a metaphor is a
figure of speech which can be a word or phrase for one thing that
points out another, to express that they are similar.
A simile is a metaphor, but vice versa is not true, because, a simile is a
type of metaphor. As against, a metaphor is a kind of non-literal
language.
In the case of simile, we make use of connectives such as ‘like’ and ‘as’
to indicate that the subject is similar to something. On the other hand,
metaphors do not use the connectives as it indicates that the subject is
something else.
Similes contain a direct comparison of two things, metaphor impliedly
compare two objects.
16. Alliteration
Alliteration is the repetition of a sound in the first
consonant sound of words, or within words, in a
sentence. It's just one example of a literary device used
to show meaning and emphasize parts of a text. ... ' In
this sentence, the 't' sound is repeated and
emphasized, and the alliteration adds rhythm to the
sentence.
17. Alliteration Tongue Twister
Alliteration Tongue Twisters
Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers. ...
A good cook could cook as much cookies as a good
cook who could cook cookies.
Black bug bit a big black bear. ...
Sheep should sleep in a shed.
I saw a saw that could out saw any other saw I ever saw.
18. Importance
The main reason to use alliteration in poetry is that
it sounds pleasing. It's a means to get the attention of
readers or listeners. It's also a clear way to signify that
the alliterative words are linked together
thematically, and it puts a spotlight on the subject
contained therein
19. Figure of Speech
Busy as a bee
Dead as a doornail
Get your goat
Give up the ghost
Good as gold
Home sweet home
Last laugh
Leave in the lurch
Phrases,Quotes
20. Examples of Alliteration
Examples of Alliteration Using the “B” Sound1. Janie
read a book by the babbling brook.2. The
child bounced the ball at the backyard barbeque.3.
The barbarians broke through the barricade.4. He acts
silly at times, but he was blessed with
a brilliant brain.5. The beautiful bouquet blossomed
in the bright sun.
21. Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to
music. Ballads derive from the medieval French
chanson balladée or ballade, which were originally
"dance songs". Ballads were particularly characteristic
of the popular poetry and song of Britain and Ireland
from the later medieval period until the 19th century.
22. Ballad
A ballad is a poem that tells a story, usually (but not
always) in four-line stanzas called quatrains. The ballad
form is enormously diverse, and poems in this form may
have any one of hundreds of different rhyme schemes and
meters. Nearly every culture on earth produces ballads,
often in the form of epic poems relating to the culture’s
mythology. However, the word “ballad” typically refers to
the relatively short lyrical poems produced by European
poets starting around the 13th century.
In popular music, the word ballad can also refer to a slow,
romantic, or sentimental song. However, this has no
significant relationship to the literary definition.
23. Example
One of the most popular ballads is The Night Before
Christmas by Clement Clarke Moore. Moore’s poem is
easy to remember because it has a simple rhyme
scheme and a very predictable rhythm (meter), and
because the story it tells is a charming
Christmas narrative that parents love to tell to their
kids.
24. Example
Perhaps the earliest ballads (in the narrower sense, not
including epic poetry) were produced in Spain and
France starting in the 13th These ballads were
expressions of romantic love, often telling the story of
the poet meeting and falling in love with his beloved.
This is why modern love songs are often referred to as
“ballads.”
25. Importance of Ballads
Ballads are perhaps the most ancient of all literary
forms – the earliest works of literature that we know of
are all mythological epic poems that tell the stories of
the culture that produced them. Today, a ballad is still
a great way to combine two separate forms of literature
– like a novel or play, the ballad tells a story
with characters and a plot line; but at the same time, it
has the meter and rhyme of a poem. This combination
of art forms lends ample opportunity for creativity and
individual expression.
26. Epic
An epic poem is a kind of poetry very closely related to
ballads – so closely, in fact, that we might say epic poems
are a kind of ballad. These poems are very long and tell
mythical, heroic, or religious stories. Epic poetry is found
in all the literatures of the ancient world, from the Greek
poet Homer to the Indian Mahabharata. There are two
main differences between epic poetry and ballads. The first
is length: epic poems are extremely long (the Mahabharata,
for example, has over 200,000 lines)! There’s no clear cut-
off point between a ballad and an epic poem in terms of
length, but in general epic poems are longer. The second
difference is themes: a ballad can be about any sort of story,
whereas an epic poem must deal with heroic or mythical
themes.
27. Elements of the Epic
Six Elements Of The Epic:
Plot centers around a Hero of Unbelievable Stature.
The epic hero completes what everyone only attempts.
...
Involves deeds of superhuman strength and valor. ...
Vast Setting. ...
Involves supernatural and-or otherworldly forces. ...
Sustained elevation of style. ...
Poet remains objective and omniscient.
28. How to write an Epic
How to Write an Epic Poem
Define the Epic Hero. The epic hero is at the heart of
the epic poem. ...
Outline the Epic Journey. The epic journey is perhaps
the second most important characteristic of the epic
poem. ...
Adopt an Elevated Style. ...
Adhere to Stylistic Conventions.
29. Features of Epic Hero
Trait 1: A Noble Birth. ...
Trait 2: Capable of deeds of
great strength and courage. ...
Trait 3: Great Warrior. ...
Trait 4: Travels Over a Vast Setting. ...
Trait 5: National Heroism. ...
Trait 6: Humility. ...
Trait 7: Faces Supernatural Foes and/or
Recieves Supernatural Help. ...
Tragic Hero.
30. Rhyme
Epic poems don't have to rhyme, but some of
them do. You can include a simple
couplet rhyme scheme, or go with something more
intricate. However, if you don't want to incorporate
a rhyme scheme, you don't have to. You can simply
write the poem in verse form so that each
line has roughly the same number of syllables.
31. Two types of Epic
There are two main types of epic: folk and literary.
Folk epic is an old form of epic poem that was
originally told in oral form.
32. Types of Epic
Folk epic is an old form of epic poem that was
originally told in oral form. ... In the literary epic, the
poet invents the story, while the folk epic is bases on
the mythology of the locality, like folklore for example.
The folk epic is basically in oral form, while
the literary epic is in written form
33. Functions of Epic
As the epic poem is the earliest form of poetry, it is the
earliest form of entertainment as well. Epics were written
to commemorate the struggles and adventures of kings and
warriors. The main function of epic poetry was to elevate
the status of the hero among the audiences to inspire them
to be ready to perform heroic actions. Epic obtained most
of its themes from the exploits performed by legendary
characters and their illustrious ancestors. That is why these
exploits became examples for others to follow, and still
lived in books. It is through epics, models of ideal heroic
behavior were supplied to the common people. Moreover,
epics also were collections of historical events not recorded
in common history books — the reason that they are read
today to be enjoyed and be informed regarding the past.
34. Dramatic Monologue
Monologue, in literature and drama, an extended
speech by one person. The term has several closely
related meanings. ... A soliloquy (q.v.) is a type
of monologue in which a character directly addresses
an audience or speaks his thoughts aloud while alone
or while the other actors keep silent.
35. Purpose of Monologue
Monologues serve a specific purpose in storytelling—
to give the audience more details about a character or
about the plot. Used carefully, they are a great way to
share the internal thoughts or backstory of a character
or to give more specific details about the plot.
36. Features of Monologue
A monologue is a poem that shares
many features with a speech from a play: one person
speaks, and in that speech there are clues to his/her
character, the character of the implied person or
people that s/he is speaking to, the situation in which
it is spoken and the story that has led to this situation.
37. Dramatic Monologue
One of the most important influences on the
development of the dramatic monologue is romantic
poetry. ... Dramatic monologues are a way of
expressing the views of a character and offering the
audience greater insight into that character's feelings.
38. Father of Monologue
Robert Browning
Robert Browning (1812-1889) was an English poet
noted for his mastery of dramatic monologue. He was
born in London, the son of a wealthy clerk at the bank
of England, he received scant formal education but
had access to his father's large library of about 6,000
volumes.
39. Difference
A monologue is any long, uninterrupted piece of
speech by an actor on stage or a person in life, with an
audience to it. A dramatic monologue is a longish
poem with a single speaker talking in 1st person
narrative to an imaginary listener.
40. Types
Types. Interior monologues involve a character
externalizing their thoughts so that the audience can
witness experiences that would otherwise be mostly
internal. In contrast, a dramatic monologue involves
one character speaking to another character.
41. Onomaetopoea
noun. the formation of a word, as cuckoo, meow, honk,
or boom, by imitation of a sound made by or
associated with its referent. a word so formed. the use
of imitative and naturally suggestive words for
rhetorical, dramatic, or poetic effect.
42. Example
An onomatopoeia is a word that actually looks like
the sound it makes, and we can almost hear those
sounds as we read. Here are some words that are used
as examples of onomatopoeia: slam, splash, bam,
babble, warble, gurgle, mumble, and belch. But there
are hundreds of such words!
43. Example
For instance, saying, “The gushing stream flows in the
forest” is a more meaningful description than just
saying, “The stream flows in the forest.” The reader is
drawn to hear the sound of a “gushing stream,” which
makes the expression more effective.
44. Examples
The buzzing bee flew away.
The sack fell into the river with a splash.
The books fell on the table with a loud thump.
He looked at the roaring
The rustling leaves kept me awake.
45. Famous example of Tennyson
“The moan of doves in immemorial elms,
And murmuring of innumerable bees…”
46. Functions
words are used to tell what is happening.
Onomatopoeia, on the other hand, helps readers to
hear the sounds of the words they reflect. Hence, the
reader cannot help but enter the world created by the
poet with the aid of these words. The beauty of
onomatopoeic words lies in the fact that they are
bound to have an effect on the readers’ senses, whether
that effect is understood or not. Moreover, a simple
plain expression does not have the same emphatic
effect that conveys an idea powerfully to the readers.
The use of onomatopoeic words helps create emphasis.
