Transcript Author’s Craft

Author’s Craft
Figurative Language
What is Figurative Language
• Language that expresses something more
than the dictionary meaning of the words
• Authors use Figurative Language to:
– Paint a vivid image in the mind of the reader
– Stir up emotion in the reader
– Create mood
– Help the reader better understand the theme
(message)
Simile
• A comparison of two different things using
words such as “like”, or “as”
• Helps the reader see things in a new way
• Examples:
– She was as quiet as a mouse.
– His face was as red as a beet.
– The pudding tasted like a whole raft of
lemons, like a night on the sea.
– The way you grow old is kind of like an onion
or like the rings inside a tree trunk.
Metaphor
• Compares two different things
• Helps the reader see things in a new way
• Examples:
– The classroom was a hive of activity.
– Father thundered into the room.
– He showered her with gifts.
– Your life is a blank page.
Personification
• Author brings objects and ideas to life by
describing with human qualities
• Helps the reader better understand and
visualize the text
• Examples:
–
–
–
–
The wind sighed in the trees.
The mountain stands guard, dark and silent.
My computer refused to cooperate.
Flames licked up the wall of our house.
Imagery
• The author uses vivid language to create an
image in the reader’s mind.
• Appeals to the reader’s senses
• Helps create mood and sets the tone
• Examples:
– Where have the unicorns gone?
They have scattered far from the noxious smog,
Wrapping themselves in wee wisplets of fog;
Leaving the iron-sharp city-straight scapes
Fleeing in greying and tattered moon capes
Away from the scenting of fire and fume,
Away from the odor of spillage and gloom,
Down to the ribbon-rolled river.
Symbolism
• The author uses one object to represent
(stand for) another object or idea
• Helps the reader understand the deeper
meaning or message (theme)
• Examples: