Transcript from Self-Reliance

from Self-Reliance
By Ralph Waldo Emerson
Literary Focus: Figures of Speech
• “Self-Reliance” is an essay that includes some
striking figures of speech.
• Figures of Speech are based on unusual
comparisons
• They are not meant to be taken literally.
• For example: When Emerson says “Society is a joint-stock
company,” he is comparing society to a business.
• In a joint-stock company, all of the owners share the
company’s profits and losses equally.
• Emerson’s comparison points out that society is interested in
money and success.
• Figures of speech include similes, metaphors, and
personification.
Reading Skills: Recognizing
Figures of Speech
• A figure of speech can help us see something
in a new, imaginative way.
• When you come across a figure of speech,
ask yourself these questions:
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What two things are being compared?
What do these two things have in common?
Why does the writer create this comparison?
How does it affect the text?
Using the Skill
• As you read the selection, pause whenever
you notice an unusual comparison.
• Such comparisons may be figures of speech.
• Jot down each figure of speech you find.
• As the questions above to help you
understand each comparison.