Metaphor

1. Metaphor • A comparison of 2 unlike things where one thing is another. • She is a witch. • My brain is a waste dump.

2. Simile • A comparison of 2 unlike things using the words “like,” “as,” or “than.” • She’s like the wind. • He’s as angry as a hurricane. • She’s slower than molasses in winter.

3. Personification • When a writer gives human-like qualities to non-human things. • The sun is smiling at us today! • The sun is non-human. • It is a human-like quality to smile; the sun does not have a mouth, lips or teeth. • Beware the opposite! Giving animal qualities to a human is NOT personification!

4. Allusion • A literary reference to a historical, literary, or “pop culture” person, object, or event. • Hannah in Devil’s Arithmetic used allusions to tell stories to her friends. • Many pop songs use allusions when they reference other artists, movies, or TV shows.

5. Irony • A statement or an event in which the opposite is said or the unexpected happens. • A country disarms its military; 48 hours later, the country is attacked. • A boss threatens to fire an employee, only to later be fired himself.

6. Flashback • When an event prior to “current time” in a novel is explored and explained. • The Disappeared was mostly made up of flashbacks. • In movies or TV shows, flashbacks are often accompanied by the “squiggly screen.” • What do they look/sound like in novels?

7. Hyperbole • An extreme exaggeration. • I’m so hungry I could eat a horse… I’m starving! • It took me forever to fall asleep. • There were a million parents here at report card pick-up.

8. Foreshadowing • When an author gives you tips or hints about what is to come. • There was something strange about the way Claire’s dad looked at her…