Literal vs. Figurative Language

1. Literal vs. Figurative Language

2. Literal vs. Figurative Language • Literal language – the words mean what they say • Figurative language – words are used in an imaginative way to express ideas that are not literally true.

3. Figurative Language • Writing or speech that is not meant to be taken literally. • The many types of figurative language are known as figures of speech. • This includes metaphors, similes and personification. • Language shaped by imagination.

4. Figurative Language • Simile • A figure of speech that uses the words like, as, than, or resembles to compare things that have little or nothing in common. • Life is like a box of chocolates; you're never sure what you're gonna get.

5. Figurative Language • Metaphor • A comparison between unlike things in which some reasonable connection is instantly revealed. A metaphor is a more forceful version of a simile because like or as is dropped. • “I tear my heart open, I sew myself shut.” • “I have just boarded a plane, without a pilot And violets are blue, roses are red Daisies are yellow, the flowers are dead.”

6. Personification • Attributing human qualities to nonhuman things or to an abstract idea. The seasons played around his knees Like Children round a sire Grandfather of the days is he Of dawn, the Ancestor - Emily Dickinson

7. Hyperbole • is just a big word for "exaggeration.“ As the Tilt-a-Whirl started spinning, Jackie held on tighter than a tick on a dog's ear.

8. For example: The money was burning a hole in her pocket.

9. Or, her phone was blowing up.

10. Literal vs. Figurative Language • Note what happens when figurative language is taken literally. • http://youtu.be/v6mfDJ02VCY

11. Find the figurative language • Write them down. • http://youtu.be/5xxQs34UMx4

12. Figurative Language • Symbolism - The practice of using symbols. • Symbol - An object, setting, event, animal, or person that on one level is itself, but that has another meaning as well. • http://youtu.be/x2m_hwDlntw

13. Figurative Language • For example, the American flag is really a piece of fabric with stars and stripes on it, but it also represents the United States and ideals like freedom, patriotism, and pride. • In a story or play, rain could be a symbol; the rain would really be rain, but it might also represent an idea like sadness or leaving the past behind.

14. Watch Video – Look for symbolism and other figurative language • http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757135

15. Go to: http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3757135#1s INTO DARK WATER

16. As you read, look for figurative language. • What words does the author use to describe the sky before the disaster? What feelings do these words evoke? • The sky was “brilliant,” and the stars “reminded Jack of diamonds.” • The description evokes hope, promise, excitement, happiness, etc.

17. As you read, look for figurative language. • How does the author use imagery and symbolism to create a sharp contrast between the time before and after the ship begins to sink? • (Hint: Consider how she describes the water.) • After using images of light to symbolize life and establish a sense of promise and excitement, the author describes the water as black and cold, symbolizing death and evoking feelings of doom and fear.