Figurative Language

Figurative
Language

An Introduction

What is figurative language?

​Definition: Language that utilizes figures of speech; writing or speech that is not meant to be interpreted literally.

1. Simile

A simile is a comparison between two unlike things that uses the
words “like” or “as.”

Ex) “O my Luve is like a red, red rose / That’s newly sprung in
June” (Robert Burns). Here, the poet compares his love to a
red rose.

Multiple Choice

“No, no, I am as ugly as a bear / For beasts that meet me
run away for fear”

• metaphor

• hyperbole

• simile

• personification

A Note:

Just because a phrase or sentence uses “like” or “as” does not
necessarily mean that it is a simile.

Ex) I like mint chocolate chip ice cream.

This sentence uses the word “like,” but there is no comparison
here! The “like” or “as” must establish a comparison between
two things.

Explanation:

This is a simile
because Shrek is
comparing himself, an
ogre, to an onion. He
feels that ogres have
multiple layers to their
personalities.

Explanation:

In this song, Mulan’s
army captain uses a
simile to compare
swiftness to a river.
She must move quickly
to become a
successful warrior.

2. Metaphor

A metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things that does
not use the words “like” or “as.”

Ex) “Hope is the thing with feathers / That perches in the
soul” (Emily Dickinson). Here, the poet compares hope to a
“thing with feathers,” or a bird.

Multiple Choice

“Call you me fair? That fair against unsay. / Demetrius
loves your fair: O happy fair! / Your eyes are lode-stars”

• personification

• metaphor

• simile

• hyperbole

Explanation:

The “spark” that Miles’
father references is not
literal. He uses a
metaphor to compare
Miles’ capability, his
“something special,” to
a spark.

Explanation:

Genie uses a
metaphor to compare
life to a restaurant (and
himself to a server).
Here, he explains that it
is his job to serve
Aladdin.

3. Hyperbole

Is an exaggeration; it is meant to create emphasis.

Multiple Choice

“At that time, Bogota was a remote city where a rain had
been falling since the beginning of the 16th century”

• simile

• hyperbole

• metaphor

• personification

Multiple Choice

“I do wander everywhere / Swifter than the moon’s
sphere”

• hyperbole

• simile

• metaphor

• personification

Explanation:

This is a hyperbole
because Agnes is
simply overwhelmed
by the unicorn’s
“fluffiness”; she is not
actually going to die.

Explanation:

This is a hyperbole
because it is not
possible for Rolly, the
dalmatian puppy, to
eat a “whole elephant.”
He is exaggerating his
hunger.

4. Personification

Personification is the attribution of human-like qualities to animals,
elements of nature, objects – i.e., anything that is not human.

Ex) “The free bird thinks of another breeze / And the trade
winds soft through / The sighing trees” (Maya Angelou). Here,
the poet personifies the trees; a tree cannot actually “sigh.”

Multiple Choice

“The spring, the summer / The childing autumn, angry
winter, change / Their wonted liveries”

• metaphor

• simile

• hyperbole

• personification

Explanation:

An era (a length of
time) cannot actually
tiptoe. Scar is using
personification to
explain that a new day
is coming – in which he
will be king.

Explanation:

Water cannot actually
“misbehave” or be
“mischievous.” Moana’s
grandmother uses
personification to
explain that the ocean
is unpredictable.