Figurative Language ELA

Dr. King's "I Have a Dream" speech

“No! No, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.”

What was King saying about justice in this simile?

• He means that justice should flow freely like water does.

• He means that he wants a drink from a stream named “Justice.”

• He means that justice should trickle down slowly

• He means that justice is as common as water.

In this excerpt, he uses two metaphors, but these aren’t so obvious.

”We’ve gone through a decade where wealth was valued over work, and greed was valued over responsibility. And the decks were too often stacked against ordinary folks in favor of the special interests. And everywhere I went while I was running for this office, I met folks who felt their economic security slipping away, men and women who were fighting harder and harder just to stay afloat. And that was even before the economic crisis hit, and that just made things even harder.”

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Match the text evidence to if it is a metaphor or not a metaphor.

• Metaphor

• “And the decks were too often stacked against ordinary folks…”

• Not a metaphor

• “And that was even before the economic crisis hit, and that just made things even harder.”

• Not a Metaphor

• “We’ve gone through a decade where wealth was valued over work…”
• Metaphor

• “…men and women who were fighting harder and harder just to stay afloat.”

“Now the trumpet summons us again-not as a call to bear arms, though arms we need; not as a call to battle, though embattled we are-but a call to bear the burden of a long twilight struggle, year in and year out, “rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”-a struggle against the common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.”

Which line from JFK's speech includes personification?

• “The common enemies of man: tyranny, poverty, disease, and war itself.”

• “Rejoicing in hope, patient in tribulation”

• “Not as a call to bear arms”

• “Not as a call to battle”

Answer explanation

In this example of personification, President Kennedy takes inanimate, abstract things like “poverty” and “disease” and makes them the “enemies of man.” This makes them seem human, like things that Americans can battle against and win. It may not be literally true, but it’s inspiring language that creates a strong mental picture.

Shortly after being elected president in 1992, Bill Clinton was asked by a reporter what he would focus on during his presidency.

“I’m going to focus like a laser-beam on the economy. Once we get this economy growing, I will address other pressing needs.”

Identify which figurative language device President Clinton used

• Personification

• Metaphor

• Onomatopoeia

• Simile

(1)The breeze felt like a refreshing drink of lemonade. (2)The night air was fuel for my work, and it was a beautiful night. (3)If I was going to finish writing this test, then it was going to be the longest night of my life. (4)Then like booming thunder, a light bulb went off in my head. (5) I searched for the perfect program where I could peruse several small suggestions swiftly. (6) Sadly, my time on Herculean efforts on Google reminded me of a crazy Spongebob Squarepants episode. (7) Even though I knew what I was searching for, it didn’t go well. (8) It seems that I will be working like a dog for tonight. (9) One good thing did happen, though: I finally discovered what one calls a super articulate dinosaur... a Thesaurus..., and next time a dinosaur drops by for lunch, I'll know how to properly invite him. "Tea, Rex?"

The underlined sentence is an example of which type of figurative language?

• simile

• hyperbole

• metaphor

• personification

(3)If I was going to finish writing this test, then it was going to be the longest night of my life. (4)Then like booming thunder, a light bulb went off in my head. (5) I searched for the perfect program where I could peruse several small suggestions swiftly. (6) Sadly, my time on Herculean efforts on Google reminded me of a crazy Spongebob Squarepants episode. (7) Even though I knew what I was searching for, it didn’t go well. (8) It seems that I will be working like a dog for tonight. (9) One good thing did happen, though: I finally discovered what one calls a super articulate dinosaur... a Thesaurus..., and next time a dinosaur drops by for lunch, I'll know how to properly invite him. "Tea, Rex?"

The underlined sentence is an example of which type of figurative language?

• alliteration

• No figurative language used

• allusion

• personification

(6) Sadly, my time on Herculean efforts on Google reminded me of a crazy Spongebob Squarepants episode. (7) Even though I knew what I was searching for, it didn’t go well. (7) It seems that I will be working like a dog for tonight.

The underlined portion of this text shows which type of figurative language?

• allusion

• idiom

• simile

• metaphor

Match the meaning implied with the allusion, and then click Submit.

Remember that allusions can refer to anything, from literature to music to history.

• Implies that someone is stingy or tight with money

• Alicia accused her brother of acting like Scrooge.

• Implies that something went very wrong very quickly

• How’s it going, Romeo?

• Implies that someone is heavily favored over someone else

• As the rain continued, our hopes for the picnic sank like the Titanic.

• Implies that someone is being flirty or romantic

• The championship seemed like a rematch of David versus Goliath.

President Eisenhower then sent in U.S. Army troops to protect the students and escort them to school. This event signaled that the heavy chains of segregations were slowly being broken in America. These chains would continue to crumble over the next decade.

What is the meaning of the metaphor in this passage? Select all that apply

• Segregation was a heavy burden in America

• Segregation confined and limited minorities in America

• Segratation had a poisonous effect on communities

• America was evolving throughout the 1900's

Consider that the following quote from William Shakespeare’s King Lear comes after Lear has already begun to go mad:

LEAR: Pray, do not mock me. I am a very foolish fond old man, Fourscore and upward, not an hour more nor less. And to deal plainly I fear I am not in my perfect mind. Methinks I should know you, and know this man. Yet I am doubtful, for I am mainly ignorant What place this is, and all the skill I have Remembers not these garments. Nor I know not Where I did lodge last night. Do not laugh at me, For as I am a man, I think this lady To be my child Cordelia.

What part of the above excerpt is an example of meiosis?

• “I fear I am not in my perfect mind.”

• “Do not laugh at me.”

• “I think this lady / to be my child Cordelia.”

Answer explanation

Answer: A is the correct answer. This is the only understatement of the three selected statements.