Figurative Language Found in Mango Street

Table of Contents #10

Definition of Figurative Language

• Figurative language is a name given to a class of literary conventions that are not meant to be interpreted literally; they are to be interpreted imaginatively.

• It is used to create vivid pictures in the reader’s mind in order to make writing emotionally intense.

• It is used to state ideas in new and unusual ways to satisfy the reader’s imagination.

Types of Figurative Language

• Simile• Metaphor• Alliteration• Onomatopoeia• Imagery• Hyperbole• Personification

Simile

• A comparison between two dissimilar things or ideas using the words “like” or “as”.

• Examples: Her hands felt like ice.Our coach is as tough as nails.

Practice Simile

Complete the following phrases using similes:1. When I am tired, I am…2. When I am annoyed, I am like…3. When I am…, I am like…

Metaphor

• A comparison between two dissimilar things or ideas without the use of “like” or “as”.

• Examples:The pillow was a cloud when I put my head upon it after a long day.The book was a passport to adventure.

Practice Metaphor

• Last names ending in A-M:– Write a metaphor for the condition of your

bedroom.• Last names ending in N-Z:

– Write a metaphor for a great friend.

Alliteration

• The repetition of the same sounds or of the same kinds of sounds at the beginning of words or in stressed syllables.

• Includes tongue twisters• Example: Don't delay dawns disarming display .

Practice Alliteration

• Practice writing a line of alliteration by using the following letters: Section One: “C”Section Two: “L”Section Three: “J”

Additional Practice with Alliteration

Practice saying the following lines of alliteration aloud:

I wish to wash my Irish wristwatch.Friendly Frank flips fine flapjacks.We surely shall see the sun shine soon. Which witch wished which wicked wish?

Onomatopoeia

• The formation or use of words that imitate the sounds associated with the objects or actions they refer to.

• Examples: The steaks were sizzling on the grill. A snake slithered through the grass.

Practice Onomatopoeia

• A poem titled “When Carly Eats Spaghetti” is on the following slide. As you read it, write down words that are examples of onomatopoeia.

“When Carly Eats Spaghetti”

When Carly eats spaghetti,She chomps and gobbles and slurps,The spaghetti disappears with a whooshSauce slapping and smacking Round her chops.She scrapes the toast round the plateCrunching, grinding every mouthful.She burps, gurgles and leaves the table!

Imagery

• The use of vivid words or descriptions to represent objects, actions, or ideas

• Typically relies on sensory language to create mental images

• Example:The smoldering embers of the fire gave

off the scent of Fall’s approach.

Practice Imagery

• You have one minute to view the picture on the following slide. Then, use imagery to re-create the scene in your own free-verse poem.

A Rock Concert

Hyperbole

• A great exaggeration used to emphasize a point, and is used for expressive or comic effect.

• Examples: He was so mad at me, I thought he was going to kill me!That skyscraper is so tall that it touches the clouds.

Practice Hyperbole

• Write down a hyperbole to describe a celebrity.

Personification

• Giving an inanimate (or nonhuman) object the qualities of a human being

• Examples:The feather tickled my face.The wind whistled through the

trees.

Practice Personification

Personify the following sentences. Change the words in parentheses to words that would describe a human'sactions:

1.My bedroom door (opened). 2.The leaf (fell) from the tree. 3.The CD player (made a noise). 4.The piano keys (moved up and

down).