Common in comparisons and exaggerations, figurative language is usually used to add creative flourish to written or spoken language or explain a complicated idea. In the story, the pear tree characterizes Janie by being a symbol for her. What is the purpose of figurative language? Foster supports his claim by describing a scenario and pointing out objects that are symbols. A metaphor compares two different things, similar to a simile. We use figurative language to help the reader better understand what we are trying to describe. In our culture, people get wrapped up in the major events in our life, the events that are planned, that are believed to hold our true happiness. The exception is if talking extravagantly is a particular trait of your character, such as the purposefully pretentious Humbert Humbert from Vladimir Nabokovs Lolita. come to life without being so wild anymore. If you say that news hit me like a ton of bricks, you are using figurative language; listeners understand the news you got was deeply moving, and also know that you were not actually hit by 2000 pounds of bricks (because if you had been you would be dead). When you purposely over-exaggerate to make a statement or get across a point, youre using hyperbole. For example, the use of a simile, a comparison using as or like, appears . Identifying Descriptive and Figurative Language Worksheets When they enter the forest, the girls enter the realm of the unknown, finding unfamiliar scents and sights as they go deeper. "Ode to Enchanted Light" and "Sleeping in the Forest" - Quiz Essay on 'The Thing in the Forest' Symbolism - Free Essay Example Figures of speech have been used for years in writing formats such as drama, poetry, prose, andpersuasivespeeches. Directions: Read each quote. Type whether it is a hyperbole or simile For Penny, this means rationality and empiricism trump all else in the process of confronting and surmounting challenging emotional issues, while for Primrose, the imagination plays a key and liberating role. Upon arrival at the mansion house, the girls are excited to venture into the forest because, as Londoners, they have never explored the woods. The story primarily relies on figurative language to portray the main characters, that is Penny and Primrose. Like when a teacher tells a quiet class, Don't everyone speak at once!. That joke is so old; the last time I heard it, I was riding a dinosaur. It doesnt use the words like or as. For example: This type of statement compares two unlike things and does use the word like, as, or than. For example: An oxymoron describes something using two opposite ideas. As white as a sheet. Figurative language compares things in order to give them more detail. Some examples include: In the first example, the person does not really have cold feet. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.3.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, distinguishing literal from nonliteral language.. CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RL.4.4 - Determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including those that allude to significant characters found in mythology (e.g., Herculean).