Literary Devices and Memoir

What is a METAPHOR? A metaphor compares two things, but it does it directly without using “as” or “like”.

metaphors…. The crowd was an angry beast. She was the sunshine. He was a tornado of activity Silence is golden My memory is foggy.

Anxiety is a thin stream of fear trickling through the mind. If encouraged it cuts a channel into which all other thoughts are drained

Simile While a metaphor directly states that “something” is “something else”, a simile compares things using “as” or “like”.

Similes…

Imagery An image is a word or phrase that appeals to one of our senses. Images can help us… create a mental picture hear a sound feel texture or temperature taste a sweet, sour, or salty flavor

Writers use imagery to… speak to our deepest feelings—joy, sorrow, wonder, love create a mood

Imagery The sun ’ s beams shimmered and danced on the ocean ’ s gentle waves. The fragrant roses drifted through the room like elusive ghosts. Although they could not see outside the cabin, they could hear the eerie tapping, tapping, tapping, of his knife upon their door. The icy breeze gently brushed against the hair on her neck, and goose-bumps shortly followed.

Personification Personification is when you assign the qualities of a person to something that isn't human. It can be used as a method of describing something so that others can understand. It can be used to emphasize a point. The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.

Examples of Personification The run down house appeared depressed. The first rays of morning tiptoed through the meadow. She did not realize that opportunity was knocking at her door. He did not realize that his last chance was walking out the door. The wind howled its mighty objection. Time creeps up on you.

Practice Personification… Read the sentence, think about the meaning, notice how personification creates a word picture. Identify the personification in each sentence. 1.The fog crept silently into the valley. 2.The tree fought the wind with its branches 3.The computer devoured information all day long. 4.The hikers left the meadow and were swallowed by the forest.

Hyperbole Hyperbole is exaggeration. It puts a picture into the reader’s mind. Example: You could have knocked me over with a feather. Hyperbole is used for emphasis (makes that part more important) or humorous effect. With hyperbole, an author makes a point by overstating it.

Some hyperboles have been used so many times that they have become clichés, phrases that everyone recognizes. I would die of embarrassment. He thinks money grows on trees.

Four hyperboles Marian wanted a summer job. If I just had a job, she thought, I could buy everything I ever wanted. However, she was nervous about going on a job interview. She was so nervous that she felt as shaky as a leaf on a tree. After a few interviews, Marian got a job at Dairy Queen. She served up mountains of ice cream. She served enough sodas to fill an ocean. Finally, payday came.

Practice Hyperboles… Identify the hyperbole in each. "It was not a mere man he was holding, but a giant.” “I'll love you / Till China and Africa meet, / And the river jumps over the mountain / And the salmon sing in the street.”

Check your knowledge… simile, metaphor, imagery, personification 1.Traffic is a kind of stream crowded with fish, and I’d been forced to dry in the sun. 2.It’s mountain-stream clear. 3.I see the nervous system as a kind of switchboard. 4.The moment raises a shoulder, lowers its head and slinks away. 5.I heard the thunk of doors closing. Half a Life by Darin Strauss