A Quick Primer on Rhetorical Devices

What’s a Simile? Similes compare two dissimilar objects, concepts, etc., in order to suggest an unexpected likeness between the two. Similes can often be distinguished by the presence of one of two code words, “like” and “as.”

For Example… Two Dissimilar Subjects:  Blanket  Snow

If we wish to make a comparison between the way a blanket covers a bed and the way the snow covers the group, we should use a simile. How can we use a simile to compare the two?

The Finished Product! The snow is like a thick blanket on the ground. Notice the key presence of “like.”

What About Metaphors? If you choose to use a metaphor instead, remember that you aren’t simply comparing the snow to the blanket – you’re equating the two!

For Example… Rather than claiming that the snow is like the blanket, simply claim that the two are the same. “The snow is a blanket on the earth.” Is the snow actually a blanket? No! However, the image the equation creates is a vividly descriptive one – and vivid images are excellent!

At their core, metaphors and similes aren’t separated by much; in the previous example, the presence of the word “like” is all that distinguishes one from the other

What then, is an Analogy? Think of analogies as similes or metaphors on steroids – the Barry Bonds of rhetorical devices! Analogies allow writers to help readers understand difficult issues or concepts by comparing them to familiar ones. As a result, similarity between the difficult concept and its familiar counterpart is crucial; if there is no similarity, the comparison is useless for rhetorical purposes.

It’s Tough to Hit a Moving Target  Analogies can be separated into two parts  Target – the unknown idea or object; we’re trying to explain it, or at least make it clear  Source – the familiar idea or object; we use sources to shed light on the more complicated target

The Great and the Small There is a famous analogy between our solar system and atomic structure ^ Target < Source

Identify Your Source! The solar system works as a source because it is more familiar and tangible Moreover, the two share a common structural property – objects revolving around a center

The Analogy Itself “Think of an atom as a miniature solar system; the electrons revolve around the nucleus in the same way that planets orbit our Sun.” It’s a simple but effective comparison.

Personification Personification involves giving the qualities of animals or persons to inanimate objects Once again, figurative language is used to bring images, concepts, or objects to life!

Emily Dickinson’s “The Train” I like to see it lap the miles, And lick the valleys up, And stop to feed itself at tanks; And then, prodigious, step Around a pile of mountains, And, supercilious, peer In shanties by the sides of roads; And then a quarry pare To fit its sides, and crawl between, Complaining all the while In horrid, hooting stanza; Then chase itself down hill And neigh like Boanerges; Then, punctual as a start its own, Stop-docile and omnipotent- A stable door.  Can you spot examples of personification?  Remember to look for human emotions, human actions, etc.

Animating the Train Lap the miles; Lick the valleys up; Stop to feed itself at tanks; And then, prodigious, step around… And, supercilious, peer in shanties… Crawl between [the quarry walls]; Complaining all the while in horrid, hooting stanza; Then chase itself down hill And neigh like Boanerges; So on and so forth…  Dickinson gives the train personality, and allows her readers to think of it almost as an independent entity – an interesting linguistic choice.

Allusions Allusions have a double meaning; while the words have a primary significance, they also recall something else that the reader will find familiar – a person or figure, a place, an event, etc. While allusions function symbolically, it’s important to understand both the primary and secondary meanings.

Visual References While this is clearly Neo (Keanu Reeves), can you spot the Biblical imagery?

Literary Allusions  T.S. Eliot’s “The Waste Land” is incredibly dense; it’s almost impossible to understand the first time you read it because it’s so packed with difficult allusions.  While it’s a British text, Eliot was one of the forefathers of the Modernist movement – a literary phenomenon that dramatically reshaped American literature after the First World War.

So, yes, he can be challenging Try figuring this passage out: “What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man, You cannot say, or guess, for you know only A heap of broken images, where the sun beats, And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief, And the dry stone no sound of water.”

OK…What Did That Mean? While the poem is “about” many things, it functions as an angry protest of post-WWI life in Britain, and London in particular. Eliot looked at his society and saw a ruined country, and over-industrialized and overpopulated nation devoid of beauty and faith. He paints London as cultural and spiritual “waste land” filled with people leading vacant, meaningless lives. Watch how Eliot tethers his observations on the degeneration of society to references to religion (the poem contains many allusions to religious texts, both Western and Eastern in origin); by doing so, he provides a contrast to the present day that highlights the decay of his nation.

Wiki Goodness Adapted from Wikipedia (not always the most reputable of sources, but I can vouch for this, and the writer sums the meaning up nicely): The narrator is referred to as the "Son of man" – a title used for Ezekiel, who God called upon to warn Israel to repent of their idolatry. The deity eventually tells Ezekiel that Israel will not change; therefore, their altars will be desolate, images broken, and their cities will lay in waste. While this is what the poem is alluding to, the images the words conjure prompt readers to picture the ruin of post-war Britain – and shudder.

That Just About Covers It… Why do writers want to use figurative language, or figures of speech? Because they’re based on comparisons, figures of speech can make something that’s difficult to understand seem more familiar, interesting, and real – a useful trick for any essay, persuasive or otherwise.