Title: What's the Purpose of Figurative Language? | Education - Seattle PI
Headings: What's the Purpose of Figurative Language?
What's the Purpose of Figurative Language?
Tools of the Trade
Abstract Becomes Absolute
Figurative or Fallacy?
A Familiar Image

Content: What's the Purpose of Figurative Language? | Education - Seattle PI
What's the Purpose of Figurative Language? Education
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College & Higher Education
By Laura Leddy Turner
Using figurative language is an effective way of communicating an idea that is not easily understood because of its abstract nature or complexity. Although figurative language does not offer a literal explanation, it can be used to compare one idea to a second idea to make the first idea easier to visualize. Figurative language also is used to link two ideas with the goal of influencing an audience to see a connection even if one does not actually exist. Writers of prose and poetry use figurative language to elicit emotion, help readers form mental images and draw readers into the work. Tools of the Trade
Figurative language takes many different forms in linguistics and literature. A simile is a comparison of two things using the words "like" or "as." A metaphor is a more direct comparison of two things. In "The Great Gatsby," author F. Scott Fitzgerald could have used a simile such as, "When she spoke it sounded like gold coins clinking together," to describe the seeming promise of riches in the character Daisy's voice.