Title: Figurative Language - Definition and Examples | Poem Analysis
Headings: Figurative Language
Figurative Language
Purpose of Figurative Language
Examples of Figurative Language in Poetry
Example #1 A Coat by William Butler Yeats
Example #2 Your Last Drive by Thomas Hardy
Example #3 The Bight by Elizabeth Bishop
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Content: Figurative Language - Definition and Examples | Poem Analysis
Figurative Language
Figures of speech include metaphors, similes, hyperboles, and allusions that take a description beyond the obvious and into the poetic. These figures of speech are used to expand a reader’s understanding by taping into their senses, preconceived notions of what something should be like, or what the contextual implications or connections are. Other kinds of figurative language include personification, onomatopoeia, oxymoron, metonymy, synecdoche, irony, sarcasm, pun, anaphora, tautology, imagery, symbolism, alliteration, understatement, and idiom. Purpose of Figurative Language
The primary reason that writers use figurative language is to stimulate a reader’s imagination. They are asked to think beyond what they immediately see or feel and make deeper, more meaningful, and sometimes surprising connections. It is not used to convey something literal, but something emotional or conceptual. This kind of language can often get to the root of meaning and tap into something universal to all readers. It is especially important when a topic is complex or abstract. Examples of Figurative Language in Poetry
Example #1 A Coat by William Butler Yeats
Within this poem, Yeats describes his writing practice through the metaphor of an embroidered coat. The metaphor is “extended” meaning that it lasts for more than one or two lines.