Figurative Language

Figurative language is imaginative language that is not supposed to be taken literally. It describes
something in a fresh, vivid way. The many types of figurative language are known as figures of speech.
Figure of Speech Description Example
simile uses like or as to compare two seemingly Fame is like a bee.
different things

metaphor describes one thing as if it were another Fame is a bee.

thin, without using like or as

personification gives humanlike qualities to something Fame smiled at me.

nonhuman

hyperbole exaggerates speech for emphasis He is so proud he could burst.

An analogy makes a connection between two or more things that are similar in some ways, but are
otherwise unlike. Both similes and metaphors are types of analogies.
Phrases such as idioms can also have meanings that go beyond their literal definitions. An idiom is an
expression used in a particular language or region that often comes from a figure of speech. It cannot be
taken literally. If you read or hear an idiom, you can often use context clues to discover its meaning.
Here are some examples:
Idiom Meaning
sitting duck easy target
milk him for all he’s worth to take advantage of
a piece of cake simple
in a heartbeat quickly

Practice Underline the idiom and write its meaning next to each sentence.

Example (underline idiom) Meaning

1. Kayla was too tired to talk; she was at the end of her rope.

2. Having polished off dinner, he began to clear the table.

3. When his practical joke backfired, Jamal knew he had egg

on his face.

4. Realizing that he was getting an opportunity to perform

on TV, the performer decided to seize the moment
 Fame is a Bee by Emily Dickinson
Fame is a bee.
It has a song—
It has a sting—
Ah, too, it has a wing.

1. In this poem, Dickinson compares fame to a bee. What do fame’s “song,” “sting,” and “wing” symbolize?

Symbol What is being symbolized?

song

sting

wing

2. What is the message of this poem? Use evidence from the text to explain.
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 Fog by Carl Sandburg
The fog comes
on little cat feet.

It sits looking
over the harbor and city
on silent haunches
and then moves on.

1. What does Sandburg compare fog to in this poem? ____________________________________________________________

2. Explain the comparison. How are fog and _________________ similar?

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Mother to Son by Langston Hughes

Well, son, I’ll tell you:
Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
It’s had tacks in it,
And splinters,
And boards torn up,
And places with no carpet on the floor—
Bare.
But all the time
I’se been a-climbin’ on,
And reachin’ landin’s,
And turnin’ corners,
And sometimes goin’ in the dark
Where there ain’t been no light.
So boy, don’t you turn back.
Don’t you set down on the steps
’Cause you finds it’s kinder hard.
Don’t you fall now—
For I’se still goin’, honey,
I’se still climbin’,
And life for me ain’t been no crystal stair.
1. What type of figure of speech is used in the line “Life for me ain’t been no crystal stair”?
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Description of the mother’s staircase What does each line represent/symbolize?

It’s had tacks in it,

And splinters,

And boards torn up,

And places with no carpet on the floor—

Bare.

I’se been a-climbin’ on,

And reachin’ landin’s,

And turnin’ corners,

And sometimes goin’ in the dark

Where there ain’t been no light.

4. What is the message that the mother is relaying to her son in this poem?
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