Figurative Language I
In Things Fall Apart Achebe wrote “"There are so many people on it that if you threw up a grain of sand it would not find a way to fall to earth again."
What is hyperbole?
In Things Fall Apart, Unoka says, “Our elders say that the sun will shine on those who stand before it shines on those who kneel under them. I shall pay my big debts first,” despite the fact that he was lazy and was never good at paying back his debts.
What is verbal irony?
"They are haunted by the experience of their inner emptiness, a void within themselves..." (Man's Search for Meaning).
What is imagery?
A work imitates another work in order to appreciate its style vs. a work that imitates another in order to mock it.
What is pastiche vs. parody?
In Othello Iago says to Othello “Poor and content is rich, and rich is enough.” Here Iago is trying to comfort Othello by telling him he’s good enough by also telling him he’s nothing.
What is a paradox?
In Things Fall Apart, the people of Umuofia refer to yams as "the king of crops that demands hard work and constant attention." They applied human traits to a non-human object.
What is personification?
In Othello, Iago implants visions of Desdemona cheating into Othello’s head, and Othello believes them, but the audience knows of Iago’s schemes and that Desdemona did not cheat.
What is dramatic irony?
In Things Fall Apart Okonkwo's nickname “roaring fire” refers to his rage and combustible nature.
What is a symbol?
Achebe structures the words and phrases in his book Things Fall Apart in a way where everyone can read and understand his work no matter where their reading level is.
What is syntax?
In Things Fall Apart, many Ibo words and phrases are used throughout the book to demonstrate the natural ways people would speak and use the vocabulary.
What is a dialect?
In Man's Search for Meaning, Frankl stated, "I made myself a firm promise,... that I would not 'run into the wire.' This was a phrase used in camp used to describe the most popular method of suicide."
What is a euphemism/metaphor?
In Things Fall Apart, Achebe compared the growth of Okonkwo’s fame to a “bush-fire in the harmattan”.
What is an analogy/simile?
The handkerchief in Othello is a symbol of Othello and Desdemona’s love and when Desdemona loses the handkerchief, it destroys their love.
What is an allegory?
In Man’s Search for Meaning, Frankl’s choice of words sets a tone that is studious despite the fact that he is recounting experiences that are very personal to him.
What is diction?
In Othello Iago takes a pause at the climax of the story to contrast between the two possible outcomes of his villainous plot. Either it works out in his favor and destroys Othello or it destroyed Iago.
What is an antithesis?
In Othello, Iago says “I see this hath a little dashed your spirits,” after he tells Othello that Desdemona may possibly be cheating on him with Cassio. Othello wasn’t just a little disappointed, the thought of Desdemona cheating drove him insane.
What is an understatement?
In Things Fall Apart, despite Okonkwo’s efforts to be masculine, he commits a crime that is considered “feminine” and kills a clansman unintentionally, which causes him to be exiled.
What is situational irony?
In Othello Iago tells Roderigo to “poison his delight”, referring to Othello, what this really means is that Iago is evil and he wants to transform something Othello likes the most, Desdemona, into something he hates.
What is connotation?
Frankl’s use of exclamation points in Man’s Search for Meaning demonstrates an informal, conversational tone.
What is colloquialism?
A type of third person narration that looks like first person narration. For example, the sentence, “What a beautiful day!” in a third person narrated text where no character is actually saying that sentence.
What is free indirect speech?
An excerpt from Things Fall Apart- “ The drums were still beating, persistent and unchanging. Their sound was no longer a separate thing from the living village. It was like the pulsation of its heart. It throbbed in the air, in the sunshine, and even in the trees, and filled the village with excitement.”
What is an extended metaphor?
Achebe uses a technique to compare Othello to his father, highlighting their differences and showing why Othello feels the need to be aggressive and strives to be masculine; because his father--who was laidback, lazy with his debts, and compared to a woman by others-- was unsuccessful in life.
What is juxtaposition?
In Othello, Iago repeatedly uses plant-related metaphors to describe people throughout the play. For example, he says, “Our bodies are our gardens, to which our wills are gardeners; so that if we will plant nettles or sow lettuce, set hyssop and weed up thyme . . . the power and corrigible authority of this lies in our wills”.
What is a motif?
In Things Fall Apart the surrounding villagers thought of Umuofia as “Umuofia Obodo Dike, the land of the brave” because the village Umuofia Obodo Dike literally translates into “the land of the brave.”
What is denotation?
Speech that reports what someone may have said, “He told me he didn't have enough money” vs. speech that is reported from that person that said it “ I don’t have enough money.”
What is indirect vs. direct narration?