Literary terms are essential to understanding literature. The author will use figurative language to spice up their work, whether its speeches, articles, essays, novels, short stories, poems, or scripts. Common examples include: similes, metaphors, allusions, and personification, which are all used to compare two things that may not always be associated with one another.
Similes
A simile is a type of metaphor, but it is distinguished from a common metaphor because the author uses the terms “like” or “as” to make their comparison. For example, “His hair was as white as snow.” Another example, “Their love was like a river, always moving forward.”
Metaphors
Any comparison is a metaphor. In regards to similes versus metaphors, metaphors do not use “like” or “as.” Instead, metaphors use the “be” verbs. For example, “Her hair was brittle straw, poking out of her head.”
Extended Metaphors
Often times, metaphors, are used for a short phrase within a sentence. Sometimes, authors continue their comparison throughout a paragraph or even a page. For example, A man’s hair, much like a cockatiel, was tufted in the back where his cowlick defied gravity. He kept his arms constantly at his side, with his hands clasped behind back. His jacket covered his shoulders and arms so that it looked more like wings than his actual arms. His long skinny legs and wide midsection added to his bird-like qualities.
Dead Metaphors
Many metaphors have been overused and are commonplace. Authors avoid dead metaphors because these comparisons no longer leave the reader as strong as an impression as a new metaphor would. Dead metaphors include, “Red as a rose” or “Black as night.”
Allusions
Allusions, in general, are when the author makes a reference to another person’s work. The author may either mention the allusion or compare the allusion to their topic. For instance, they might name their character after someone in the Bible or from Myths. An author may compare their character or scenario (using some form of a metaphor) to a literary work. There are three major forms of allusions: biblical, classical, and literary.
- Biblical: Biblical allusions encompass any of the stories or people in the Old Testament and the New Testament.
- Classical: Classical allusions most commonly refers to Greek or Roman mythology. Common examples used are: Zeus, Hercules, Aphrodite (Venus), Ares (Mars), and Icarus.
- Literary: Literary allusions is the broadest of these three categories. Literary allusions can be references to famous books, essays, speeches, movies, artists, and authors. Examples of popular references in this category include famous quotes from any piece of work like "Give me freedom or give me death", references to the Declaration of Independence, mentioning artists names like Picasso or Da Vinci, etc.
Personification
Personification is when the author makes an indirect comparison between an inanimate object and a human. In other words, the author gives the object human qualities. For example, “The wind ran its fingers through her hair.”
A great way to spice up a story, poem, speech, or essay is to create comparisons that the targeted audience may not expect. Famous writers incorporate similes, metaphors, allusions, and personification into their works because figurative language makes their pieces more memorable.
