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Figurative language analysis essay
English 12 figurative language
Chapter 7 into the wild figurative language
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People of the current generation have adjusted their speech in order to avoid criticism for whatever opinions they may express. Of course, we all have opinions, but do we want to be told that we’re wrong? No, and society has changed because of our weakness and inability to accept being wrong. Instead of declaring our thoughts with absolute belief, we add an interrogative tone to allow things we say to be changed without it having an affect on how smart or cool we seem to be. In “Totally,” Taylor Mali uses figurative language, diction, and syntax to convey that society has lost its voice of conviction.
Figurative language, which includes tone, metaphor, irony, etc., plays a huge role in the translation of the text. It allows us to decipher a deeper meaning behind the literal meaning of words, whether or not they are in a phrase. The tone of the poem is authoritative, yet jokingly interrogative. Though he uses punctuation and diction to display an interrogative point of view, he states things in a way that shows us, very clearly, that he firmly believes in them as well. In the first few lines of his first stanza and second stanza, Mali uses pronouns you and you’re to show his point of view is that of an adult, who notices and has an opinion on communication patterns. It’s how he addresses society. He informs us of the, “tragically cool interrogative tone,” and how it makes us sound like we don’t know what we’re talking about. Then, around the middle of both stanzas, he switches to the point of view of a teenager, including himself in the crowd of insecure speakers by utilizing the pronouns I’m, I’ve, I, my, me, and our. In his third and fourth stanza, he includes himself in the group entirely, which shows us that every trend rub...
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... is shown moreover through these pauses. We also see that he places question marks at the end of sentences, which is another way he is showing us the uncertainty in the voice of society. Through his punctuation and word placement, we clearly see the voice of society in his poem, but in a way that tells us not to conform to it.
The tone of the poem let’s one read it in a way that allows them to sense the message behind Mali’s words. Adding to tone, anastrophe puts in pauses and gives a more dramatic feel, emphasizing the words, chosen for diction, that are said. One can notice that descriptive words (which are part of diction), imagery, and metaphors are used to draw the attention and hold the focus of the reader. In “Totally,” Taylor Mali uses all these poetic devices to draw the reader in and expand their awareness of the inarticulate situation of our society.
The informal language and intimacy of the poem are two techniques the poet uses to convey his message to his audience. He speaks openly and simply, as if he is talking to a close friend. The language is full of slang, two-word sentences, and rambling thoughts; all of which are aspects of conversations between two people who know each other well. The fact that none of the lines ryhme adds to the idea of an ordinary conversation, because most people do not speak in verse. The tone of the poem is rambling and gives the impression that the speaker is thinking and jumping from one thought to the next very quickly.
... is the most important line in the poem. I think the author used personification here to make the image clearer to the reader, and help them make the connection from the line to life. The line gives the idea that the author has had to overcome his own struggles in life, and is describing how it felt in this poem.
The more predominant sentence structure is complex. The first sentence of this poem is complex followed by another after that. The overall length of the sentences is lengthy. Browning incorporated a lot of commas in order to make his complex sentences, which are widespread throughout the poem. The level of formality of the sentences is somewhat high, due to the fact of the writing style and the incorporation of dashes, colons, and commas. It’s evident that Browning was an educated man due to his writing style because the formality of the sentences is very intellectual as opposed to a poem filled with simple sentences. Browning also incorporated into his poem the use of rhetorical questions, he only uses this technique a few times in his writing. For example, “How shall I say?” The context this is used is very sarcastic due to the fact it’s like he’s thinking of a way to say a rude remark in a not so rude way. Moreover, he also used “ Who’d stoop to blame this sort of trifling?” Similar to his other rhetorical questions, the way these questions are used in context seem to be very condescending. Apart from his syntax techniques, Browning uses his ability of rhythm and flow of the English language evident in this poem, with his couplets that are in iambic pentameter the reader will quickly notice how the poem is said effortlessly and has a
Despite the beauty described in the first few stanzas of the poem, it was the feeling of doubt and pondering that approached at the end of the poem that truly was the most thought provoking. Instead of just writing of beauty, Poets must realize that they may be leading people to false ideals, and in doing so that they may actually be causing individuals to believe in something that is nothing more than a dream. This realization makes the image of the questioning poet by far the most important in the piece.
In the poem “Alone in the Nets” by Arnold Adoff, the poem had used the form to emphasize the speaker’s emotions as she plays her position for the first time. For example, the poet uses several question marks throughout most of the poem. This shows that the speaker is doubtful of herself because she often asks herself questions to show she’s at the game and what she is going to do in the soccer game. Another example is that there constant spaces in the poem to show that she is confused of what is she suppose to do in the game. The last example is that the poet uses extra spaces to show that she is frozen in the moment to where she is nervous in the game. In this poem “Alone in the Nets” by Arnold Adoff, the poem uses the form to emphasize the
I do not know how without being culpably particular I can give my Reader a more exact notion of the style in which I wished these poems to be written, than by informing him that I have at all times endeavored to look steadily at my subject; consequently, I hope that there is in these Poems little falsehood of description, and my ideas are expressed in language fitted to their respective importance. Something I must have gained by this practice, as it is friendly to one property of all good poetry, namely, good sense; but it has necessarily cut me off from a large portion of phrases and figures of speech which from father to son have long been regarded as the common inheritance of Poets.
The structure of this poem is very simple. She uses no apparent rhyme scheme or rhythm at all, and most of the lines are short. The title of the poem tells exactly what the background is for this work so that the reader has a clear view of what is happening and can understand the metaphores she uses much more easily. In this poem Wolfe uses no punctuation at all, only capitalization at the beginning of certain lines, seemingly where a ne...
This draws in the attention because it is like the poet is really asking the reader the question, and gives the reader a chance to think about what has just been said. The tone changes frequently during the poem, even when she is describing the life she loved there are a few lines that almost seem to bring the fantasy back ...
The structure of this poem is not the traditional form of poetry, in that he begins with a first person statement then after an indentation, he elaborates on it almost lik...
The ironic use of rhyme and meter, or the lack thereof, is one of the devices Larkin uses to emphasize his need to break out of industrial society. The typical rhyme scheme is not followed, but instead an ironic rhyme scheme is used in the sonnet in the form of abab cdcd efg efg. Larkin writes this poem as a sonnet but at the same time diverges from what a typical sonnet is supposed to be. He is commenting on society’s inclination to form restrictions on those within it. By writing out of the accepted form of a sonnet, his writing becomes more natural because of a lack of constraints due to following certain rules and fitting a certain form. He breaks free and writes as he pleases and does not conform to society. Just as with the rhyme, ...
George Orwell’s essay, Politics and the English Language, first published in 1946, talks about some “bad habits”, which have driven the English language in the wrong direction, that is, away from communicating ideas. In his essay he quotes five passages, each from a different author, which embody the faults he is talking about. He lists dying metaphors, operators, pretentious diction, and meaningless words as things to look out for in your own writing and the writing of others (593-595). He talks about political uses of the English language. Our language has become ugly and the ugliness impedes upon communication. Ugly uses of language have been reinforced and passed down in the population “even among people who should and do know better,” (598). Ugly language has been gaining ground in our population by a positive feedback mechanism.
The first stanza creates a casual yet cheeky tone. In lines three and four, Mali states “…to sound like you know what you’re talking about? / Or believe strongly in what you’re saying?” This demonstrates his emotions toward the topic by informing the reader he believes intensely that society has deformed the proper English language. Again, in lines six and seven, the
The speaker has a very ironic tone, and he speaks with middle to informal diction. This helps identify with more people in today’s society, to whom the speaker is trying to communicate and identify with. He does not chose to write it with any kind of rhythm or rhyme, but told more as a story of ones feelings or perspective. He uses many types of meters, such as iambic Trimeter, iambic Pentameter, iambic Tetrameter, Iambic Dimeter, and iambic Pentameter, which makes the poem flow
Through alliteration and imagery, Coleridge turns the words of the poem into a system of symbols that become unfixed to the reader. Coleridge uses alliteration throughout the poem, in which the reader “hovers” between imagination and reality. As the reader moves through the poem, they feel as if they are traveling along a river, “five miles meandering with a mazy motion” (25). The words become a symbol of a slow moving river and as the reader travels along the river, they are also traveling through each stanza. This creates a scene that the viewer can turn words into symbols while in reality they are just reading text. Coleridge is also able to illustrate a suspension of the mind through imagery; done so by producing images that are unfixed to the r...
... since it deals with the growth of the mind. Therefore, the poet uses syntax and form to emphasize on the important matters that occurred in each stanza.