Figurative Language In August Wilson's Fences

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In the play “Fences” by August Wilson, Rose tries to convey to her husband, Troy, that she had given up as much things for him as he has done for her. To express her feelings, Rose makes use of anaphora and hyperbole to accentuate her feelings for him while symbolising their love as a plant. The most obvious figurative language in the passage is how Rose uses anaphora. “I been standing with you! I been right here with you, Troy… What about my life? What about me.” Rose’s use of anaphora allows Troy to reconsider what Rose might me thinking with more validity. Her anaphora combined with the shock of her information gives each sentence an impact although the beginning is repetitive. This portrays Troy as a guy who is nearsighted and did not realize the needs of his wife. …show more content…

“I gave eighteen years of my life to stand in the same spot as you.” In this quote, Rose is saying that her life has been in the same spot so she can be with Troy. It would be nearly impossible to say that she has been standing on the same spot as Troy but what she says emphasizes that Troy has limited her capabilities as a person. Furthermore, this means that Troy is not the only person that gave up a lot of things and furthers the message that he also took a lot out of Rose. Finally, Rose symbolizes her dreams as a plant to show Troy that she really did give him everything. “I took all my feelings, my wants and needs, my dreams...and I buried them inside you. I planted a seed and watched and prayed over it... the soil was hard and rocky” Symbolism is important in understanding what Troy’s family thinks of him because Rose says he wasn’t the best for her but she didn’t care. This relates to how Troy’s family views him as someone who isn’t that perfect but they don’t care. Additionally, Rose appears to sense some sort of arrogance inside Troy because he does not see her

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