Figurative Language

1. Figurative Language How authors create sensory images in texts

2. Types of Figurative Language • Metaphor • Simile • Personification • Allusion • Juxtaposition • Oxymoron • Paradox • Metonymy (symbolism)

3. Sound devices • Rhythm • Rhyme • Alliteration • Assonance • Consonance • Onomatopoeia

4. Construction • Parallelism • Hypophora • Anaphora • Rhetorical question

5. Figurative Language in The Book Thief Figurative language is an important feature of Markus Zusak’s style and contributes a lot to his authorial voice. Here are some definitions of the most common figurative language used in novels: • SIMILE: when the subject is compared to another subject, using the words like, as or such. • METAPHOR: describes a direct comparison between two or more seemingly unrelated objects. • PERSONIFICATION: Gives animals and objects human traits and qualities. These may include sensations, emotions, desires, gestures, expressions and powers of speech.

6. Figurative Language in The Book Thief Zusak uses a lot of this figurative language to express Death’s perception of the events around him so we also get to understand a lot about the narrative voice and point of view from this imagery. • Choose one quote containing figurative language that has particularly captured you imagination. • Draw your visual representation or picture of this quote, making sure to include the quote as part of the picture. • Write a PEE paragraph explaining the significance of the quote. Engage with the quote at word level during your explanation. (Put the paragraph on the back of the picture.) • We will present these as part of a gallery walk.

7. Figurative Language in The Book Thief Use a quote from the novel (some examples are provided) and interpret it creatively from the image in your mind’s eye onto paper. Then, write a half page description of your picture and use this to present your ideas to other students in a small group situation.

8. Figurative Language in The Book Thief • “I travelled the globe as always, handing souls to the conveyer belt of eternity” (Death, 23). • “I do not carry a sickle or scythe. I only wear a hooded black robe when it’s cold. And I don’t have those skull-like facial features you seem to enjoy pinning on me from a distance” (Death, 329). • “Five hundred souls. I carried them in my fingers like suitcases. Or I’d throw them over my shoulder” (Death, 359). • “This time, his voice like a fist, freshly banged on the table. (136) • “The soft spoken words fell off the side of the bed, emptying onto the floor like powder” (67). • “Everything was so desperately noisy in the dark when he was alone. Each time he moved, there was the sound of a crease. He felt like a man in a paper suit”(152).

9. Exemplar PEE Paragraph PointEvidenceExplanation Synthesis This quote captures the intense mental anguish that prolonged solitude brought Max. The word ‘desperately’ captures the overriding emotion that drives Max’s conviction to stay in the dark.The reader feels that desperation made him accept any situation, but it also means he is constantly agitated, both physically and mentally. The active ‘noisy’ mind contrasts with the fear of movement. The image of a ‘paper suit’ definitely shows his fear of movement and how ill-prepared he is for the life he now leads. The reader knows that Max is a physical man, a fist fighter, who is used to activity so stillness must be especially challenging for him.