Using Figurative Language

 

We recently shared personal narratives that we had wrote in English class. There was a lot of figurative language used. I was actually very impressed with the creative things my classmates came up with. It made me think what if there was no such thing as figurative language? Can you picture your self reading a book that had no similes or metaphors, no personification, no symbolism? How boring would literature be with out all of these writing elements? Figurative language is one of the things that draws me into a book. It allows me to picture the story and adds depth. You know that your a good writer if you use strong figurative language.

 

There are two ways to describe things: by blandly stating what something is or what's going on, or by painting a picture that appeals to the senses. For instance if you were describing a summer day you could say, "It was hot outside and the sun shined bright into my eyes" or you could say, "The sun beat down on me, its hot rays burning my skin and stinging my eyes. I felt as if I was going to melt away." I don't think there is a doubt that the second one was the better way to describe the scene. Figurative language is so important to literature. Without it we would be reading bland words with a blank mind.