Figures of Speech Study

A figure of speech is a creative way of using language to make your words more engaging and impactful. It’s like adding a twist to the usual way of speaking or writing to grab attention or to paint a more vivid picture in the mind of the listener or reader. Instead of just saying things straightforwardly, figures of speech add flair and depth to language, making it more dynamic and expressive.

For example, when someone uses a metaphor like “Time is a thief,” they don’t mean that time is literally stealing things. They use this figure of speech to suggest that time can take things away from us, like youth or opportunities, in a way that is more imaginative and thought-provoking than just saying “Time passes and we lose things.”

These figures of speech are not just about decoration, but they also help in making complex ideas more understandable and relatable. They are tools that can evoke emotions, create humor, or emphasize a point strongly. For instance, a simile like “as brave as a lion” immediately conjures up an image of courage, making the description more powerful than simply saying “very brave.”

In literature, poetry, and daily conversation, figures of speech enrich the language, making it a pleasure to listen to or read. They transform simple statements into something memorable, ensuring that the language doesn’t just convey information, but also feelings, imagination, and a sense of artistry.

Figures of Speech Types

Figures of speech can be divided into two main categories: Schemes and Tropes.

A) Schemes Schemes are changes in the standard order or pattern of words.

1. Structures of Balance
   • Parallelism: Using similar structures in related words, phrases, or clauses. Like, “She likes cooking, jogging, and reading.”
   • Isocolon: A series of elements that are similar in structure and length. For example, “Veni, Vidi, Vici” (I came; I saw; I conquered).
   • Tricolon: Three parallel elements of the same length are used together. Like, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.”
   • Antithesis: Putting opposite ideas close together in a parallel structure. Like, “It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.”
   • Climax: Arranging words or phrases in order of increasing importance, often in parallel structure. Like, “He came, he saw, he conquered.”
2. Changes in Word Order
   • Anastrophe: Inverting the natural order of words. Like Yoda says in “Star Wars”: “Strong in you, the Force is.”
   • Parenthesis: Adding extra information into a sentence that interrupts the flow. Like, “Her friend, an excellent singer, won the competition.”
   • Apposition: Adding a descriptive phrase next to a noun. Like, “John, the team captain, led the team.”
3. Omission
   • Ellipsis: Leaving out parts of a sentence or phrase. Like, “I went to the park, and she (went) to the library.”
   • Asyndeton: Omitting conjunctions between clauses. Like, “I came, I saw, I conquered.”
   • Brachylogia: Similar to asyndeton but omitting conjunctions between words. Like, “All for one, one for all.”
   • Polysyndeton (opposite of asyndeton): Using many conjunctions. Like, “He ran and jumped and laughed.”
4. Repetition
   • Alliteration: Repeating the starting sounds of words. Like, “Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers.”
   • Assonance: Repeating vowel sounds in the middle of words. Like, “How now, brown cow?”
   • Polyptoton: Using words that come from the same root. Like, “With eager feeding food doth choke the feeder.”
   • Antanaclasis: Using a word in two different senses. Like, “Your argument is sound, nothing but sound.”
   • Anaphora: Repeating the same word or phrase at the beginning of lines. Like, “Every day, every night, in every way.”
   • Epistrophe: The opposite of anaphora: repeating words at the end of lines. Like, “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”
   • Epanalepsis: Repeating a word from the beginning of a clause at the end. Like, “Blood hath brought blood.”
   • Anadiplosis: Repeating the last word of a clause at the beginning of the next. Like, “Fear leads to anger. Anger leads to hate. Hate leads to suffering.”
   • Climax (repetition form): Repeating words in an order of increasing importance. Like, “Lost a planet, Master Obi-Wan has. How embarrassing. How embarrassing.”
   • Antimetabole: Repeating words in reverse grammatical order. Like, “Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
   • Chiasmus: Repeating grammatical structures in reverse order. Like, “Never let a Fool Kiss You or a Kiss Fool You.”

B) Tropes Tropes are changes in the meaning of words.

1. Metaphor: Describing something as if it were something else. Like, “Time is a thief.”
2. Simile: A comparison using “like” or “as.” Like, “As brave as a lion.”
3. Hyperbole: Exaggerating for effect. Like, “I’m so hungry I could eat a horse.”
4. Personification: Giving human traits to non-human things. Like, “The wind whispered through the trees.”
5. Irony: Saying the opposite of what you mean for effect. Like, “Great, another rainy day.”
6. Metonymy: Using a related item to stand in for something else. Like, “The White House announced” instead of “The President announced.”
7. Synecdoche: Using a part to represent the whole. Like, “All hands on deck.”
8. Pun: A play on words with similar sounds but different meanings. Like, “Time flies like an arrow; fruit flies like a banana.”
9. Oxymoron: Combining contradictory terms. Like, “Jumbo shrimp.”

Figures of Speech Study Guide Questions

1. Identify and Explain: Choose a poem or a passage from a novel. Identify at least three different figures of speech used by the author. Explain how each figure of speech enhances the meaning or emotional impact of the text.
2. Comparison and Contrast: How do metaphors and similes differ in their use? Provide examples from a literary text to support your answer.
3. Personal Interpretation: Find an example of personification in a piece of literature. How does this personification affect your understanding or emotional response to the text?
4. Creative Application: Create your own sentences using hyperbole, an oxymoron, and irony, respectively. Explain why each figure of speech is effective in expressing your intended message.
5. Historical Context: Choose a literary work from a specific historical period. Discuss how the figures of speech used to reflect the cultural, social, or political context of that time.
6. Analyzing Imagery: Identify the use of imagery in a literary piece through figures of speech. How do these images contribute to the overall theme or mood of the work?
7. Exploring Symbolism: Find an example of a metaphor that acts as a symbol within a narrative. Discuss its significance to the character development and the plot.
8. Impact of Tone: How does the use of sarcasm or irony in a text influence its tone? Provide examples from a literary work to illustrate your point.
9. Comparative Literature: Compare the use of figures of speech in two poems by different authors. How do their approaches differ, and what effects do these differences create?
10. Role of Alliteration and Assonance: Examine a piece of poetry and identify the use of alliteration and assonance. Discuss how these figures of speech contribute to the poem’s rhythm and mood.