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Language Arts PAC

California State Content Standards - English Language Arts - Grades Nine and Ten

Reading 3.7

Recognize and understand the significance of various literary devices, including figurative language, imagery, allegory, and symbolism, and explain their appeal.

Credits: 0.50

REQUIREMENTS

In order to receive .25 Language Arts Credits, complete the following:

1. Read the notes on Figurative Language.

2. Using what you learned from the Figurative Language Notes, complete the Literary Devices Assignment and email to Ms. Goodnough at agoodnough@rocklin.k12.ca.us

Figurative Language Notes

Figurative Language

• There are 7 main types of figurative language.

• A stylistic device (tool) used by the author.

• Paints a picture for the reader to visualize

• Provides a deeper meaning and understanding

1. Simile

• Compares two unlike items

• Uses the words “like” or “as”

• Examples

• Her smile is like the sun

• The water is as smooth as glass

2. Metaphor

• Compares two unlike items

• Instead of using the words “like” or “as”, a metaphor simply states that it IS.

• Examples

• The water is glass today

• The house is a mountain

3. Hyperbole

• An exaggeration

• To provide emphasis, not to mislead

• Examples

• Her hair is 80 feet long.

• He has said that a million times already.

4. Personification

• Giving human traits and characteristics to something that is not human

• Examples

• The attention-craving cell phone was crying for me to use it.

• The wind sang as it glided through the neighborhood.

5. Onomatopoeia

• A word that is spelled exactly like the sound it represents.

• Brings the auditory sense into the poem

• Examples

• Crack! The branch broke in the wind.

• The car screeched to a halt.

• The girl yelled with joy, “Yipppeee!”

6. Alliteration

• A line, phrase, or sentence where the words begin with the same initial consonant sound.

• Examples

• Sally sells sea-shells by the sea shore

• My dog Mahli makes me laugh in the morning

7. Parallelism

• Two or more lines, phrases, or sentences that follow the same grammatical structure

• Examples

• She woke up, got dressed, ate breakfast, and went to school.

• I’ve known football, I’ve known the sound of thousands of screaming fans and I’ve known the whisper of a losing battle.

Figurative Language Example

Look at the picture below. Then read the descriptions of the picture using one of each of the 7 types of figurative language.

[pic]

Simile - The sky is like the blue, wide-open ocean.

Metaphor - The snow is a blank canvas ready to be carved.

Hyperbole - He soared thousands of feet off the ground.

Personification - The trees gasped at the height of the snowboarder.

Parallelism - He jumped, he flew, he landed, and he carved down the mountain.

Onomatopoeia - He whooshed through the air.

Alliteration - The wet, white snow did wonders for his wow-factor.

Imagery

• A concrete representation of a sense impression, a feeling, or an idea which appeals to one or more of our senses:

• Visual - sense of sight

• Auditory - sense of hearing

• Olfactory - sense of smell

• Gustatory - sense of taste

• Tactile - sense of touch

Symbolism

• A device in literature where an object represents an idea.

• An object (symbol) that means more than itself.

• Provides meaning beyond what is actually being described

Examples

• The American Flag

• Object (the literal meaning): piece of fabric, colored red, white and blue, with 13 stripes and 50 stars

• Idea (the symbolic meaning): The United States, freedom; 13 original colonies, 50 states; Red - blood, White - Peace, Blue - Loyalty

Common symbols in literature

• snake symbolizes evil

• storm symbolizes struggle

• sunny day symbolizes peace

Color Symbolism

• Each color represents certain qualities, ideas, traits, themes, etc.

• Pay attention any time a color appears in a piece of literature (clothing a character is wearing, description of a house, etc). Some times it is simply imagery. Many times it is symbolism.

Tone

• The emotional state or attitude of the narrator

• Usually portrayed through the narrator’s diction, bias, language, etc.

• Serious or ironic, sad or happy, private or public, angry or affectionate, bitter or nostalgic, or any other attitudes and feelings that human beings experience

Mood

• The atmosphere or emotional reaction of the reader created by the piece

• The general sense or feeling the reader gets from the poem

• The mood of the story “The Giving Tree” is empathetic, encouraging, and heartbreaking.

Diction

• Word choice

• Gives insight into the tone and mood of a literary piece.

• If the diction holds negative connotations, the tone will fall into the negative category such as sad, angry, depressed, etc.

• If the diction is mostly positive, then the tone would be happy, joyful, relieved, etc.

Theme

• The Theme is:

•The main idea of the poem

•The moral of the story

•The central, general idea

•A universal statement - it can relate to any person, at any time

• The Theme is NOT:

•a plot synopsis

•the topic of the poem/story

•specific or detailed

• May be stated explicitly, but is mostly implied

• Examples

•Good vs. evil (Star Wars, Harry Potter)

•Hard work pays off (The Pursuit of Happyness)

•Loyalty (Hamlet)

• Honesty versus Deception (The Crucible)

Literary Devices Assignment

Select a song to analyze for figurative language and literary devices (the song must be school appropriate) and create a PowerPoint presentation of your analysis.

Credit options

To earn .25 credits, simply email your completed PowerPoint to Ms. Goodnough at agoodnough@rocklin.k12.ca.us

To earn .50 credits, you must both email your completed PowerPoint to Ms. Goodnough and present your PowerPoint to your peers during support class.

PowerPoint Template

Cover Page

Include your name, the date and subject, as well as the title of the song, and the artist

Lyrics

Include the song lyrics

Figurative Language

Select specific lines from the song which show at least three of the seven types of figurative language. You may have only one type of figurative language per slide, which means this section will be at least three slides.

Imagery

Identify any imagery within the song, defined by the five senses.

Symbolism

Identify and explain any symbolism that is present in the song. Be sure to reference any color that appears.

Diction, Mood, and Tone

Explain the Mood and Tone of the song. Identify at least 3 words or phrases that assist in creating this mood/tone.

Theme

Identify the theme of the song and provide three examples of how this theme is present in your song.

Criticism

Write a paragraph evaluating the use of these literary devices, determining their effectiveness, and showing an appreciation for them in the context of your song.

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