Figurative Language In Laurie Anderson's Speak

Age: the length of time that a person has lived or a thing has existed. In the short story“Eleven” by Sandra Cisneros. Talks about Rachel the main character on here eleventh birthday. Cisneros uses this to her advantage to characterize using details, specific language, and figurative language to explain her day.

In order to be successful as an author and engage readers effectively, one must incorporate certain elements. Ernest J. Gaines included multiple stylistic elements in his novel, “A Lesson Before Dying”, therefore, he is quite effective as a storyteller. One rhetorical device included in the novel was metaphor. Another device Gaines used in “A Lesson Before Dying” was personification. Furthermore, Ernest used allusions throughout the novel.

Her use of imagery paints a picture for the readers which ultimately helps to make learning the writing process easier. For example, when she says “the critics would be sitting on my shoulders, commenting like cartoon characters”, this creates a humorous and memorable image of shoulder sized critics (Lamott 469). This step in the process is unusual from what other authors say, yet it’s interesting which engages the reader. Lamott also uses similes and metaphors throughout the essay to explain what it is like for most struggling writers. She states “we all often feel like we are pulling teeth” when it comes to constructing and composing a piece of work (Lamott 468). This simile makes Lamott feel more relatable to the reader because this is a feeling that most inexperienced and discouraged writers go through. Saying things like “feel despair and worry settle on my chest like an x-ray apron” only connects the reader to Lamott even more (Lamott 469). Once the reader becomes engaged and forms a connection with what the writer is saying and feeling, continuing to read the essay is easy. At this point the reader wants to know what can be done to shake the feelings of “despair and worry” when it comes to

In 1992, Mary Fisher spoke to the Republican party about HIV/AIDS. During this time, there was little to no government funding for the research and treatment of HIV/AIDS. People who had the disease were criticized and cast out from society. A veil of hatred was around the disease due to the thought that the virus was punishment to homosexuals, because the community saw the most damage. Mary Fisher aimed to stop these stereotypes and bring educated awareness to the issue. Fisher uses powerful diction and word choice to bring the secretive disease into the light. Through her speech, “A Whisper of AIDS”, Fisher uses fear inducing logistics and powerful emotional images to sway her audience. She showed the world that the HIV virus does not strictly target homosexual men. People of all backgrounds are effected. Her speech brought about funding and increased

Pride. Pride never changes. It has come in the same way since day one and every human and even animals experience the feeling of pride. The emotion starts from something little like getting an “A” on a test but grows a large as the pride of winning a war and living free. In Pride, by Dagoberto Gilb, readers are given both hidden and concrete examples of what pride is and people who have experienced grave amounts of it at once. Grown men are brought to tears with the pride described by Gilb, but at the same time, the feeling can be so graceful and devout through metaphors. Through comprehension, rhetorical devices, and the tone and structure of Gilb’s essay, we can begin to understand the exact meaning the word “Pride” and what the it’s all

Well known author and journalist, George Orwell, in his essay, Shooting an Elephant, describes his experiences as a Policeman in Moulmein, Burma during European Imperialism. Orwell’s purpose is to convey the ideal that what is right and what is accepted don’t always align. He adopts a remorseful tone in order to convey to the reader the weight of his actions. By looking at George Orwell’s use of imagery and figurative language, one can see his strongly conflicting opinions on Imperialism.

Art is way of expression. People can use actions and art or express themselves in ways other than speaking. In the book Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, symbolism holds a big significance. The trees mentioned throughout the book symbolize Melinda’s changing “seasons” (her “growing” as a person). People, like trees, go through phases, they freeze in the winter, becoming nothing but lonely limbs without leaves covered with white slush. Melinda, in a lot of ways, starts out like that it the book. She becomes a shell of herself from before the party happened and because no one else was there, she is lonely and doesn't have anybody to go to and to make matters even worse, she’s covered by the reputation that she has formed. In the book, Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to convey exactly what Melinda can't say.

“I have entered high school with the wrong hair, wrong clothes, the wrong attitude. And I don’t have anyone to sit with” (Anderson 4). In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, there are many themes. Appearance versus reality is an important theme in the novel and is true in people and life, it is not always just present in books. Appearance versus reality is when something in the story seems one way but is not actually that way. Melinda Sordino has a rough life and is way different on the inside than she looks and seems to be on the outside, Melinda herself is an example of appearance versus reality. There are multiple times that the theme appearance versus reality shows up in the novel they are: the couch, Melinda

The novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson, is about a girl named Melinda, who shows signs of depression throughout the story. She has no friends and is hated by people she doesn’t even know. This is because she called the cops at a party, where she was raped. Anderson includes literary elements to show how Melinda is depressed. Throughout the novel, she uses many different literary elements to show Melinda’s conflict. Laurie Halse Anderson uses literary elements such as imagery, symbolism, and conflict, in order to reveal the protagonist’s emotional growth throughout the the novel.

In the short story “The Most Dangerous Game,” the author, Richard Connell uses the wonders of figurative language to spice things up in many ways throughout the story. Almost every page had something lying within itself, hidden behind metaphors similes, personification, and the list goes on. Some examples of how Richard Connell uses figurative language were clearly displayed on page 62: “Didn’t you notice that the crew’s nerves were a bit jumpy today?” This page also began to reveal the main feeling/emotion of the story(eerie/suspicious) came to be-which was set off by the example I used above. In this scene, the author uses very descriptive words and/or adjectives in his choice(s) of figurative language when he writes, “There was no breeze.The

Symbolism is the practice of representing things by symbols, or of investing things with a symbolic meaning or character. In Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson uses literary devices to help the reader better understand Melinda’s personal changes and growth. Trees, lips, and coldness are all symbolically used to represent the changes of Melinda. Throughout the novel, trees play a big part in symbolizing Melinda.

This journal is in response to the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson. As a coming-of-age contemporary novel, Speak discusses many sensitive issues that are still prominent even today. In this story, we explore the life of Melinda Sordino, a fourteen-year-old girl who is beginning high school right after experiencing an utterly traumatic event: rape. Melinda is left friendless, with no one to help and support her after what happened. She tries to navigate through her first year of high school, and it seems like the entire student body despises her; she feels more alone than ever. I will be analyzing and making connections to three specific elements in this novel: the search for one’s identity, Melinda’s inner conflict,

Descriptive and figurative language is a way for an author to express and bring their characters’ life and experiences to life. Descriptive language is used to create images that appeal to the reader’s senses. Helping the reader to get a clear picture of how the subject looks, feels, smell or taste. In Vertigo, Amanda Lohrey uses descriptive language to bring the characters to life. She uses this to layer the emotions as they lead up to the climax. Figurative language helps boosts the creativity of the reader. Lohrey has used figurative language to help make a situation or experience more relatable and understandable.

Nelson Mandela has an exceptional point of view on courage, as he once said "Courage was not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it." Like Mr. Mandela, Melinda Sordino in Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson also learned this throughout her time as a ninth grader. The character Melinda has many encounters that test her courage throughout the book.

“Everyday Use” by Alice Walker is a short story containing a first-person point of view, narrated by the mother in the story. “The mother” is not named in the story, yet holds an important role in being the protagonist while also incorporating vital details of the characters’ emotions, views, and ideas of each other. The narrator tells the audience everything she knows about the other two main characters, giving the audience insight on how to view these characters in the story. Walker does a great job using two specific literary elements in “Everyday Use” to pinpoint the story’s theme. In “Everyday Use”, Walker develops the theme of the importance of Christ-like behavior by unifying these literary elements: point of view and characterization.