Rhetorical Devices:
Similes, Hyperboles, Analogies, Allusions,
and Metaphors
Earlier in this course, you learned how to choose exact and specific
words to express accuracy in meaning, vivid words to describe feelings and
images, and the “right” synonyms to express the focus and intent of your
writing. All of those techniques are
used for expressing the literal meaning of words. Rhetorical devices, on the other hand, are
figures of speech. They are imaginative
expressions designed to stir the emotions of the reader or listener.
A simile (pronounced, “sim-uh-lee”) is an expression in which
the writer or speaker is making a comparison to show how one thing, in his
opinion, is similar to something else. Almost
always, the two things being compared are different in all ways except the
point of comparison. Here is an example:
“Irma Rudolph ran like the wind.” Of course, Irma Rudolph was not the wind, nor
was she like the wind in most other respects.
For that matter, wind doesn’t really run, because the wind doesn’t have
feet and legs. This simile means only
that Irma Rudolph’s speed in running was similar to the speed of the wind
moving. This simile is more expressive
(though less exact) than “Irma Rudolph
ran twenty-five kilometers an hour.”
A hyperbole (“high-per-bo-lee”) is an exaggeration used
for emotional effect. The reader or
listener is not expected to believe that it is literally true. Here’s one example:
“That sumo wrestler was as big as a
house.” Obviously, even a small
house would be smaller than a sumo wrestler.
A much smaller opponent, however, might be frightened into feeling that
someone as big as a house was about to collide with him.
An
analogy (“uh-nal-uh-gee”) is a direct comparison between one set of conditions
and another. It differs from a simile in that sets of conditions, and
not just individual traits, are being compared.
It usually requires more words than a simile. Here is one example:
“The term enriched bread is misleading, because a few nutrients are
added to it after most of its nutrients are bleached out of it. It’s like going to the city with a new suit
of clothes and $5,000. Someone robs you
of all your clothes and money, gives you back your underwear and $5 and calls
you enriched.” As you can see, the
conditions are being compared on several points: 1.) the original condition of
the wheat/tourist, 2.) the wheat/tourist being wrongfully deprived of something
that had belonged to it/him, 3.) the return of some of that which had been
stolen, and 4.) the absurdity of the bakery/robber claiming that he had done
something favorable to the wheat/tourist.
An allusion is like an
analogy, except that it’s an indirect comparison between two sets of
circumstances. Allusions are used only when both the reader/listener has
understanding of (and feelings about) some aspect of culture similar to that of
the writer/speaker. See the following
example:
“An abortionist doesn’t care about women’s
health or other needs. He’s satisfied
just to receive his thirty pieces of silver.” Most Westerners know that, in the Bible,
Judas Iscariot was paid thirty pieces of silver to betray Jesus and cause
Jesus’ death. Thus, suggestion that
someone has received “his thirty pieces of silver,” it’s taken to mean that
someone (i.e., Judas Iscariot and the abortionist) has received financial or
other earthly benefit (i.e., thirty pieces of silver and the abortionist’s fee)
for doing harm to an innocent person (i.e., Jesus and the unborn child). We would not say that cigarette manufacturers
receive their thirty pieces of silver, because not everyone is convinced that
cigarette smokers are innocent.
A
metaphor is a brief expression using
something familiar (usually concrete) to express something less familiar
(usually abstract). Some metaphors have been used so often that
their meaning has become part of the dictionary definition of a word; such an
expression is called a dead metaphor. Below is an example of a dead metaphor:
“He’s on the road to success.” We don’t really mean that he’s on a road;
he may be in an office. The word road is used to refer to a process. You can not see a process, but you can see a
road. Success is not really a place to
which someone goes—and certainly not by road.
The word success refers to the
result of that process. Thus, this
expression means that, if he continues doing what he is doing in the way he is
doing it, he will become successful.
Since some dictionaries define road
figuratively as well as physically, on
the road to success is no longer considered a metaphor—it’s a dead metaphor.
Now that you’ve seen the definitions and some popular examples, let’s
learn how to create our own similes,
hyperboles, analogies, allusions, and
metaphors. Let’s first try our hand
at similes.
How did Larry seize the opportunity?
“He hopped on that opportunity like a duck on a June bug.” That’s a popular Southern simile meaning that
he acted quickly, and without hesitation.
Here’s a (perhaps) more effective simile of my own making: “He seized that opportunity like a sparrow
hawk.” Ducks swallow June bugs, but
sparrow hawks seize sparrows in their talons and don’t let them get away. We speak of seizing opportunities; we don’t
speak of swallowing them.
In
a sense, the simile you just read is
also a hyperbole, because people
don’t act as fast as sparrow hawks swoop.
The person described acted quickly, but we’re not expected to believe
that he really acted as quickly as the sentence suggests.
Using the sparrow hawk imagery as an analogy, we use more words. “The Goliath Corporation was like a sparrow
hawk with that opportunity. Their sharp
eyes spotted it a mile away. Before the
David Company could get away, they swooped down on it, talons at the ready, snatched
it up, and turned it every which way but loose.
They’re probably making a meal of it right now.” Here we see several successive
comparisons of two otherwise dissimilar sets of circumstances. We also see an example of hyperbole: “a mile away.”
Let’s try an allusion. “If the Goliath Corporation gets their talons on David Company,
competition will suffer.” This
sentence suggests that Goliath Corporation (like a sparrow hawk) is guilty of
predatory practices against smaller companies.
In fact, all of the abovementioned analogy
is suggested by this allusion. The words Goliath
and David are a further allusion suggesting an unfair fight
between an evil giant and a virtuous, smaller person.
In the previous paragraph, the word talons
is a metaphor for the Goliath
Corporation’s predatory nature. Let’s
try another. “The Goliath Corporation sparrow hawked onto the much smaller company.” In your dictionary you won’t find the term sparrow hawk used as a verb. In this metaphor
of my own creation, I use the behavior of a sparrow hawk to represent the
behavior of the Goliath Corporation.
Sparrow hawks are not the world’s fasted birds; peregrine falcons are. Ostriches are the world’s birds on land. Why didn’t I use one of those birds to describe
the Goliath Corporation? Since most
people don’t know that the peregrine falcon is the world’s fasted living thing,
they don’t naturally associate the name with extreme speed. The name sparrow
hawk suggests both the bird and its prey; thus, its speed and predatory
nature is suggested by the name. Though
the ostrich runs very fast, it’s not a predatory bird. Besides, ostriches, which are said to respond
to danger by hiding their heads in the sand, are commonly used as metaphors for
a tendency to deny harsh realities.
Just for fun! Try matching in the following exercise:
1. The moon represents my heart.
2. The moon is like my heart.
3. My heart shines as from above: bright, clear, radiant, and
constant.
4. My heart may be compared to the moon. It’s bright, clear, radiant, and constant.
5. The feelings in my heart are as high as
the moon.
|
A. Simile __________
B. Hyperbole _______
C. Analogy _________
D. Allusion _________
E. Metaphor ________
|
Now it’s your turn. Tell how you would use a simile, a hyperbole,
an analogy, an allusion, and a metaphor in a paper you are writing or plan to
write.
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