(RL.8.4) (RL.8.9) The Scroll of Determining Meaning and Allusions

The ability to determine the meaning of words and phrases as they are used in a text, including figurative and connotative meanings; analyze the impact of specific word choices on meaning and tone, including analogies or allusions to other texts..

The ability to analyze how a modern work of fiction draws on themes, patterns of events, or character types from myths, traditional stories, or religious works such as the Bible, including describing how the material is rendered new.

The Scroll of Determining Meaning Through Context and Allusions

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SimileA simile compares two things using the words “like” and “as.” Examples include:busy as a beeclean as a whistlebrave as a lionstand out like a sore thumbas easy as shooting fish in a barrelas dry as a boneas funny as a barrel of monkeysthey fought like cats and dogslike watching grass growMetaphorWhen you use a metaphor, you make a statement that doesn’t make sense literally, like “time is a thief.” It only makes sense when the similarities between the two things become apparent or someone understands the connection.Examples include:the world is my oysteryou are a couch potatotime is moneyhe has a heart of stoneAmerica is a melting potyou are my sunshinePersonificationPersonification gives human characteristics to inanimate objects, animals, or ideas. This can really affect the way the reader imagines things. This is used in children’s books, poetry, and fictional literature. Examples include:opportunity knocked on the doorthe sun greeted me this morningthe sky was full of dancing starsthe vines wove their fingers together to form a braidthe radio stopped singing and stared at methe sun played hide and seek with the cloudsHyperboleHyperbole is an outrageous exaggeration that emphasizes a point, and can be ridiculous or funny. Hyperboles can be added to fiction to add color and depth to a character. Examples are:You snore louder than a freight train.It's a slow burg. I spent a couple of weeks there one day.She is so dumb, she thinks Taco Bell is a Mexican phone company.I had to walk 15 miles to school in the snow, uphill.You could have knocked me over with a feather.SymbolismSymbolism occurs when a word which has meaning in itself but is used to represent something entirely different. Examples are:Using an image of the American flag to represent patriotism and a love for one’s country.Using an apple pie to represent an American lifestyle.Using an apple to represent education.AlliterationAlliteration is the easiest of the examples of figurative language to spot. It is a repetition of the first consonant sounds in several words. Some good examples are:wide-eyed and wondering while we wait for others to wakenand tongue twisters like:Betty bought butter but the butter was bitter, so Betty bought better butter to make the bitter butter better.OnomatopoeiaOnomatopoeia is the use of words that sound like their meaning, or mimic sounds. They add a level of fun and reality to writing. Here are some examples:the burning wood hissed and crackledthe words: beep, whirr, click, whoosh, swish, zap, zing, ping, clang, bong, hum, boom, munch, gobble, crunch, pow, smash, wham, quack, meow, oink, and tweet.IdiomAn idiom is an expression that has a meaning that is only known to a particular group of people. For example:Kick the bucketRaining cats and dogsWhistling DixieUnderstatementUnderstatements are when the speaker or writer express an idea with significantly less force than is expected or would be required to accurately describe an idea. Understatement can be understood as the opposite of hyperbole. In hyperbole, the statement goes too far; whereas in understatement, the statement does not go far enough. Understatement can be used to downplay a negative or to be humorous.Here are some example understatements:1. Let’s just say that Bill Gates has got a few nickles to rub together.2. Learning to juggle flaming chainsaws might be a little tricky at first.3. It might take her a little while to get over her husband’s affair.4. Jeffrey Dahmer wasn’t exactly a good neighbor.5. The middle of the street isn’t the best place for your child to play.

Examples of Figurative Language

AllusionsAn allusion is a brief and indirect reference to a person, place, thing or idea of historical, cultural, literary or political significance. It does not describe in detail the person or thing to which it refers. It is just a passing comment and the writer expects the reader to possess enough knowledge to spot the allusion and grasp its importance in a text.For instance, you make a literary allusion the moment you say, “I do not approve of this quixotic idea,” Quixotic means stupid and impractical derived from Cervantes’s “Don Quixote”, a story of a foolish knight and his misadventures.Examples:“Don’t act like a Romeo in front of her.” “Romeo” is a reference to Shakespeare’s Romeo, a passionate lover of Juliet, in “Romeo and Juliet”."The rise in poverty will unlock the Pandora’s box of crimes."This is an allusion to one of Greek Mythology’s origin myth, “Pandora’s box”.“This place is like a Garden of Eden.”This is a biblical allusion to the “garden of God” in the Book of Genesis.“Hey! Guess who the new Newton of our school is?”–“Newton”, means a genius student, alludes to a famous scientist Isaac Newton.“Stop acting like my ex-husband please.”–Apart from scholarly allusions we refer to common people and places in our speech.AnalogiesAn analogy is a comparison in which an idea or a thing is compared to another thing that is quite different from it. It aims at explaining that idea or thing by comparing it to something that is familiar. Metaphors and similes are tools used to draw an analogy. Therefore, analogy is more extensive and elaborate than either a simile or a metaphor. Consider the following example:“The structure of an atom is like a solar system. The nucleus is the sun and electrons are the planets revolving around their sun.”Here an atomic structure is compared to a solar system by using “like”. Therefore, it is a simile. Metaphor is used to relate the nucleus to the sun and the electrons to the planets without using words “like” or “as’. Hence, similes and metaphors are employed to develop an analogy.Here are some more examples:Life is like a race. The one who keeps running wins the race and the one who stops to catch a breath loses.Just as a sword is the weapon of a warrior, a pen is the weapon of a writer.How a doctor diagnoses diseases is like how a detective investigates crimes.Just as a caterpillar comes out of its cocoon, so we must come out of our comfort zone.You are as annoying as nails on a chalkboard.

Allusions and Analogies