Figurative language is writing that goes beyond the literal meaning of words to create special effects or deeper meaning. In AP English, students learn that figurative language includes techniques like metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole.
Writers use figurative language to create imagery, add emotion, and make their writing more powerful or interesting. Analysing these devices helps AP students explore how authors communicate tone, theme, and character in a text.
Example of figurative language in an AP English text
In Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, figurative language is used throughout to create vivid images.
For example, the line “The sun was gone, but he had left his footprints in the sky” uses personification and metaphor to describe sunset. This helps set the mood and shows the beauty of nature through poetic imagery.
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