25 September 2014

Figurative Language Task

- - -  Identify and explain the use of at least three figurative language devices in If you Forget Me.

- - -  Do the same for Root Cellar.

- - -  Explain the extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks of Rivers

49 comments:

  1. 1. In If You Love Me by Pablo Neruda he makes the poem more interesting by adding figurative language. He does this multiple times throughout the poem. For example when Pablo Neruda says, "if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me." He has added personification because, he is giving the human quality if climbing to the flower. The second figurative language example is a simile because when he says,"in me all that fire is repeated" he is comparing the love process between the characters. The third example is when he states,"my love feeds on your love." This is a metaphor because, he is comparing his love to her love without using like or as.

    2. In Root Cellar by Theodore Roethke the author makes the poem by adding figurative language. He does this many times throughout the poem. For example is when Theodore Roethke says,"Bulbs broke out of boxes." This is an example of alliteration because, he uses repetition to create emphasis. The second figurative language is simile because he compares things hanging from the celling to tropical snakes. An example from the text is when he says,"Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes." The third example is when the author states,"Even the dirt kept berthing a small breath". This is personification because, the author is giving the dirt human characteristics of breathing.

    3. In A Negro Speaks Of Rivers it is an extended metaphor of the comparison of the author to the river. The author gives you many experiences of his and the rivers.

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  2. If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda
    Figurative Language
    -"or the wrinkled body of the log" is persenification. A log does not have a body and cannot portray human characteristics. Personification allows the reader to create an image of the log, giving it a human trait that we can relate to.

    -"everything carries me to you" is an example of a hyperbole. The word everything is an exaggeration. The author uses this line to portray how much he thinks about the person the poem is written about.

    -"Ah my love, ah my own," is an example of an onomatopoeia. The word "ah" is used to create a certain sound that is being read and to create a tone that will be interpreted by the reader.

    Root Cellar by Theodore Roethke

    "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes." is a simile because it is comparing the roots to tropical snakes. The simile is used to create an image for the reader to picture what the roots looked like.

    -"Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath." is an example of personification. The dirt cannot breathe. The personification is used to show the extreme filth in the root cellar and how hard it was to breathe in the smell.

    -"Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark," contains an example of alliteration. Bulbs, broke, and boxes all start with the letter "b" creating the same sound of the letter when being read. The alliteration is used to keep a rhythm throughout the poem.

    "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes is an extended metaphor comparing the history of rivers to how African Americans lived. It started off with explaining the history of the ancient rivers to the history of the rivers in the U.S. where slaves were transported on.

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  3. One example of figurative language in "If you Forget Me" is when the poet says "my love feeds on your love." This is an example of personification, because he is giving a human like quality. By doing this it's more descriptive and allows him to paint a picture in the readers head. Another example of figurative language is when he says " I shall stop loving you little by little." This is an example of an idiom, because he is not literally going to stop loving her little by little. But by saying this the poet shows how hard it will be for the character. The last example of figurative language is "and as long as you live it will be in your arms." This is a hyperbole, because it is an exaggeration. The poet just wants the reader to feel how much he cares for her. One example of figurative language in "Root Cellar" is when he said " Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath." This is an example of personification, because it's giving a human like quality to dirt because dirt can not breathe. Another example is when he said "Nothing would sleep in that cellar." This is an example of hyperbole, because it's an exaggeration. It also allows the reader to imagine how bad the cellar condition must be. The last example is when he says "dank as a ditch." This is a simile because it compares to non- alike things and compare them using as. The extended metaphor in " Negro Speaks of Rivers." is that the whole story is actually stories of his ancestors. He explains all their experiences as "I" because he wants to show that they're a part of him.

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  4. One of the figurative language devices in "If you Forget Me" is personification when he writes "if each day a flower climbs up your lips to seek me". This device was used to mood and tone in the poem. Saying that if you seek me everyday that I will always have love for you and seek you everyday. Another device is metaphor when he writes "were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me. This implies that everything that he thinks about takes him back to her.
    One figurative device "Root Cellar" is personification when the poet writes "bulbs broke out of boxes" It is used to create setting of the old cellar and that everything down there is trash. Another figurative language device is idiom when the poet writes "nothing will give up life". This is used to show the mood of the poem. Also a figurative language device in "Root Cellar" is metaphor which is expressed in the title. The words "root cellar" is used to describe a house that is covered from top to bottom is plants.
    The extended metaphor in "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is about how the poet has become wiser spiritually as he has become older. His soul has become deeper with thoughts and wisdom as longs as blood ran through human veins. He now knows more than he ever did before.

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  5. In If You Forget Me one figurative language they use is a metaphor. An example is that when he tells her "he will forget her ,if she forgets him." Another example is a simile when he poet says "as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me." Another figurative language used is personification. This is shown when the poet says "if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me." These are three figurative languages used in If You Forget Me. In the Root Cellar one example of figurative language is simile. An example is "long necked roots that hang like snakes from the ceiling." Another is example is personification this is shown when the author says "the bulbs become hunters for the light." A third example is alliteration this is shown when the poet says “bulbs broke out of boxes…” These are all examples of figurative languages in Root Cellar. the extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks of Rivers is The river is apart of God's body, and participates in his never ending life because rivers never lose life and are also parts of eternity: deep, never ending, mysterious. This is the extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks of Rivers.

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  6. In the poem If You Forget Me there are several examples of the use of figurative language. "as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me." is an example of simile within the poem. The simile compares all things that exist to boats as a way to explain how he feels that everything in his life is bringing him to her. "and you decide to leave me at the shore of the heart where I have roots, remember that on that day, at that hour, I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land." is an example of metaphor from the poem. The metaphor is comparing his love for the woman to roots planted in her heart. By comparing these two things, the reader is able to understand that if she were to leave he would try to find another person to love and a place to stay. "my roots will set off to seek another land" is an example of personification. This is an example of personification because the roots are given qualities of a human. This use of personification helps to enhance the image of what he would do when he left. In the poem Root Cellar there are many examples of the use of figurative language. "Nothing would sleep in that cellar, dank as a ditch," is an example of simile. Roethke is comparing the dankness of the root cellar to that of a ditch. This allows the reader to better sense the atmosphere of the cellar. "Roots ripe as old bait," is an example of alliteration. The use of this alliteration puts emphasis on the appearance of the roots. "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath." is an example of personification. This is a use of personification because the dirt has a human quality. The dirt breathing allows the reader to understand how there really was nothing that would give up in the cellar. A Negro Speaks of Rivers contains an extended metaphor within the poem. The metaphor compares the soul of a person and the connection of people to a river. The person in the poem has seen other people's souls and known them. He is explaining how he is connected to his ancestors in Africa and the south with these rivers or how his soul is connected to them. When it says, "I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset." it means that he has seen the struggles of his ancestors turn into prosperity. By the end his own soul has grown like those of his ancestors meaning he has learned from those before him and now has a better understanding. The extended metaphor within A Negro Speaks of Rivers compares rivers to the soul of a person and the connection of people from the same culture.

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  7. In the poem " If you Forget Me" I found the three figurative devices hyperbole, simile, and personification. The hyperbole is "...the impalpable ash or the wrinkled body of the log, everything carries me to you..." This is a hyperbole because it is exaggerating because it says everything carries me to you as in the love carries him which is an exaggeration. A example of a simile is " ...as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me." In this example the author is comparing aromas, light, and metals to boats that sail using the word as. Lastly, I found an example of a personification, which was "... I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land." This is personification because it is giving the idea that roots are people that can go seek other land. In "Root Cellar" they use simile, personification, and metaphors. A simile is when the author says "roots ripe as old bait" again, comparing with the word as. The personification is "even the dirt kept breathing a small breath" giving the idea dirt can breathe. The metaphor is "what a congress of stinks" comparing the stinky roots to a congress without using like or as. The extended metaphor in "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is the author comparing his feelings and emotions to the ways of a river.

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  8. In the poem “If You Forget Me”, by Pablo Neruda, there are many different forms of figurative language that are used to put emphasis on certain parts of the story as well as making it more enjoyable for the reader. One example of these literary terms is whenever Neruda writes “as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, or little boats”. This is an example of a simile because the author compares everything that exists to small boats by using the word “like”. Another example is when the author says, “if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me”. This is an example of personification because the author has given human like qualities such as climbing and seeking to a flower. Finally the author says, “I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land”. This is a hyperbole because the author is exaggerating the fact that he will fly away to a distant land although he cannot actually do that.
    Just as Pablo Neruda uses figurative language, so does Theodore Roethke in “Root Cellar”. One example is when he says, “hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes”. This is a simile because Roethke is comparing the evil necks to the snakes by using the word “like”. He also uses personification when he states, “even the dirt kept breathing a small breath”. This is an example of personification because he gave dirt the human characteristic of breathing. Lastly, the author states, “what a congress of stinks” which is an idiom. This can be taken as an idiom because he is using the word “congress” to mean “mixture”.
    In “A Negro Speaks of Rivers”, by Langston Hughes, the extended metaphor is the rivers being his racial heritage and the bloodline which his race traveled. I think this because it lists the Euphrates, Congo and Nile rivers which is where black people began their settlements. He goes on to say that they have traveled to the Mississippi, in New Orleans, which is where his family bloodline is now. He also states that his soul has grown deep in the rivers which shows his passion for his heritage as a black man.

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  9. In the poem "If You Forget Me" there are three uses of figurative language. The first example is simile. In the line ''as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail" the poet used simile to describe how he remembers his love when he sees things that bring up their memories. The second example is personification. In the line "if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me" he uses personification to give an object; a flower to have human qualities to make the poem sound more interesting. The third use of figurative language is hyperbole, "ah my love, ah my own" he used hyperbole to form emotion and an image in the readers mind. The poem "Root Cellar" also uses three examples of figurative language; simile, alliteration and personification. The line "bulbs broke out of boxes" is used to enhance rythm of the poem and enphasis on the line. The used a simile in the line "hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes" to describe long shoots that hung from the ceiling in the cellar. He also creates alliteration in the line "even the dirt kept breathing a small breath" to explain how anything in the cellar lived no matter how ugly and gross it was. The poem "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" the author uses an extended metaphor throughout the lines. He repeats the word rivers as part of an extended metaphor that relates and compares the African-American culture to great ancient rivers of the Earth. Langston Hughes also uses and describes the different rivers throughout Africa to explain the history of African-Americans.

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  10. If you Forget Me~
    1.) Metaphor- ...aroma,light, metals, were little boats... Used to describe how much he loves this woman.
    2.) Personification- ... if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me... Used to make the piece more exciting.
    3.) Alliteration- ... little by little... Used to put emphasis on this particular line.

    Root Cellar~
    1.) Simile- ... dank as a ditch... Used to describe how gross the cellar is.
    2.) Personification- ... dirt kept breathing... Used to make the piece more entertaining.
    3.) Alliteration- ... roots ripe... Used to put emphasis on the roots.

    A Negro Speaks of Rivers~
    The extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks of Rivers is the comparison of his heritage to the rivers. Starting with the oldest river, the Euphrates, going to the Congo and finally the Mississippi.

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  11. In If You Forget Me, the quote, "everything carries me to you. . . were little boats that sail" is an example of a metaphor. It emphasizes "everything that carries me to you" in that stanza. An example of personification is, "if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me," because the flower is given the human characteristic of climbing. The stanza, "If suddenly you forget me do not look for me, for I shall already have forgotten you," is a hyperbole, because the narrator wants to stress he will stop his love immediately if his love does the same.

    In Root Cellar an example of a simile is "cellar, dank as a ditch." It is comparing the cellar to a ditch. Personification is used in this quote, "dirt kept breathing a small breath," because dirt is given the human characteristic of breathing. A hyperbole is created in this quote, "Nothing would sleep in that cellar," because it exaggerates the situation and something might be able to sleep in the cellar.

    The extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks of Rivers is the African people's past. These people have a heritage "deep like the rivers." "I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young" is a great example of how the Euphrates was a main source of life during the early Mesopotamian civilizations. The quote, "I looked upon the Nile and raise the pyramids above it" symbolizes how the African Americans were slaves but always had hope that freedom would come to them in America. "I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln. . ." depicts Abe Lincoln working to free the black people.

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  12. In the poem "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda, the three figurative language devices that I identified are metaphor, alliteration, and personification. He uses the metaphor to compare his attachment to his love interest to boats sailing towards an island. He uses this in order to make the poem less literal and make the reader think about the meaning. "if little by little you stop loving me/ I shall stop loving you little by little" Neruda uses alliteration in this section of the poem to draw attention to the message of those lines. The final device he uses is personification. "if each day a flower/ climbs up your lips to seek me" This example of personification is used to draw emotion out of the reader, in order to keep them interested in the poem.
    In "Root Cellar", alliteration, simile, and personification are used. Alliteration is used in the second line: "Bulbs broke out of boxes". It is used in this line to appeal to the reader's senses of sight and hearing. Theodore Roethke also uses this simile, "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes.", to emphasize the dark and creepy mood of the cellar. Personification is also used to give dirt the characteristic of breathing. This device is used to leave a lasting impression on the reader.
    The poem "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is an extended metaphor comparing rivers to African-American history. The speaker in the poem is comparing his soul to rivers, and saying he has grown like rivers. Rivers are thousands and thousands of years old, so clearly the speaker could not has lived as long as the rivers. This is why the rivers the speaker are referring to are being compared to history. The third stanza of the poem contains what appears to be flashbacks to the ways of life for African-Americans in the past. "…I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it./ I heard the singing of the Missisippi when Abe Lincoln went down…" These two lines show events in history important to African-American culture. All of this explains the extended metaphor of the poem.

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  13. "If you Forget Me"
    "my roots will set off to seek anther land."- Personification. This is personification because it is giving roots the human ability to seek anther land.
    "if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me"- Personification. This is personification because it is giving the flower the human characteristic of climbing.
    "The wind of banners that passes through my life"- Personification. This is personification because the wind can not pass through your life but in the poem it is given the human characteristic of passing through someone's life.
    "Root Cellar"
    "long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes."- Simile. This is a simile because it makes a comparison between shoots and tropical snakes using like or as.
    "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath."- Personification. This is personification because it is giving the dirt a human characteristic. The dirt is given the human characteristic of breathing.
    "Nothing would sleep in that cellar"- Hyperbole. This is an exaggeration because there are animals and insects that would sleep in the root cellar.

    "A Negro Speaks of Rivers."
    The extended metaphor in "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is Hughes documenting history. He uses the Euphrates which is where some of the first civilizations occurred which is why he said when dawns were young because civilization was just starting. He says the Congo lulled him to sleep because it is used for transportation through central Africa and the rocking of the boats going up and down the river is soothing. He uses the Nile because the pyramids were brought up along it and the Egyptians used it for so much. He finally uses the Mississippi and Abe Lincoln to symbolize the ending of slavery.

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  14. If You Forget Me: Pablo Neruda uses figurative language in his poem for different reasons. The lines "as if everything that exists...were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me" are an example of simile. The author compares everything to boats using "as". He uses this simile to capture the audience in a creative, mystical way and to paint a picture in their minds of his love. Another line in the poem states, "little by little you stop loving me I shall stop loving you little by little". This is an example of alliteration. Neruda uses alliteration here to draw the audience to this group of lines. In a mix of imaginative, creative lines, this plain statement does not stand out. It is important to the poem because it expresses what the author is thinking in a clear way. Finally, in If You Forget Me, the author uses personification in the line "or the wrinkled body of the log" to emphasize all that makes him think of his love. If a fire-scorched, knobby log can make him think of his beloved, what cannot? It is very important to pay attention to this line because it is the basis for the rest of the poem.

    Root Cellar: As in If You Forget Me, Root Cellar by Theodore Roethke contains examples of figurative language to enhance his poem. Roethke uses the phrase "dank as a ditch" in the first line of his poem. This example of alliteration and a simile is used to draw the audience's attention to it. This phrase opens up the setting of the poem, on which the poem is greatly focused. Unless the phrase is read, one cannot appreciate the setting or the mood of the poem and therefore cannot fully appreciate the details of the root cellar. The line "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes" contains both a metaphor and a simile. The author uses these two figurative language devices to paint a picture in the audience's mind. If he described them just as yellow shoots, the reader would not be able to paint a picture or identify a mood of the poem. Finally, Roethke uses the personification line "even the dirt kept breathing a small breath" as a resolution. This line resolves the conflict of the dirty root cellar. Without the personification, though, it would not possess the ability to capture readers. It brings a sense of mystery and make the reader eager to read more of his poems.

    Poem 2: Langston Hughes' poem is considered an extended metaphor, because nearly the entire poem is a metaphor. At the beginning of the poem, Hughes says that his soul has grown with the rivers. Obviously, this is a metaphor, because Hughes' soul did not literally grow with the rivers. His soul is a metaphor for his ancestry. In the next stanza, he goes on to explain his historical connection to many great rivers. He describes himself bathing in the Euphrates, sleeping by the Congo, and looking at the Nile, watching the pyramids being built. Langston Hughes did not go to any of these rivers or had any connection with them, but through this metaphor, he is trying to explain that his soul - his ancestry - is old and wise, just like the rivers. Using a metaphor instead of literally stating what he meant paints a picture in the reader's mind and gives them a better understanding on what he means by a "deep soul".

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  15. Three figurative language devices in "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda include personification, hyperbole, and metaphor. The phrase "... wrinkled body of the log," compares the bark of a log to the old, wrinkled body of a person, and therefore appeals to the sense of touch. The lines "... everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats" include not only a hyperbole, but also a metaphor. "Everything" is a strong word and an exaggeration. This use of hyperbole emphasizes how strongly the speaker feels. The metaphor compares everything to little boats, and shows how everything triggers movement in the speaker's mind and makes him think of the subject. In "Root Cellar," by Theodore Roethke, there is personification, simile, and imagery. "Nothing would sleep in that cellar..." personifies the contents of the cellar by comparing them to a large amount of people who will not sleep, It emphasizes constant movement and change. A simile, "Roots ripe as old bait," appeals to the sense of feel by implying that ripe roots are mushy and rotten, like old bait. The lines "And what as congress of stinks! Roots ripe as old bait, pulpy stems, rank, silo-rich, Leaf-mold, manure, lime..." appeal to the sense of smell and create a musty, damp atmosphere for the reader. The poem "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes is an example of an extended metaphor. The speaker compares his soul to something that can see all, possibly a god of some sort that watches over the rivers. He speaks of the rivers with a familiarity that creates a warm tone and an almost nostalgic voice.

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  16. If You Stay:
    "If each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me" this is personification because a flower is given human qualities because a flower cannot climb or seek someone.
    ”My love feeds on your love, beloved” this is alliteration because Pablo Neruda is trying to draw attention to this particular line to help him explain his feelings for this person.
    "In me all that fire is repeated, in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten" this is a metaphor because Pablo Neruda is comparing extinguishing a fire to him forgetting about the person he loves.

    Root Cellar:
    "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes." this is a simile because Theodore Roethke is comparing yellow evil necks to tropical snakes using like.
    "Roots ripe as old bait" this is a simile because the author is comparing the ripeness of the roots to old bait using as.
    "The bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark" this is personification because light bulbs cannot hunt for anything, so the author gave it the human quality of hunting.

    A Negro Speaks of Rivers:
    The extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks of Rivers compares the heritage of African Americans to the great rivers of the world. He compares great rivers such as the Euphrates, Congo, and Nile to his soul and to what African Americans have gone through.

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  17. An example of a figurative language devices in "If you Forget Me" is, "as if everything that exists, / aromas, light, metals, / were little boats / that sail / toward those isles of yours that wait for me". This is an example of a metaphor that is comparing all the things in the speaker's life to boats set sail towards the person he loves. The author uses this to show all the little things in the speaker's life remind him of the person because of how much he loves her. Another use of figurative language is, "my love feeds on your love". This is a metaphor that gives the human characteristic of feeding to love. This is used to show how the speaker's love relies on his partner's love. One more example from the poem is, "in me all that fire is repeated, / in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten". This is a metaphor comparing the speaker's love to fire. The purpose of this is to show that his love for the person never truly goes away.

    An example of a figurative language device in "Root Cellar" is, "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath". This personification that gives the human quality of breathing to dirt. It is used to show how nothing in the root cellar is ever calm or lifeless. Another example is, "Roots ripe as old bait". This is a simile that is comparing the roots to old bait. The author uses this to show how bad the roots smell. Simile is also used when the author says, "Lolling obscenely from mildewed crates, / Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes". This is comparing the shoots in the cellar to snakes to give the reader an image of how the looked.

    The poem, "A Negro Speaks of Rivers", is an extended metaphor. The whole poem is comparing the African American heritage to different rivers. The speaker talks about the Euphrates and Congo Rivers and how the feel like home. This is because those are areas where African Americans were free. However when he talks about the Nile and Mississippi, it is less homely because near these rivers, African Americans were slaves. It talks about the muddy river, and how it turns golden. This could be referring to how slavery ended.

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  18. Figurative language is a popular use of expressing emotion with an attempt for the reader to feel the same way. Pablo Neruda uses figurative language repeatedly throughout the poem "If You Forget Me". During the second stanza, Neruda uses simile in the lines, "everything carries me to you/ as if everything that exists,/ aromas, light, metals/ were little boats/ that sail/ toward those isles of yours that wait for me." He reveals through comparing that little things such as aromas, light, and metals carry memories that trace him back to his lover. Using simile enabled him to create a softer image to reference his thoughts. Secondly, Neruda applied metaphor in his fifth stanza through the lines, "and you decide/ to leave me at the shore/ of the heart where I have roots,/ remember/ that on that day,/ at that hour,/ I shall lift my arms/ and my roots will set off/ to seek another land." Through metaphor, he reveals that if his lover chooses to leave him, he will understand and compose himself to continue with his own life. By writing this, Neruda convinces himself on whether or not he would be prepared for the leave of his lover. Lastly, he uses personification in the sixth stanza during the lines, "if each day a flower/ climbs up to your lips to seek me..." A flower is given the human ability to climb and to seek. This delivers a way to keep the reader's attention as the poem comes to a conclusion. The use of figurative language lists countless possibilities for an author to express his thoughts in an interesting light.
    Theodore Roethke utilizes figurative language variously during his poem "Root Cellar". On line one of the first and only stanza of the poem, Roethke uses simile to describe the cellar, saying it is, "dank as a ditch". This device is shown several times throughout the poem and can be confirmed through the use of the word "as" and the comparison to an opposite figure. The similes applied help to describe the cellar. Next, personification is expressed on line two, "Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark". The bulbs are granted the human ability to break through an object and to hunt. This adds interest and paints an image in the reader's mind. Lastly, alliteration is indicated on line nine, "piled against slippery planks." The sound "P" is used three times to affirm alliteration. The sound helps to smooth the reading of the phrase and leave emphasis on those words. Exposed in this poem is several uses of figurative language which can be easily followed throughout the poem.
    Metaphors are often used to capture an unlikely comparison and transform it into understanding. Most are only a sentence or so long, but some pieces of literature are an entire metaphor without being directly stated, called an extended metaphor. "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes is an example of an extended metaphor poem. During this poem, Hughes is comparing himself to the African-American race. They root to the beginning of civilization and aided in where we are now, but during the time that he wrote the poem, black people were not seen as equal to the white man. Four main rivers and historical achievements relating to those rivers are shown to the historical background of the race. The repeated phrase "My soul has grown deep like the rivers." can be linked to the fact that the African-American race as a whole experienced struggle and success, which can bring wisdom upon someone of that culture. This poem was written to reveal how the struggle and achievements of the African-American race resulted in the people of that culture possessing strength and wisdom because of their past.

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  19. Anastasia LandstorferSeptember 25, 2014 at 8:57 PM

    If you Forget Me
    Idiom: it explains looking at the crystal moon. The moon is not actually crystal just explaining how vibrant it looks.
    Personification: It says I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land. It gives their background and past human like characteristics such as it having the ability to set off to another land.
    Idiom: It says if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me. A flower does not actually climb up to their lips, this does not mean what it says.
    Root Cellar
    Metaphor: Nothing would sleep in that cellar, dank as a ditch. This is a comparison of two things not using like or as. This comparison gives the reader a better understanding of the setting.
    Personification: Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath. This is giving a human like characteristic such as dirt having the ability to breathe.
    Simile: Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes. This is a comparison using the word like. Two unlike things are being compared giving the reader a better understanding.
    A Negro Speaks of Rivers
    The whole third stanza is the extended metaphor. It is a comparison of unlike things throughout the whole stanza. Like or as is never used. It is easier to understand the ideas of these things using more relatable topics to compare it to.

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  20. In stanza 1 of "If You Forget Me", the lines "or the wrinkled body of the log, everything carries me to you" are a form of personification. The author is personifying the image of a log and is comparing its bark to the skin of an elder person. This helps the reader better visualize how the log appears. Also in stanza 1, lines 10-14 represent a simile. It is explaining how little things bring back memories of his lover, and he cannot forget her. Finally, the lines 25-33 that read "and you decide/ to leave me at the shore/ of the heart where I have roots,/ remember that on that day,/ at that hour,/ I shall lift my arms/ and my roots will set off/ to seek another land," are a metaphor. This metaphor is expressing how the author is prepared to move on just like the roots are ready to seek new land.

    Line 7 of "Root Cellar" is a simile. It is comparing the stench of old, spoiled fishing bait to the smell of the old roots in the cellar. It creates a a foul stench in the readers mind. Also, "Bulbs broke out of boxes" is an example of alliteration. This line rhymes the "B" sound and helps the sentence flow. Finally, "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath." is an example of personification. Dirt is giving the human characteristic of breathing.

    In "A Negro Speaks of Rivers", it is comparing rivers to wonderful things that make the author happy. He is specifying how rivers have been around for as long as humans can remember, and they will always have a job to play in humans' lives. The author also believes himself to be like rivers, mysteries and full of mysteries. He can relate to them in a way he couldn't with anything else.

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  21. There is a strong use of figurative language devices in If You Forget Me. One of them is during the lines that read "as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats". This is a simile, because it is a comparison of two things using the word as. It compares aromas, light, and metals to little boats. Another use of figurative language is in the lines " to leave me at the shore of the heart where I have roots". This is an idiom because it does not literally mean leaving someone at an actual shore. One last example of figurative language in the poem is "if each day, each hour, you feel that you are destined for me". This is a hyperbole. It exaggerates the extent of the feeling to a level that goes beyond literal meaning.
    The poem Root Cellar also contains figurative language devices. One of these is the lines "Nothing would sleep in that cellar" because the poet is not talking about an actual cellar. He is describing the plant in a way that more vividly connects to the reader. The lines "dank as a ditch" are also figurative language. That is an example of a simile. It compares the dankness of the plant to a ditch so that there is a clearer understanding of said plant. Another example of figurative language is "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath". That is an example of personification because it gives dirt the human quality of the ability to breathe.
    A Negro Speaks of Rivers is a poem with an extended metaphor. It compares the heritage and history of the African American people to the rivers. It is an extended metaphor because it carries on throughout the poem, rather than just being within a few lines.

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  22. The extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks of Rivers is the river being like parents to the narrator. The narrator has known them since he was little. They put him to sleep, bathed him when he was little, and he has some of their personality traits passing into his character. Now that he is older, he still stays near them, as a comfort level from knowing everything about them all of his life. In the Root Cellar, there is personification, similes, and a hyperbole. There are similes comparing the cellar to a ditch, shoots to tropical snakes, and roots to old bait. The personification is shown when the writer gives dirt the human characteristic of breathing. There also is a hyperbole in the first line. By saying nobody would sleep in the cellar, the author is exaggerating to stress the environment of the cellar. In If you Forget Me there is a metaphor, personification, and onomatopoeia that stand out. The writer is comparing aromas, light, and metals to little sail boats. He does not use "like" or "as" so it shows that this is a metaphor not a simile. The personification is giving a flower the human ability to climb. Finally, there is an onomatopoeia used to show emotion. The author uses "ah" two times to show the sound of love and relief he would feel knowing his wife loves him forever.

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  23. One example of figurative language is in lines 12-16. The figurative device that is used is simile. The author uses this simile to show that he will always remember his partner every time a memory is brought back to him. A second example of figurative language is metaphor in lines 27-35. This metaphor is used to show he is ready if his lover leaves, and if she does for sure he is prepared and can deal with it. A last example of figurative language is Hyperbole. The line "ah my love, ah my own," is a hyperbole trying to pull emotion out of the reader.

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  24. In the poem, If You Forget Me, the author uses figurative language several times. For example, he uses simile in the second stanza: “as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats”. This is simile because he uses the word “as” to compare objects that are unrelated, the lights and metals with little boats. Another example appears in the fifth stanza when it says, “I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land.” This is an example of idiom because when he lifts his arms, roots will not literally come out of the ground. He tries to explain that if she forgets him that he will move on. Finally, in the sixth stanza, there is an example of personification. “if each day a flower climbs up your to seek me,”. This is personification because he gives the flower the human characteristic of climbing.
    In the poem, Root Cellar, a prime example of simile appears in the first line. “dank as a ditch,” is a good example of simile because it compares two things using like or as. It compares a ditch to anything that is cold and wet. A few lines later, another example of figurative presents itself; “And what a congress of stinks!” is an example of idiom because it does not literally mean that the congress smells bad, it just states that there was a plethora of bad odors. A final example of figurative language in the last line; “Even the dirt keeps breathing a small breath.” is and example of personification because it gives the dirt a human characteristic of breathing.
    The poem, A Negro Speaks of Rivers, is an extended metaphor. It compares the negroes to rivers. Obviously, this has a deeper meaning. It talks about how the negroes have been in the world as long as the rivers have. It also expresses that “his soul has grown deep like the rivers”. This could mean that he has gained so much knowledge of his race and their past.

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  25. "If You Forget Me"
    1. Personification: "everything carries me to you"
    "Everything" cannot physically carry the narrator to someone. The narrator gives "everything," including objects, the human capability to hold and carry.
    2. Metaphor: "as if everything that exists,/aromas, light, metals,/were little boats/that sail/toward those isles of yours that wait for me"
    The narrator compares memories to boats that sail to isles because memories seem to carry your mind places like boats carry passengers.
    3. Hyperbole: "as long as you live it will be in your arms/without leaving mine"
    "As long as you live" is a large exaggeration. A lifetime is a very long time, and the narrator cannot guarantee love for that long.

    "Root Cellar"
    1. Simile: "roots ripe as old bait"
    The narrator compares the smell of roots to that of old bait using the word "as" to form a simile that emphasizes the bad smell.
    2. Personification: "even the dirt kept breathing a small breath"
    The narrator gives the human characteristic of breathing to dirt, which unfortunately cannot do so.
    3. Hyperbole: "nothing would sleep in that cellar"
    The narrator does not know for certain whether "nothing would sleep in the cellar" or not. Therefore, it is an exaggeration to emphasize the lack of livability of the cellar.

    "A Negro Speaks of Rivers"
    The extended metaphor is the conspicuous comparison of rivers to the soul of the narrator and his ancestors. Throughout the poem, the narrator describes his soul to be "deep like the rivers." This soul lies rooted in his ancestry, exhibited by the line, "I've known rivers ancient as the world and older than the flow of human blood in human veins," in which rivers represents souls of his ancestors. The narrator weaves descriptions of the part rivers have played in his life and the life of his ancestors; he bathes in a river as a child, builds a house in the Congo and falls asleep to river noises, watches the Nile, and listens to the Mississippi River in New Orleans. These events do not describe the narrator, but his ancestors and from where they came, up until the present where the narrator is recalling his ancestry's beginnings and evolution.

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  26. In the poem, "If you Forget Me" there is a an example of personification in the line, "if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me". This gives human characteristics to an inanimate object, a flower, to give the line some more excitement. Another example in this poem, is "as is everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me." This is an example of a simile and the author uses this simile to explain the way he thinks of memories between the two. A third example of figurative language is, "my love feeds on your love beloved". This is an alliteration as the "L" sound is repetitive. The author uses this to add drama to the description of his love. There are also three distinct examples of figurative language in the poem, "Root Cellar". The first example is "dank as a ditch". This is a simile to describe the way the cellar looked in an indirect way. Another example is the line, "bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark,". This is personification because bulbs do not have the ability to burst out of a box by themselves, therefore they were given human characteristics. The third example would be "roots ripe as old bait". This is a simile that the author used to appeal to the sense of touch. "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is a poem that can be considered as an extended metaphor. Langston Hughes is using the rivers to represent African Americans. He is showing the way African Americans have lived through history and the ways they lived in history through the different rivers and ways of rivers in the world.

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  27. One example of figurative language in "The Root Cellar," is alliteration. In line 3 he uses alliteration to emphasize this particular rhyme and to keep a rhythm through this part of the poem. A second example of figurative language is simile in line 5. This is used to create and eerie setting and to enhance the readers visual perspective of the cellar. A final example of figurative language is personification in the last line. This is used to explain that even though there are just roots in these cellars they are still very much alive.

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  28. In the poem "If you Forget Me." Pablo Neruda uses figurative language at various times. For example, when he says "If each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me" he is using personification. He is giving the flower the human trait of climbing in order to say "If you get the urge to find me" in a more interesting way. Another use of figurative language is when he says "as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me." This is a use of the figurative language, similes. he uses the simile to say how he remembers memories between them when he sees things which causes him to miss her. One more use of figurative language he uses is when he says "and you decide to leave me at the shore of the heart where I have roots, remember that on that day, at that hour, I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land." This is a use of metaphor. He uses a metaphor in order to say that if his lover does choose to leave he will be prepared and ready for it, and will move on with his life. In the poem "Root Cellar," Theodore Roethke also uses many various forms of figurative languages. The poet says, "Bulbs broke out of boxes" which is the use of alliteration. He uses alliteration most likely in order to emphasize this line. He uses another form of figurative language, simile, when he says 'Hung down long yellow evil neck, like tropical snakes." He uses a simile here to emphasize how long the shoots are that hang from the ceiling. He uses personification when he says "Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark." He gives the bulbs human characteristics in order to say how light is needed, in a more interesting way. In the poem, "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" the river being spoken about throughout the whole poem is an extended metaphor. The rivers are supposed to represent a community of people instead. The rivers are representing a community of African Americans and their history and culture. Throughout the whole story the poet is not talking about a river, but instead, talking about the history and culture of the community, and each river is representing something different in the community.

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  29. The extended metaphor in "A Negro Speaks of Rivers," is that the rivers are being compared to African American history and heritage. It is literally impossible for the author to have lived that long to see all these rivers. However, he uses these rivers to show how the African American community is ancient, intelligent, and enduring just like the great rivers throughout history.

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  30. Three examples of figurative language in “If You Forget Me” by Pablo Neruda are, a metaphor, a simile and an idiom. He uses metaphor in the lines “if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me.” The author uses figurative language in this particular instance to show the comparison of a flower to a kiss. Although the lines do not actually have the word kiss in them, when in a love poem, a kiss is normally associated with lips. The author uses this to describe how innocent, gentle and beautiful a kiss can be, which triggers memories in the audience. Second the author uses an idiom when he writes “I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land.” The author is describing how he will leave the relationship if he is not shown love. The author puts this element of figurative language in to describe how it feels to leave a relationship. This is done by triggering emotions such as, loss or the feeling that something is missing. He uses this powerful trigger of emotion to lead into his next stanza which emphasizes how much he will love the other person if he is loved. Lastly the author uses a simile by writing “everything that carries me to you, as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail.” This simile describes how the author thinks about the other person in the relationship. It is described as graceful thoughts that are triggered by anything. The author writes this to trigger emotion in the audience of peace, or grace which can be associated with love by comparing it to a sailing boat. This also gives us insight onto how much the author cares about the other person in his relationship. That is how the poem “If You Forget Me” by Pablo Neruda uses three types of figurative language.

    Three examples of figurative language in “Root Cellar” by Theodore Roethke are hyperbole, personification and a smilie. Theodore uses a simile when he wrote “Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes.” He is describing the mildewed in the cellar by comparing it to tropical snakes that are evil and can be large. This is intended to describe how terrible, and disgusting the cellar looks. He does this by triggering images of an evil, large, yellow snakes, which are repulsive by nature. Secondly, he uses a hyperbole by writing “Pulpy stems, rank, silo-rich, leaf-mold, manure, lime, piled against sipper planks.” This is a hyperbole because there probably isn't that many molds, funguses or dead plant matter on the planks. The author is exaggerating to emphasize the fact that the cellar is extremely dirty. Lastly, The author uses personification when he writes “even the dirt kept breathing a small breath.” Dirt does not breath in breaths like humans do. Although breathing is a sign of life in humans. The author uses this to show that no matter what, even something 100 percent dead like dirt is still managing to live in this cellar. This emphasizes how dirty, and moldy the cellar is. That is how Theodore Roethke uses figurative language in “Root Cellar”

    The extended metaphor in “A Negro Speaks of Rivers” by Langston Hughes is the comparison of a man’s connection to rivers to mankind's history with rivers. Throughout human history, rivers have been used as a source of water, trade, and transportation. In ancient times, cities were built along the Euphrates and Nile. This is seen when the author writes “I bathed in the Euphrates when dawns were young” or “I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.” Both of these statements refer to periods of time in human history in which man directly interacted with rivers. The author also relates rivers to Abe Lincoln, a significant figure in american history. This shows that he means all of mankind’s history, not just ancient times. So the man in the story is representing mankind’s history, and that man has a relationship with rivers. So the extended metaphor is a comparison between a man’s connection to rivers and mankind’s history with rivers.

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  31. The figurative language devices in "If you Forget Me" are personification and a hyperbole. Personification is used when it says "...if each day a flower/climbs up to your lips to seek me...". This is personification because the poet has given the flower human like qualities. Another example of personification is shown when it states, "...my love feeds on your love...". Love can not feed off of love, so again the poet gives human traits to something nonhuman. A hyperbole is expressed when it says "...in me nothing is extinguished or forgotten...". This is a hyperbole because it states nothing, which is exaggeration used to impress the reader.
    Figurative language devices expressed in "Root Cellar" are similes and alliteration. A simile given is when it says, "...drank as a ditch...". It uses as to express how the cellar is. Another simile is when it states, "...like tropical snakes." This sentence uses like to compare the tropical snakes to shoots in the cellar. An example of alliteration is when the poet says, "Roots ripe as old bait...". The first two words, roots and ripe, repeat the beginning sound for effect to catch the readers attention.
    The extended metaphor in "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is comparing his soul to the rivers throughout the poem.

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  32. "If You Forget Me" :
    1. "or the wrinkled body of the log"-personification because it is giving the log the wrinkled body trait.
    2."as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me" - simile because it is comparing his memory of different things he recalls to remember his lover
    3."ah my love, ah my own"- hyperbole because it empathizes the love the person has for their lover.
    "Root Cellar" :
    1. "Nothing would sleep in that cellar" - personification because it is giving things in the cellar the action of sleeping
    2. "dank as a ditch"- simile because its comparing dank and ditch
    3."Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath"-personification because its giving dirt the action of breathing a small breath.
    The extended metaphor in "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is that the speaker is representing a group of people or a village, and the rivers in the poem represent the history and culture of African Americans.

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  33. If you forget me
    Simile:"As if everything exists, aromas, lights metals, were little boats"
    This compares all the surroundings to little boats.
    Idiom: "I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land"
    The narrator isn't actually a tree with roots, but his feelings for the girl he loves do have deep "roots" or ties with his life.
    Personification:"If each day a flower climbs up your lips to seek me"
    This gives a flower the human ability to climb.

    Nego speaks of rivers
    This poem is an extended metaphor of negros being like rivers. Studies have proven that the first humans actually came from Africa and then spread all through the world. However, they have been enslave and treated like the lowest scum of the earth. The African race has been around longer than any other an just like the rivers has been there in every point in history.

    Root cellar
    Simile:"dank as a ditch"
    Compares a root cellar to a ditch.
    Personification:"Bulbs broke out of boxes looking for chinks in the dark"
    Gives the bulbs the human quality of escaping and searching around.
    Idiom:"And what a congress o stinks!"
    There is no literal congress of stinks but it means that there are so many kinds of awful smells.

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  34. An example of figurative language is used in If You Forget Me when he says, “as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me.” This is a simile because it uses as to compare two unlike things. Little boats sailing are compared to memories that are coming back to him. Figurative language is also used when he says, “of the heart where I have roots, remember that on that day, at that hour, I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land.” This is a metaphor because it compares two unlike things without using like or as. His heart is compared to roots meaning that if she doesn't love him anymore then his roots, or heart, will leave her for someone else. Figurative language is used again when he says, “if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me.” This is an example of personification because it gives the human characteristic of climbing to a flower.

    In the poem Root Cellar there are multiple examples of figurative language. Figurative language is used when the author says, “Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark.” This is an example of personification because it gives the human characteristic of hunting to bulbs. Another example of figurative language would be when the author says, “Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes.” This is a simile because the author is comparing two things with the word like. The bulbs, which are the evil necks, are compared to tropical snakes. Figurative language is also used when the author says, “Roots ripe as old bait.” This is a simile because ripe roots and compared to old bait using the word as.

    The extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks of Rivers is comparing Africans to rivers around the world. It’s saying that Africans have been here as long as the rivers have and each river represents a story for the African community. The Euphrates River represents beginnings of civilization and the Mississippi River represents slavery.

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  35. In the poem If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda, there are many forms of figurative language used to make reading more interesting. "as if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail towards those isles of yours that wait for me." This excerpt from the poem is an example of a metaphor. It directly compares everything that exists to a little boat. This metaphor helps the reader understand the authors point better. "I shall already have forgotten you." This is an idiom that is used to state the authors message. They will not really forget whoever they are talking to, it is just said to show that they will no longer care. "my love feeds on your love" This quote is a personification that puts an emphasis on how the author feels.
    Root Cellar by Theodore Roethke also uses many types of figurative language. One line uses the alliteration "dangled and drooped" to draw your attention to how the cellar is unorganized and messy. "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes." This simile was used to help picture what the room must have looked like. Lastly, the personification "the dirt kept breathing a small breath" was used to show that the room was dirty and to help explain what was going on.
    The extended metaphor in A Negro Speaks Of Rivers, is the comparison of their soul and rivers. The poem describes both as being ancient and old. It tells us that their soul is wise and that the rivers represent their history and all that they learned.

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  36. In "If you Forget Me" by P. Neruda there are several examples of figurative language. One is "...at the crystal moon." This is an example of a metaphor, using crystal to define the moon, even though if taken literally, the moon would be almost clear. It was probably used to describe, in more vivid terms, the moons shine. Another example is "to leave me at the shore of the heart where I have roots." This is an example of an idiom, and a metaphor. People often express that they have "made roots" someplace, as if they were being compared to a tree that has been rooted down. It is a slang term that is also metaphorical. One last example is "a flower climbs up to your lips." The flower is personified to give it more romantic qualities.

    In the "Root Cellar", T. Roethke uses similes such as "dank as a ditch" and "roots ripe as old bait" to compare the setting to normal sights, conveying a more vivid setting. He also uses a sort-of personification when saying "the dirt kept breathing." Knowing that though dirt does not breathe, if it would, it would only take small breaths.

    In "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" the extended metaphor is comparing a river to success. For example "its muddy bosom turn all golden" and "Nile.. raised pyramids above it." All of the examples point to rivers being signs of success.

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  37. The first use of figurative language in "If You Forget Me" is a simile. Naruda in the second stanza uses simile to compare that anything that he ever connected with the girl he is in love with to an instant memory of her in his image. He also uses alliteration in the third stanza to bring to the attention of the reader that he will equally stop loving her as she does, and by using " little by little" it reveals how it won't be a quick process to stop loving her which means he cares a lot. Personification is present in the poem as well and in the last stanza, the lines "if each day a flower/ climbs up to your lips to seek me" means that if the lady feels that she cannot live another day without a kiss from her lover the way a flower needs sunlight to grow up, he will be there for her when she wants to love again.

    Roethke uses simile, metaphor, and hyperbole to compare the root cellar to things in nature which represents an image of the continuous life. Lines three to five are a simile comparing shoots to a snake giving the image of many pieces all over the cellar giving it an image of searching in every spot for somewhere to grow. Line two is a metaphor comparing bulbs to hunters where they will be able to find a spot that benefits them even when all signs of hope seem loss. The last use of figurative language is through hyperbole in the last line where it says "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath: which shows that through the toughest of times, you keep working through it to come out on top.

    The extended metaphor in "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is Hughes comparing the history of his people (blacks) to the rivers. He wants to show how even through all of the adversity Africans have gone through in history, they continue to prosper in life just how rivers flow. He also uses the rivers to connect certain times in history with the development of civilization in black culture. Stanza three is all about representing the time periods of blacks and the most important connections they can make through the rivers like early societies and overcoming slavery.

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  38. If You Forgot Me:
    Three examples of figurative language used are hyperbole, personification, and simile. Hyberbole - "ah my love, ah my own", used by the poet to show emotion or an image to the reader. Personification - "if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me", used by the poet to give the object human like qualities to make the story more intersting. Simile - "in me all that fire is repeated", used by the poet to describe the love between the man and woman.

    Root Cellar
    Three examples of figurative language used are hyperbole, simile, and metaphor, Hyperbole - "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath", the poet uses this to creatively explain the dirt in the cellar. Simile - "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes", the poet used this to campore themildewed crates and tropical snakes. Metaphor - "Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark", the poet uses this to help explain how the roots dangeled.

    A Negro Speaks of Rivers
    The rivers in the poem are part of extended metaphor that shows how the black community have been there as long as the rivers have been on Earth.



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  39. In “If You Forget Me”, by Pablo Nerduda, there are examples of figurative language featured in this poem. For example, there is the use of personification, which is giving human characteristics to a nonhuman object. “if each day a flower/ climbs up to your lips to seek me” In the poem, it gives a flower the human characteristic of climbing to make it interesting. Another device that is used is a simile, which is comparing two unlike things using like or as. “as if everything that exists,/ aromas, light, metals,/ were little boats/ that sail/ toward those isles of yours that wait for me” This is a simile because the little boat sailing is compared to how he thinks of his lover every time he sees things that remind him of all the memories. The last device is a metaphor, which is a comparison without using like or as. “and you decide/ to leave me at the shore/ of the heart where I have roots,/ remember/ that on that day,/ at that hour,/ I shall lift my arms/ and my roots will set off/ to seek another land." This is a metaphor because the speaker is using a comparison when trying to explain if she decides to leave him that he will be prepared to move on. Furthermore, this poem has examples of figurative language.

    In the poem, “Root Cellar”, there are several figurative language devices presented. For example, there is use of personification in the second line, “Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark”. This is personification because it gives the bulbs the human characteristic of hunting. There is also an alliteration in the same line, “Bulbs broke out of boxes...” This is an alliteration because it has the same beginning sound in three of the words. It is used to enhance the rhythm and emphasis the roots as they shoot out everywhere. Also, towards the middle of the poem, a simile is used when the author is comparing two things with the word “like”. “Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes.” The bulbs are the evil necks that are being compared to the tropical snakes. This emphasises what is being compared. Therefore, figurative language is used throughout the poem.

    Throughout the poem, “A Negro Speaks of Rivers”, there is an extended metaphor comparing African American history to rivers. The speaker represents African American individuals. The rivers are a metaphor to show the African American history and the spirit of their heritage. This poem describes the history of human evolution starting with one of the first civilizations around the Euphrates River. The rivers represent the blood flow through human veins to show life and also the depth of their souls. Once civilizations began to develop, Africans were brought over to America to be slaves. This extended metaphor shows how African Americans were treated in life and history.

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  40. In "If You Forget Me" the speaker uses many figurative devices to connect with the reader so they can understand his thoughts and feelings. The personification "I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land" states that if she decides she does not love him, that he will essentially get up and move on. The metaphor "if I touch near the fire the impalpable ash of the wrinkled body of the log..." explains the ashes of their old passions of fire, and there is one waiting for the next flame. The simile "as if everything that exists, aromas, lights, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me" tells that the different types of senses he experienced make him go through the journey's of him and his lover.
    In "Root Cellar" the poet uses figurative devices to appeal to the readers senses. The simile "roots ripe as old bait" appeals to the readers smell, giving us an insight that the cellar has a bad stench. The alliteration "dank as a ditch" not only captures the readers attention but describes the dark and musty feel of the cellar. Lastly, the personification "even the dirt kept breathing a small breath" tells the reader that the cellar is in bad condition and on the end of "dying", but it will not give up.
    The poem "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is an extended metaphor. The poet uses rivers to not only compare to his soul but to tie together individuals all through history. He states that he has known of the rivers before humans existed. He was in the Euphrates river when the first civilization was born. He allowed the sound of the Congo to put him to sleep. He was one of the peasants who built the pyramids. He watched as Abe Lincoln floated down the Mississippi and saw slavery with his own eyes. The speaker tells us that he connected to and befriended these rivers, which in turn deepened his soul.

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  41. 1. "As if everything that exists, aromas, light, metals, were little boats that sail toward those isles of yours that wait for me" is a simile. This describes the things that bring back memories to the author of his lover. "And you decide to leave me at the shore of the heart where I have roots, remember that on that day, at that hour, I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land" is a metaphor. It showing that he is ready for his love to leave him. If his lover does, he is ready to move on in hopes of finding a new relationship. "Ah my loveah my own" is an example of onomatopoeia because this emphasizes the satisfaction he has with his lover.

    2. "Shoots dangled and drooped" is alliteration because it emphasizes the roots and explains the setting/scenery of the root cellar. "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes" is a simile. This allows the reader to create a sense of what the roots look like in the cellar and conveys a eery feeling about it as a whole. "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath" is personification because it shows that there is hope in the darkest situations which some humans have.

    3. In 'A Negro Speaks of Rivers', rivers are the main focus of the poem. Rivers represent the history, spirit, and wisdom of the Africans and African-Americans. The rivers are characterized as ancient, wise and enduring which in turn represents the Africans and Africans-Americans. The author says the rivers are as "ancient as the world" explaining how long their people have existed and survived over thousands of years.

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  42. If You Forget Me by Pablo Neruda
    Hyperbole is used in Line 9 exaggerating and emphasizing how everything is a reminder through Lines 1 through 8. Metaphor is used in Lines 11 through 13 comparing everything to sail boats and explaining how everything acts as reminders. Idiom is used in Line 42 communicating to the audience the speaker's love is the same as the love portrayed in Lines 34 through 40.
    Root Cellar by Theodore Roethke
    Simile is used in Line 1 comparing the cellar to a ditch to emphasize why nothing sleeps there. Metaphor is used in Lines 6 through 11 comparing the competing smells to a debating congress to reinforce why nothing sleeps in there. Personification is used in Line 11 giving the dirt the human quality of breathing to emphasize how all the smells were competing even the dirt.
    A Negro Speaks of Rivers by Langston Hughes
    The extended metaphor compares the entire community of African Americans' "soul" -in other words their history and spirit- to the rivers. The speaker is portrayed as an African American speaker for the entire community because a single speaker could not live through thousands of years' history or build the pyramids of Egypt by himself. In Lines 5 through 9, the Negros history starts in the Middle East how the great river civilizations began and then spread to the the Americas, so the Negro history experience is compared to the rivers.

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  43. the figuartive language examples used are similie, hyperbole, and personification. The poet used similie to describe how he remebers his love when he thinks about the memories. A The poet used personification by giving an object, the flower, the ability to climb. The poet used hyperbole by forming emotion and an image in the readers mind. In Root Cellar the figuarative language examples used are alliteration, personification, and simile. alliteration is used to enhance the rhythm of the poem and put emphasis in the poem. similie is used to describe how ripe the roots were. personification was used to describe how anything in the cellar lived no matter how ugly and gross it was. The negro speaks of rivers extended metaphor is relating to african American culture. it uses different rivers to relate back to africa.

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  44. Devices of Figurative Langugage: If you Forget Me: -Personification "wrinkled body of the log" -Hyperbole "everything carries me to you". -Idiom "my roots will set off"
    Root Cellar: -Similie "dank as a ditch" - Personification "roots dangled and drooped" -Metaphor "Hung Down long yellow evil necks"
    A Negro Speaks of Rivers:
    The extended metaphor in this poem is that the man is talking about how al of his ancestors were slaved and were poor. It also explains how slaves have been around for a very long time.he realizes that he was like them on the inside .

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  45. In the poem "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda there are multiple uses of figurative language. One being his use of personification. At the end of the fifth stanza he says "the roots will set off to seek another land". Roots do not move such vast distances. They stay put to anchor the plant. Another use of personification is in the middle of stanza six. He says "if each day a flower climbs up to your lips to seek me". Flowers don't have the literal ability to climb like humans or animals. Finally, the last figurative device in the poem is the use of hyperbole in then last stanza where he says "ah my love, ah my own,". He used this to show his emotion for someone.

    The poem "Root Cellar" by Theodore Roethke also has figurative devices. In the first line there is alliteration used. In the line "Dank as a ditch" the "d" is repeated. Also simile is used in the lines 3,4,5. It's compared shoots and crates to tropical snakes. Lastly personification was used in in the second line when he says "the bulbs become hunters for the light." Bulbs cannot hunt like humans or animals.

    The poem "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" by Langston Hughes has an extended metaphor in it. I believe the extended metaphor of this poem is the rivers are meant to be his blood line in history. And he knows about his family's history and he is following it.

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  46. In "If You Forget Me", there are many examples of figurative language. Within the second stanza, you will read, "or the wrinkled body of the log,". This is an example of personification. Often, we consider older human's skin to be wrinkled. Pablo Neruda is comparing the texture of the log to this wrinkled look. In the third stanza, it says, "if little by little you stop loving me / I shall stop loving you little by little.". This is an example of alliteration of the letters "s" and "l". He uses the words stop twice and shall to create alliteration of the letter "s". To create alliteration on the letter "l", Neruda uses the word little four times and loving twice. Lastly, in the last stanza, "and as long as you live it will be in your arms / without leaving mine" is a hyperbole. The speaker exaggerates the as long as you live, because frankly, there will be a time when he won't love the recipient of the poem.

    The poem, "Root Cellar", has many examples of figurative language. The fifth line of the poem, "Hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes.", is a simile. This is an example of a simile, because it uses the word like to compare long yellow evil necks to tropical snakes. The seventh line of the poem, "Roots ripe as old bait,", is also a simile. This line uses the word as to compare roots to old bait. The last line of the poem, "Even the dirt kept breathing a small breath.", is an example of personification. This is personification, because Roethke is giving the dirt the ability to breathe.

    "A Negro Speaks of Rivers" is an example of extended metaphor. The poem is a metaphor of the relationship between white and colored races. The poet is representing the colored race through the speaker's soul. Similarly, the rivers represent the white race. The poem begins with the speaker saying that he has lived in harmony with the rivers, shortly followed by,"My soul has grown deep like the rivers.". This excerpt is comparing the speaker's soul with how the colored race was beginning to be mistreated.Also, the line,"I looked upon the Nile and raised the pyramids above it.", contributes to the metaphor. Slaves made the pyramids for the pharaohs, the white race's leader in Egypt. The pharaoh often did nothing as the slaves worked steadily to make their tomb for them. Lastly, the line,"I heard the singing of the Mississippi when Abe Lincoln went down to New / Orleans, and I've seen its muddy bosom turn all golden in the sunset." supports my hypothesis. The Mississippi is representing the white race cheering as Lincoln went to New Orleans, ending the Civil War. The muddy bosom represents the colored race, and they turned golden because slavery ended, thus lessening the mistreatment.

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  47. In the first poem there are multiple uses of figurative language. The first is the use of personification, this is used in the beginning to describe the log giving it the human trait of having a wrinkled body. The next is metaphor he uses this when he refers to aromas, light and metals to boats. A last one is idiom he uses this when he says "everything carries me to you" by these he doesn't literally mean things carry him he is saying that anything he thinks about reminds him of this special person.
    In the next poem Langston uses simile when he says "rivers as ancient as the world" which gives a better understanding of how old the river is. Another use of figurative language is when he used personification in line 6 saying the Congos lulled him to sleep which means they were peaceful and relaxing, they didn't actually lull him to sleep. And lastly in line 8 he uses personification saying the Mississippi is singing which is just the noise a river makes, not actual singing.

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  48. Pablo Neruda and Theodore Roethke use figurative language in their poems “If you Forget Me”,and “Root Cellar” to add meaning and depth. Pablo Neruda uses alteration and a metaphor to explain his feelings, in the poem If You Forget me. In lines 32 - 35 he is explaining that if the girl he loves left him for someone else he would then to go find someone else. “I shall lift my arms and my roots will set off to seek another land.” corresponding to this metaphor the use of alteration in line 28-29 “to leave me at the shore of the heart where I have roots.” She is leaving him when the “roots” is his love for her and he must then let his Roots seek “another land” which is someone else. The use of idiom in line 11 “everything carries me to you” also adds depth and understanding to the reader as he can picture and see how much he loves this woman.

    Root cellar by Theodore Roethke also contains alteration to help the reader picture and understand the life in the root cellar. line two gives the bulbs the ability to break out of boxes “bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark.” This makes me picture the bulbs growing roots and busting out in the darkness of the cellar. The use of the simile “hung down long yellow evil necks, like tropical snakes” in line five also helps create the image of what the cellar would look like in the dark and what things would be interrupted as. The ending metaphor “Even the dirt kept a small breathing a small breath, lets the reader understand what life would be like down in the deep dark cellar.

    The poem “A Negro speaks of Rivers’ By langston Hughes is an extended metaphor. The metaphor throughout is comparing life to a river on how it grows and learns even after life as gone. He states in the first stanza saying how the ancient rivers have been the base of life and has lived on to experience all the amazing things that has happened in history. He says that his sol has grown deep like the rivers as even though he may be gone one day that his sol will live on still like the rivers. As all his expenses with life gave has made him grow, as the deepest rivers grew through experience.

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  49. In "If You Forget Me" by Pablo Neruda, there are a lot of examples of figurative language. One of the first examples is personification. The poet compares the indents in a burnt log in a fire to a wrinkled, old body. A second example is when he says "do not look for me / for I shall have already forgotten you". This is a hyperbole, because he exaggerates the time it will take for him to forget the person he is writing about. A third example is his use of metaphor. He takes an entire paragraph and uses metaphpr to describe his "roots" - his roots being his feelings for the girl, and when he says "I shall lift my arms / and my roots will set off / to seek another land" 'another land' is referring to a different girl.

    In "Root Cellar" by Theodore Roethke, figurative language is used to thoroughly describe the surroundings in the Root Cellar. An example of this is when he says "Roots ripe as old bait", this is an example of simile, because it compares roots to old bait using the word as. A second example of this poem's figurative language is "Bulbs broke out of boxes hunting for chinks in the dark", giving human qualities (hunting) to the bulbs. This is an example of personification. Finally, an example of metaphor is when he says "What a congress of stinks!" Comparing the stench of the cellar to a collection, a "congress" of them.

    In "A Negro Speaks of Rivers", I think that the extended metaphor is rivers are always there with him, staying strong and pure and watching all things, good and bad. He has become one with the rivers, and his experiences have made him more wise. He will not forget what these rivers have taught him, and he is thankful for the knowledge they've given him.

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