Figurative+Language

Metaphor- equating two dissimilar things; figure of speech where one thing is spoken of as if it was something else.
 * examples: In "The Negro Speaks of Rivers" Langston Hughes compares rivers to his life and the experiences he has been through, without the use of like or as.

Simile- a lesser degree of a metaphor; a comparrison generally using like or as.
 * examples: "Introduction to Poetry." - Collins talks about how he wishes people would read and analyze poetry by comparing it to other things people do.

Personification- representing an abstract quality or idea as a person or creature.
 * examples: "The Eagle." - In this story Tennyson used an eagle to symbolize something else in the poem.

Hyperbole- figure of speech that uses exaggeration to express strong emotion.
 * examples: "First Confessions." - Kennedy uses exaggerated diction in the poem "First Confessions," to explain the fear he was experiencing as he was on the way to the confession.