Sunday, October 31, 2010

Is there any figurative language in this quote from To Kill a Mockingbird: "Calpurnia’s hands went to our shoulders and we stopped and looked...

Figurative language is any language that expresses an idea (or ideas) that are not to be understood literally. 


There's some figurative language here. This is Lula, upset because Cal has brought white children to a black church. We can tell by the attitude of her body that she's upset, even before she utters a word. 


She is "bullet-headed." Because it's safe to assume that her head isn't literally a bullet, this is figurative language. This, as well as her "Indian-bow mouth," are metaphors, meaning that her head is compared to the shape of a bullet and her mouth is compared to the shape of an Indian-bow.


Also, she seems "seven feet tall." This is hyperbole, which is simply another way of saying "exaggeration to for the sake of emphasis."  

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