FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE

Using figurative language allows the author to further explain a concept by comparing it to something more relatable to the audience. Poems cannot use music or props to increase the reader's understanding of the scene. Therefor, authors use figurative language such as imagery for detailed description. Using personification, metaphors, irony, etc... allows an author to be descriptive and relatable. For example, irony, brings forth extreme contradiction that reveals an unexpected truth. Using this more creative way of revealing information further increases the readers interest in what is going on. An example of this figurative language is in To An Athlete Dying Young by Housman: "I am become a name/ and early though the laurel grows/if withers quicker than the rose." (21.11-12) This use of a metaphor is to descriptively explain the death of a young athlete which allows Housman to create an image in the readers mind, thus increasing the readers interest in the poem.