Reviewing figurative language
Figurative language produces images in the readers' minds. It presents descriptions and expresses ideas in vivid and imaginative ways by appealing to the senses.
In B2U3, we have learned three types of figurative language, which are simile, metaphor and personification. The texts in this unit also contain uses of them in various places. Let's look at the following examples taken from Text A:
1 The death of an angel of animal rights activism does not rate with that of a drugged-out rock star. (Para. 1) (Metaphor)
2 ... I thought I was listening to an assassin from a violent mob. (Para. 2) (Metaphor)
3 Death seemed to be stalking him. (Para. 10) (Personification)
Metaphor is used in the first two sentences.
In Example 1, Henry Spira is compared to "an angel" to suggest that he made great contributions to the animal rights movement.
In Example 2, the author compares Henry to "an assassin from a violent mob", which vividly shows how blunt and indecent his language was.
Example 3 employs personification, by which something non-human (i.e. death) is described as behaving like a human being (i.e. following a person quietly).
再来几个例子：
Simile:
A simile compares two things directly by using the words as, like, as if, etc.
E.g.:
1) as busy as a bee
像蜜蜂一样忙
2) as brave as a lion
像狮子一样勇敢
3) My love is like a red, red rose.
我的爱人就像一朵红红的玫瑰。
Metaphor:
A metaphor compares two things by using the verb be or just by implying the similarities between them.
E.g.:
1) Time is money.
时间就是金钱。
2) All the world is a stage and men and women are merely the players.
世界就是个舞台，男人女人只是演员。
3) He has a heart of stone.
他铁石心肠。
Personification:
A personification gives human characteristics to a non-human object, animal or idea.
E.g.:
1) The sun played hide-and-seek with the clouds.
太阳与云朵捉迷藏。
2) Thirsty soil drank in the rain.
饥渴的土壤在雨中畅饮。
3) Laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him.
懒惰缓缓而行，贫穷迎头赶上。
那么接下来就看大家的了：
接着在用Text B巩固一下：
Read to learn how to write a personal narrative.
你看看开头怎么写:
A personal narrative is a story told in the first person, often using pronouns like "I" and "me". It is about real life, not creative fiction. It can be a story about the author himself, about something he saw, or about someone he has heard second-hand.
A personal narrative typically elaborates on a personal experience that impressed or changed the author, for example, a memorable journey or an impressive accomplishment. Like other narrative essays, a good personal narrative should include sensory details and descriptions. This helps the readers understand what the author saw, heard, and felt during the event.
In a personal narrative, the author tells the story from his own point of view, so it usually contains both facts and opinions. The facts serve to establish his credibility with the readers. The opinions, normally subjective, are used to comment on or evaluate the facts and to influence the readers. Both are needed if the essay is to be effective and interesting.
Text A of this unit is a personal narrative which tells a story of a person whom the author knows. The main character, Henry Spira, was an animal rights activist who dedicated his life to reducing the suffering of animals. In writing the story, the author not only presents facts that show Henry's achievements, but also gives his own thoughts, opinions and evaluations about Henry's life. Through this writing style, the author effectively depicts Henry as a person who led an ordinary but meaningful life.
Let's look at the following paragraphs from Text A.
Following that success, Henry rapidly moved on to bigger targets. He laid siege to Revlon over their use of rabbits to test cosmetics for potential eye damage, and exerted enough pressure to persuade them to put $750,000 into the search for alternatives. Having seen the boycott that Revlon had narrowly averted and being afraid of incurring similar wrath, Avon, Bristol-Myers and other major cosmetics corporations soon followed suit … (Para. 4) (Facts)
We often assume that society has become too big and too bureaucratic for individuals to make a difference. How could one individual, however humane and passionate, possibly bring about change in the face of powerful global corporations, ministerial indifference and complicated parliamentary rules? (Para. 6) (Opinions)
These two paragraphs show how the author skillfully uses facts and opinions to make the story both vivid and thoughtful. Paragraph 4 contains mostly facts, describing Henry's campaign against Revlon's animal testing and its influences, while Paragraph 6 gives the author's comments or opinions on Henry's contributions to the animal rights movement.
