落伍文学

CHAPTER IV FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE（第1页）

CHAPTERIVFIGURATIVELANGUAGE

FiguresofSpeeitionsandExamples—UseofFigures

InFigurativeLanguageweemploywordsinsuchawaythattheydiffersomewhatfromtheirnifionplacespeeveyinamorevividandimpressivemahahemintheirevery-daysense。Figuresmakespeechmoreeffective，theybeautifyandemphasizeitaarelishandpiquancyassaltdoestofood?besidestheyaddenergyaoexpressionsothatitirresistiblypelsattentioherearefourkindsoffigures，viz。:1。FiguresraphywhigethespellinguresofEtymologywhigetheformofwords?3。FiguresofSyntaxwhigethestruofsentences?4。FiguresofRhetoricortheartofspeakingandwritiivelywhigethemodeofthought。

Weshallonlysiderthelastmeheyarethemostimpivingtolarudstylewhichmakeitafittingmediumfortheinteruniofideas。

FiguresofRhetorichavebeenvariouslyclassified，someauthoritiesexteoauselessleisthatanyformofexpressionwhiveysthoughtmaybeclassifiedasaFigure。

Theprincipalfiguresaswellasthemostimportantausedare，Simile，Metaphor，Personifi，Allegory，Syoion，Hyperbole，Apostrophe，Vision，Antithesis，Climax，Epigram，IionandIrony。

&fourarefoundedonresemblahesedsixontiguityahirdfive，ontrast。

ASimile（fromtheLatinsimilis，like），isthelikenioaementoftheresemblanceofobjects，acts，orrelations?as"Inhisawfulangerhewaslikethestorm-drivenwavesdashingagainsttheroilemakestheprincipalobjeeramoreforind。"Hismemoryislikewaxtoreceiveimpressionsaoretai;Thisbringsouttheleadiheman'smemoryinaveryforer。trastitwiththesimplestatement—"Hismemood。"SometimesSimileisprostitutedtoalowanddegradi;Hisfacewaslikeadangersignalinafogstorm。""Herhairwaslikeafurze-bushinbloom。""Hewastohisladyloveasapoodletoitsmistress。"Suchburlesqueisneverpermissible。Merelikeshouldberemembered，doesnotstituteasimile。Forihereisnosimilewheyisparedtoanother。Iheremaybearhetoricalsimile，theobjeustbeofdifferentclasses。Avoidtheoldtritesimilessuparioalion。Suchwereplayedoutlongago。Anddon'thuntforfarfetchedsimiles。Don'tsay—"Herheadwasglowingastheglodofdaywhesinaflambeauofsplehepurple-tintedhillsoftheWest。"Itismuchbettertodowithoutsuchasimileandsimplysay—"Shehadfieryredhair。"

&aphreekmetapherein，tocarryoverortransfer），isawordusedtoimplyaresemblaeadoflikeoahesimilewedirectlysubstitutetheaoroperatioher。If，iousmanwesay，—"Heisasagreatpillarupholdingthechurch，"theexpressionisasimile，butifwesay—"Heisagreatpillarupholdingthechurch"itisametaphor。Themetaphorisabolderandmorelivelyfigurethanthesimile。Itismorelikeapidhehegraphietaphoriscalled&qu。"Iteogivetothemostabstractideasform，dlife。eisfullofmetaphors，aeeunsciously。Forinstanwespeakofthebedofariver，theshoulderofahill，thefootofamountain，thehandsofaclock，thekeyofasituatimetaphors。

Don'tusemixedmetaphors，thatis，differeaphorsiothesamesubject:"Siwaslaunchedourprojecthasmetwithmuchopposition，butwhileitsflighthasheheightsambitiosanguineweshalldriveittosuccess。"Hereinsasaship，thenbeesabirdandfinallywindsupasahorse。

PersonifitheLatinpersona，person，aomake）isthetreatingofaniasifitwereanimateandisprobablythemostbeautifulaiveofallthefigures。

"Themountainssihehillsrejoidclaptheirhands。"

"Earthfeltthewound?andNaturefromherseat，Sighing，throughallherwavesig;

Personifidependsmuavividimaginationandisadaptedespeciallytopoetiposition。Ithastwodistinguishableforms:（1）wheyisascribedtotheihefexamples，and（2）wheyoflifeisattributedtotheinanimate?as，aragingstrysea?awhistlic。

AnAllegreekalloreuein，tospeak），isaformofexpressioninwhichthewordsaresymboliething。Itisverycloselyalliedtothemetaphor，infaetaphor。

&aphorahreepointsinon，—theyareallfoundedonresembla;IrelahorninthesideofEngland?"thisissimile。"IrelandisathorninthesideofEngland?"thisismetaphor。"iantsprangupoutoftheseaandlivedonanislandallbyhimself。Onlookingaroundhediscoveredalittlegirlonanothersmallislandnearby。Hethoughtthelittlegirlcouldbeusefultohiminmanywayssohedetermiomakehersubservienttohiswill。Heasherefusedtoobey，theoveryharshmeasureswiththelittlegirl，butshestillremaiinateandobdurate。Heuedtooppressheruntilfinallysherebelledahornioprickhimforhisevilattitudetowardsher?"thisisanallegoryinwhichthegiantplaisEnglalegirl，Irelaionismahoughiohertry。StrahemostperfectallegoryintheEnglishlatenbyanalmostiliterateandignorantman，aoo，inaduhe"Pilgrim&#ress，"Buiinker，hasgivenusbyfarthebestallegoryeverpehergoodo;TheFaerieQueen"byEdmundSpenser。

SyheGreek，sunwith，aoreceive），isafigureofspeechwhichexpresseseithermoreorlessthanitliterallydewegivetoaanamewhichliterallyexpressessomethihihahus:wespeakoftheemeanoedhepeoplewhoposetheworld:as，"Theworldtreatedhimbadly。"Hereweusethewholeforapart。Butthemostofthisfigureisthatinartisusedforthewhole?as，"Ihavetwetle，""Oneofhishandswasassassi;meaningoneofhismen。"Twentysailtotheharbor，"meayships。"Thisisafi;meaningamarblestatue。

&reekmeta，donyma，ahedesignationofabyosaents，inotherwords，itisafigurebywhiameofoforawoaresorelatedthatthementionofonereadilysuggeststheother。Thuswhenwesayofadrunkard—"Helovesthebottle"wedohelovestheglassreceptacle，buttheliquorthatitissupposedtoetonymy，generallyspeaking，has，threesubdivisions:1。wheforcauseorviceversa:as"Grayhairsshouldberespeeani;Hewritesafinehand，"thatis，handwritihesignisputforthethingsignified?as，"Thepenismightierthanthesword，"meaningliterarypowerissuperiortomilitaryforce。3。Wheaiforthethinged?as"TheHousewascalledtoorder，"meaningthemembersintheHouse。

&ioi，aocry），isafigurebywhichthespeakeriatingafact，simplyuttersanexpressionofsurpriseoremotion。Forinstanhehearsstaleofwoeormisfortueadofsaying，—"Itisasadstory"heexclaims"Whatasadstory!"

&ionmaybedefihevocalexpressiohoughitisalsoappliedtowrittenformswhiteoexpressemotion。Thusindesgatmoue"Heavens，ieature'shandiwork!howmajestie!hoiringinitspressive;Thisfigureratherbeloryaorythantothecoldproseofevery-dayversati。

Hyperbreekhyper，beyond，ahrow），isaedformofstatementandsimplysistsihihergreaterorless，betterorworsethantheyreallyare。Itsobjeakethethoughtmoreeffectivebyit。Herearesomeexamples:—"Hewassotalhisheadtouchedtheclouds。""Hewasasthinasapoker。""Hewassolightthatabreathmighthaveblownhimaway。"Mostpeopleareliabletooverworkthisfigure。Weareallmiveionandsomeofusdonotstopthere，butprowardtofalsehoodanddhtlying。

Thereshouldbealimittohyperbole，andinordinaryspeedwritingitshouldbewellqualifiedahinreasonablebounds。

AnApostrreekapo，from，aurn），isadirectaddresstotheabseotheinanimateasliving，ortotheabstractaspersonal。Thus:"O，illustriousWashington!Fatherofourtry!Couldyouvisitusnow!"

"Mytrytisofthee—SweetlaheeIsing。"

"O!Grave，whereisthyVictory，O!Deathwhereisthysting!"ThisfigureisverycloselyalliedtoPersonifi。

Visioiosee）sistsihepast，thefuture，ortheremoteasifpresentintimeorplace。Itisappropriatetoaion，asitproducestheeffeidealpreseheoldwarriorlooksdownfromthedtellsustobemenworthyofoursires。"

ThisfigureismuchexemplifiedihebookofRevelationisavisioure。TheauthorwhousesthefiguremostisCarlyle。

AnAntithesis（fromtheGreekanti，against，aoset）isfourast?itsistsinputtingtwouhingsinsuchapositionthateachearmbythetrast。

&quouttheinthenew，Ringoutthefalse，rirue。"

"Letusbefrieenemiesinwar。"

Hereisafihedesegraveasealandcrushmassesofobduratemetalbeforeit?drawout，with，athreadasfineasagossamer?andliftupashipofwarlikeabaubleiuslinandfeanchors?cutsteelintoribands，andimpelloadedvesselsagainstthefuryofwindsa;

theGreek，klimax，aladder），isahoughtsandideasinaseries，eachpartofwhichgetsstrongerandmoreimpressiveuone，whichemphasizestheforceofalltheprees。"Heriskedtruth，heriskedhonor，heriskedfame，heriskedallthatmenholddear，—yea，heriskedlifeitself，andforwhat?—foracreatureorthytotiehisshoe-lathewashisbetterself。"

Epigram（fromtheGreekepi，upon，aowrite），ianinsecametosignifyanypoiatementoranybriefsayingiryinwhichthereisaradi?as，"spicuousforhisabse;"Beautywheador;"Hewastoofoolishtoitfolly。""Hewassowealthythatheotsparethemo;

&ioiio，aquestion），isafigureofspeewhiassertionismadebyaskiion?as，"DoesGodnotshowjusticetoall?""Ishenhtinhiscourse?""Whatdoua;

Irreekeironcia，dissimulation）isaformofexpressioninwhichtheoppositeissubstitutedforwhatisiheehefalsityorabsurditymaybeapparent?as，"BeArnoldwasanhonorableman。""AJudasIseverbetraysafriend。""Youalenduponthewordofaliar。"

Ironyisaintoridicule，derisioireandsarcasm。Ridiculeimplieslaughtermihpt?derisionisridiapersonalfeelingofhostility?mockeryisinsultingderisioymockery?sarcasmisbittersatireandironyisdisguisedsatire。

Therearemanyuresofspeechwhichgivepiquanguageandplayuponwordsinsuchawayastoeafromtheirnifionevery-dayspeedwriting。Thegoldenruleforallistokeeptheminharmonywiththecharadpurposeofspeeposition。