Extended Metaphor, Connotation, and Tone

Literal language uses words exactly according to their denotation (dictionary definition). Ex: My feet are very cold.

Figurative language uses words in a way that goes beyond their literal meaning. It is intended to make an image, comparison, or association in the mind of the reader that goes beyond the literal meaning of the words.   

Ex:  My feet are like ice cubes.

Metaphor: figurative language comparing two unlike things without using “like” or “as”

Ex: The world is a stage

Extended Metaphor: a comparison that is continued throughout several sentences or lines of a poem

Ex. All the world's a stage/ and all the men and women merely players/ They have their exits and their entrances/ And one man in his time plays many parts.

In each of the following slides, determine what two things are begin compared.

Denotation is the strict dictionary meaning of a word

Connotation is the idea or feeling that a word or phrase carries in addition to its literal meaning. The connotation is usually either positive or negative.

On the following slides, choose which word in each pair has a more negative connotation, even though the denotations are nearly the same.

Tone is the writer’s or speaker’s attitude toward his subject, his audience, or himself. It is the emotional coloring, or the emotional meaning, of the work and is an extremely important part of the full meaning.

When someone says to you, “You need to change your tone!” what they mean is, “You need to change your attitude.”

It is relatively easy to figure out someone’s attitude in a face to face conversation, because you can hear their tone of voice, as well as read their facial expressions and body language.

But it is more difficult when all you have is a text to read. When was the last time you had a misunderstanding with someone because all you had was their written or typed words? 

All pieces of literature have a tone of some sort. Authors create tone through diction (word choice) and syntax (sentence structure), and enhance it through imagery and figurative language.

Some words to describe tone are uplifting, sarcastic, melancholy, foreboding, or lighthearted

Highlight words that seem to show what the speaker is thinking or feeling, and this will give you a good idea of the tone of the text.

An extended metaphor is a metaphor that goes on for multiple lines or stanzas. It makes a comparison and then continues to expand on/ explain that comparison

Find tone by finding the central idea of the text. Then look at word choice and consider connotation. "Hear" the words in your mind, and determine the author or speaker's tone.