Any type of text may include figurative language. Even a dry-as-dust business summary, for example, could use an implied comparison to make a point, as in this sentence.

Demand for our product is emerging from a period of drought.

Poets, however, are especially aware of the power and uses of figurative language. Effective poems generally avoid clichés, or over-used comparisons, like the one in the sentence above. A poem is only powerful if it uses metaphors, similes, personification, or other figures of speech in a new and surprising way.

When used in an original, thought-provoking way, figurative language can develop a poem's themes in a way that really sticks with readers. Use the activity below to review the types of figurative language available to poets.

personification metaphor simile allusion

the assigning of human traits or behaviors to nonhuman things a direct comparison of unlike things that shows a surprising similarity a comparison of unlike things that uses like or as and shows a surprising similarity a reference to a person, place, thing, or idea likely to be familiar to readers

Directions To match items, click or tap an item in the left column and then click or tap its match in the right column. If you change your mind, make a different choice. Once you have matched all items, click "Check Answers" to see how you did. Click "Reset" to try again. Check Answers

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To really appreciate poetry, you need to do more than identify the types of figurative language in a poem. You also need to understand how poets typically use each type to add meaning to a poem. Try answering each of these questions on your own before clicking the question to check your answer.

Question

How might a poem use an analogy—a deliberate comparison that is developed gradually? (Remember Robert Frost's poem "Mending Wall.")

Answer

A poet might use an analogy to help readers understand an unfamiliar topic or an abstract idea. In "Mending Wall," Robert Frost compares something easy to understand, a stone wall, to something harder to understand—the things that keep people from becoming closer friends.

Question

How might a poet use personification to describe a cold wind?

Answer

A poet might personify something to help readers relate to it. For example, a poet might say that the wind is a "lonely traveler sweeping across the winter landscape in search of home."

Question

How might a poet use metaphor and simile to describe a hot, humid day?

Answer

Metaphors and similes add meaning to a poem by getting readers to think of familiar things in a new way. For example: "Moist heat coated the city like syrup poured over a stack of pancakes."

Question

What happens when poets include allusions in their poems?

Answer

When poets use allusions, they add to the poem all the meaning of the thing they allude to. When a poet says "knight in shining armor," readers will likely think of stories they know about desperate situations and courageous rescuers.