Introduction
An important element to Steinbeck's writing is his intricate, well-developed descriptions of people and places. Figurative language is an essential aspect of those descriptions. Below is a short vocabulary review of some of the main types of figurative language.
Simile: a comparison using like or as
Metaphor: a comparison between two unlike things that actually have something in common
Personification: Giving human qualities to something nonhuman
The Pearl
At the beginning of Chapter 3, on page 21 of The Pearl, we have the following description of the town:
"A town is a thing like a colonial animal. A town has a nervous system and a head and shoulders and feet. A town is a thing separate from all other towns, so that there are no two towns alike. And a town has a whole emotion. How news travels through a town is a mystery not easily to be solved. News seems to travel as fast as small boys can scramble and dart to tell it, faster than women can call it over the fences. Before Kino and Juana and the other fishers had come to Kino’s brush house, the nerves of the town were pulsing and vibrating with the news—Kino had found the Pearl of the World."
Steinbeck carries this description of Kino’s town throughout the novel, making it seem alive and with its own personality. Answer the following questions about the passage.
1) identify a simile in the passage.
2) Draw/sketch how you imagine the town based on the description you read.
Simile: a comparison using like or as
Metaphor: a comparison between two unlike things that actually have something in common
Personification: Giving human qualities to something nonhuman
The Pearl
At the beginning of Chapter 3, on page 21 of The Pearl, we have the following description of the town:
"A town is a thing like a colonial animal. A town has a nervous system and a head and shoulders and feet. A town is a thing separate from all other towns, so that there are no two towns alike. And a town has a whole emotion. How news travels through a town is a mystery not easily to be solved. News seems to travel as fast as small boys can scramble and dart to tell it, faster than women can call it over the fences. Before Kino and Juana and the other fishers had come to Kino’s brush house, the nerves of the town were pulsing and vibrating with the news—Kino had found the Pearl of the World."
Steinbeck carries this description of Kino’s town throughout the novel, making it seem alive and with its own personality. Answer the following questions about the passage.
1) identify a simile in the passage.
2) Draw/sketch how you imagine the town based on the description you read.
Activity
DIRECTIONS:
1. Describe your town in a poem or narrative. Use Steinbeck’s description as an example, but extend your description further.
2. Begin with some form of figurative language. You may use a simile, as Steinbeck did, a metaphor, or personification.
Length: At least 1 paragraph
1. Describe your town in a poem or narrative. Use Steinbeck’s description as an example, but extend your description further.
2. Begin with some form of figurative language. You may use a simile, as Steinbeck did, a metaphor, or personification.
Length: At least 1 paragraph