Figures of speech   

                                Part - 1st 

       We can all put words together and come up with sentences to express ourselves. But sometimes, it's nice to enhance the language a little, without having to say everything literally. The transformation from ordinary speech to extraordinary speech, can be done with the use of a variety of figures of speech. They are defined as literary devices used to enhance the quality of language, written or spoken.

 

Figures of Speech may be classified as under:-

(1)    Those based on Resemblance, such as  Simile, Metaphor, Personification and Apostrophe.

(2)    Those based on Contrast, such as Antithesis and Epigram.

(3)    Those based on Association, such as Metonymy and Synecdoche.

(4)    Those depending on Construction, such as Climax and Anticlimax.

 

 SIMILE (उपमा)

  In a Simile a comparison is made between two objects of different kinds which have however at least one point in common.

The Simile is usually introduced by such words as like, as or so.

(समानता दर्शवण्यासाठी like,as,so अश्या तुलनात्मक शब्दांचा वापर केला जातो)

1.    Because she looks like a flower but she stings like a bee.

2.     Like every girl in history.

3.    George felt as worn out as an old joke that was never very funny in the first place.

4.    The Assyrian came down like a wolf on the fold.

5.    The righteous shall flourish as the palm tree.

6.    Words are like leaves: and where they most abound, Much fruit of sense beneath is rarely found.

7.    How far that little candle throws his beams! So shines a good deed in a naughty world.

8.    Life is as tedious as a twice-told tale vexing the dull ear of a drowsy man.

9.     O my Love's like a red, red rose That's newly sprung in June;

              The following are some common similes of everyday speech:-

Mad as a March Hare; as proud as a peacock; as bold as brass; as tough as leather; as clear as crystal; as good as gold; as old as the hills; as cool as a cucumber.

Note:- A comparison of two things of the same kind is not a Simile.

 

METAPHOR (रूपक)

 A Metaphor is an implied Simile. It does not, like the Simile, state that one thing is like another or acts as another, but takes that for granted and proceeds as if the two things were one.

      एखाद्या घटकाशी तुलना न करता प्रत्यक्षात त्या घटकाला दुसर्याचे रूप देणे म्हणजे Metaphor होय  यात So,as,like या सारख्या तुलनादर्शक शब्दांचा वापर केलेला नसतो.

Thus, when we say, 'He fought like a lion' we use a Simile, but when we say, 'He was a lion in the fight', we use a Metaphor.

1.    The camel is the ship of the desert.

2.    Life is a dream.( जीवनाची स्वप्नाबरोबर तुलना न करता, जीवन  हेच स्वप्न आहे असे म्हटले आहे.)

3.    The news was a dagger to his heart.

Revenge is a kind of wild justice.

Every Simile can be compressed into a Metaphor and every Metaphor can be expanded into a Simile. 

PERSONIFICATION (चेतनागुनोक्ती)  

In Personification inanimate objects and abstract notions are spoken of as having life and intelligence. (या अलंकारात निर्जीव घटक किंवा अमूर्त कल्पना ( भाववाचक नाम ) मानवाप्रमाणे किंवा सजीवाप्रमाणे कृती करतात असे दर्शविले जाते.

1.    Anxiety is sitting on his face.

2.    Laughter holding both her sides.

3.    Death lays his icy hand on kings. (मृत्यूला मानवाप्रमाणे हात आहेत अशी कल्पना केली आहे.)

4.    Let the same light kiss them…

5. The picture in that magazine screamed for attention.

 6. The carved pumpkin smiled at me.

 

APOSTROPHE (परोक्ष)

     Apostrophe is a figure of speech in which a speaker directly addresses someone (or something) that is not present or cannot respond in reality. The entity being addressed can be an absent, dead, or imaginary person, but it can also be an inanimate object (like stars or the ocean), an abstract idea (like love or fate), or a being (such as a Muse or god)

    मृत , अनुपस्थित किंवा मानाविकृत कल्पना यांना प्रत्यक्ष मानून, संबोधून बोलले जाते.

1.    Please open up my eyes, dear Lord.

2.    Books! You are my dear companion.

3.    Roll on, thou deep and dark blue Ocean-roll !

4.    O death ! where is thy sting ? O grave ! Where is thy victory ?

5.    O, you beautiful sky send all your beauty to earth.

6.    Wave, Munich, all thy banners wave, and charge with alt thy chivalry!

7.    O judgement! thou art fled to brutish beasts.

8.    O Solitude ! Where are the charms that sages have seen in thy face?

 

HYPERBOLE (अतिशयोक्ती)

      A hyperbole is a figure of speech used for the purpose of exaggeration. It mainly forms the basis of several jokes, is used as a way of insults, or could simply be used to dramatize a situation, where in reality, the situation may not be that bad. This can be understood with the help of these hyperbole.

  कोणतीही कल्पना प्रत्यक्षात आहे , त्यापेक्षा खूप फुगवून सांगितली जाते. त्यावेळी अतिशियोक्ती हा अलंकार असतो.

1.    Here's the smell of blood still; all the perfumes of Arabia will not sweeten this little hand.

2.    Why, man, if the river were dry, I am able to fill it with tears.

3.    O Hamlet ! thou hast cleft my heart in twain.

4.    I'm so busy trying to accomplish ten million things at once.

5.    Your dog is so ugly, we had to pay the fleas to live on him.

 

EUPHEMISM

      A Euphemism is the use of neutral language to remark something that may be offensive to the receiver. Euphemism is often used by people who are diplomatic, and who wish to be politically correct.

या अलंकारातून कडू अर्थ गोड शब्दांनी किंवा अप्रिय गोष्ट सौम्य शब्दात व्यक्त केली जाते .

1. We have to let you go.    (You’re fired.)

2. You’re well fed.              (You're fat.)

3. He has fallen asleep.      (He is dead).

4. You are telling me a fairy tale. (a lie).

5. You are becoming a little thin on top. (bald)

6. Our teacher is in the family way. (pregnant)

 

 

ANTITHESIS  (विरोधालंकार)

   In antithesis a striking opposition or contrast of words or sentiments is made in the same sentence. It is employed to secure emphasis.

दोन विरोधी कल्पना किंवा शब्दाचे एकाच वाक्यात सादरीकरण केलेले असते .                

1.    Man proposes, God disposes.

2.    Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more.

3.    Give every man thy ear, but few thy voice.

4.    Speech is silver, but silence is golden.

5.    To err is human, to forgive is divine.

6.    Many are called, but few are chosen.

7.    If you have a will to live and courage to die…..

8.    You're easy on the eyes, hard on the heart...

9.    For It rained all night the day I left, the weather it was dry, 

10.    The sun so hot, I froze to death...

 

EPIGRAM

     An Epigram is a brief pointed saying frequently introducing antithetical ideas which excite surprise and arrest attention.

1.    The child is father of the man.

2.    A man can't be too careful in the choice of his enemies.

3.    Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.

4.    In the midst of life we are in death.

5.    Art lies in concealing art,

6.    He makes no friend, who never made a foe.

7.    Know then thyself, presume not God to scan; The proper study of mankind is man,

8.    The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool,

9.    Lie heavy on him, earth, for he (Vanbrugh, the Architect) Laid many a heavy load on thee.

 

IRONY (उपरोध)

     Irony refers to the use of certain words that actually intend to convey the opposite. Irony forms the basis of sarcasm, and of humor. It is also a way of expressing the ugly truth in a slightly gentle manner. Some examples are:                

1. Bill Gates winning a computer.

     - Situational Irony (He is the owner of the world's largest software company.)

2. Having a fight with your best friend just before your birthday, and commenting –

     "Great, this is just what I needed".

- Verbal Irony (It is probably the worst thing that could happen before your birthday.)

3. In Romeo and Juliet, when Juliet is drugged, Romeo assumes her to be dead,

         and kills himself. Upon waking up Juliet finds him dead, and kills herself.

     - Dramatic Irony (Mainly based on miscommunication and misunderstanding.)