Question

Read the excerpt below and answer the question.

The drought continued until we lost count of the time. Day after day the pitiless sun blazed down.

Identify the type of figurative language used in the excerpt. Then, in at least 150 words, discuss its meaning and how it enriches the text.

Answer 1

this took a long time to write, but i like how it turned out

Step-by-step explanation

This passage shows an example of personification. Personification is when an inanimate object is given life through the use of figuratave language. For example, "My bicep has been killing me". My bicep has not been literally finding ways to end my life, but it is personifying my bicep to say that it hurts. Now lets look at this passage. "The drought continued intil we lost count of time. Day after day the pitiless sun blazed down". This is an example of personification because it is painting the Sun as an unforgiving being that unleashes its wrath upon the earth, When in reality it is just a ball of flaming hydrogen and helium. This type of personification enriches the text because it adds some drama to the story, and helps translate real life terms to something the reader can understand. If it was written as "The sun was especially hot the following weeks", it would not be illustrated as well to the reader. For all they know, it is slightly warmer then usual. With this personification in place, it more accurately represents how the drought affected the land and the people.

Answer 2

The type of figurative language used in the excerpt is Personification. When the author gives the sun a human characteristic (pitiless sun), he uses the figurative language Personification to enrich the text.

Personification is a figurative language technique where objects, ideas or animals are given human characteristics or qualities. The sun, for example, can't be pitiless, as well as it can't pity. Only people can pity someone else or something because pity is a feeling or an attitude. Thus, the technique of Personification is used by the author.

That enriches the text because the sun is given movement, action. It seems like its incidence over those who face the drought, in the excerpt, is stronger and intentioned because of its Personification. The author is able to express the character's feelings and impressions without saying it literally. The figurative language creates an image and is able to express more than if the author had used descriptive language. The text adopts a poetic tone, which can cause the reader to perceive feelings and sensations. Hence, the text is enriched by the use of the figurative language Personification.