Final answer:
Figurative language in literature evokes emotions in readers by creating vivid imagery and connections between abstract emotions and sensory experiences. It allows for a tangible understanding of feelings through metaphors and similes. The emotion evoked is dependent on how the author uses these devices to paint an immersive and sensory-rich picture.
Step-by-step explanation:
The emotion evoked in the reader by using figurative language can vary greatly depending on the type of figurative device used, such as metaphors or similes, as well as the context within which they are used. For instance, when a metaphor likens love to a red rose, it can evoke feelings of passion, beauty, and perhaps the transient nature of love, as roses are beautiful yet ephemeral. Alternatively, a simile that compares someone's mood to a stormy sea might evoke feelings of turmoil and unpredictability.
Imagery plays a critical role in creating a visceral, tangible experience for the reader. Descriptive language allows the reader to engage their senses, making the abstract notion of emotion more concrete and relatable. For example, when a poem describes an infant sleeping as a milky sea, it not only conveys a sense of peace and innocence, but also allows the reader to envision and perhaps feel the calmness associated with the scene.
In the poem "What Came to Me" by Jane Kenyon, the use of concrete imagery, such as a drop of gravy on a porcelain lip, can evoke profound grief in both the speaker and the reader. This demonstrates how a small but specific image can have a powerful emotional impact, highlighting the effectiveness of using sensory details in poetry to convey deep feelings without directly stating them.
Ultimately, the author's use of figurative language and imagery serves as an artistic tool, creating an immersive and emotionally resonant experience that allows the reader to feel the poem rather than just understand it. This immersion is what transports the reader into the vivid world crafted by the poet, leading to a fuller and more immediate experience of the underlying emotions.