Ever wondered that while direct language is usually easier to comprehend, why we as readers often tend to lean towards the more creative wording? In literary terms, this ‘fancy language’ is called figures of speech, which are nothing but phrases or a group of words used in a non-literal sense. In layman terms, any phrase that stands for a unique and deeper meaning beyond its literal usage is defined as a figure of speech or a literary device.
Readers usually find it natural to connect with a piece rich in literary tools because it adds a poetic touch to the writing and makes the imagery more vivid to comprehend. Most common examples of literary devices in the English language comprise similes, metaphors, personification, alliteration, onomatopoeia, hyperbole, among others.
Since understanding these literary tools isn’t always a cakewalk and can be a strenuous act for many, we decided to aid the process by slowly introducing our readers to the world of literary tools. To exactly serve the purpose, we will start this edition with some popular similes and metaphors used through everyone’s favourite, “The Harry Potter Series” by J.K. Rowling.
So, without further ado, let’s begin!
Simile
“Aunt Petunia often said that Dudley looked like a baby angel ... Harry often said that Dudley looked like a pig in a wig.”
Similes are usually the most common and easiest to locate literary techniques that are used to directly compare two non-identical, contrasting items with the help of words ‘like’ or ‘as’. If you are an avid Harry Potter fan, chances are you've encountered similes throughout the series at every possible instance.
From “Dudley looked like a pig in a wig” to "Dumbledore's silver hair ... shone as brightly as ghosts", the similes are everywhere. If you have got an eye for it, go and explore 10 more similes right now!
Metaphor
“Mrs. Dursley was thin and blonde and had nearly twice the usual amount of neck, which came in very useful as she spent so much of her time craning over garden fences, spying on the neighbors.”
Making an appearance next in the article is the confusing cousin of simile, metaphor. When defined literally, metaphor is a figure of speech that is used to make an indirect comparison between two things that aren't alike but do share some property in common.
Note that, unlike similes, metaphors do not include words such as ‘like’ or ‘as’ for comparisons.
Rowling uses metaphors at various instances throughout the Harry Potter Series to breathe life into her thoughts and bring them alive for the readers. One such instance is where she combines humor (another literary device) and metaphor to contrast Mrs. Dursley to a crane. This helps readers understand Mrs. Dursley’s fierce and graceful demeanour like that of a crane in comparison to her nosy self that depicts the hidden flaws in her character.
The next ingenious and impressive occurrence of metaphor is visible in ‘Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows’ where Snape’s Patronus of “the silver doe” has the audience gasping in awe for his endless love for Lily (Harry’s mother).
Be it the subtle comparison of depression to dementors that “drain peace, hope, and happiness out of the air around them”, or Dumbledore’s, “And now, Harry, let us step out into the night and pursue that flighty temptress adventure” to describe a formal meet and greet, metaphors are omnipresent in the world of Rowling like the vicious presence of Voldemort in Harry’s conscience.
For information on other kinds of literary devices, stay tuned to the series because we have many more treats compiled for all our Potterheads out there.
Image Source:
Cover Image by Parent Previews [https://parentpreviews.com/movie-reviews/harry-potter-and-the-sorcerers-stone]
Dursley Family Image by Hello! Magazine [https://www.hellomagazine.com/healthandbeauty/health-and-fitness/2017021736716/harry-potter-dudley-actor-harry-melling-weight-loss/]
Mrs. Dursley Animation by Amino Apps [https://aminoapps.com/c/harry-potter/page/blog/petunia-dursley/NKTM_ulGbE5bYazorWkJGzbLVw10Bg]