Figures of Speech

Figures of speech are plainly defined as saying one thing in terms of something else. What does
that mean? Well, it's simple, actually. Whenever you say something, but you don't mean it
literally, you are using a figure of speech. Let's say you are about to head out to the store and
your mother says, 'Ya better take a jacket; it's raining cats and dogs out there.'
Does your mom literally mean animals are falling from the sky? Of course not. Her meaning is
that it is raining hard outside. So why doesn't she just say, 'Take a jacket. It's raining!' Because
figures of speech are meant to clarify and describe in more detail. Rain itself has many different
forms. It could be drizzling, sprinkling, misting or even downpouring. Your mother used a figure
of speech to clarify that the rain is hard and would probably soak anyone caught in it. Figures of
speech are very useful in giving a more detailed and accurate description.

Types of Figures of Speech

There are many different types of figures of speech. Two that are closely related are similes and
metaphors. A simile is a comparison between two objects using the words 'like,' 'as,' 'seems' or
'appears.' Look at the following example: 'My dog is like a tornado; she dashes through the
house, destroying everything she touches.'
The first part contains the simile: the dog is being compared to a tornado. The second part
explains the comparison. The dog is like a tornado because she destroys things wherever she
goes. The use of the simile gives a better picture of the dog and adds some color to the
description.
A metaphor, then, is a comparison between two objects without using the words listed above.
Metaphors are usually stated as one object is another object. Look at the following poem by
Emily Dickinson:
'Presentiment - is that long shadow - on the lawn Indicative that Suns go down The notice to the startled Grass
That Darkness - is about to pass -'
In this poem, Dickinson states that presentiment is a shadow. Is presentiment, which means
foreboding or anxiety, literally a shadow? Of course not. Dickinson makes the comparison to
give a better description of how anxiety can creep up on a person and cause fear.

Another common figure of speech is a pun. A pun is a manipulating word that has more than one
meaning or that sound like other words. For example: 'I'm reading a book about mazes; I got lost
in it.'
The play on words here is the use of the word 'lost.' Getting lost in a good book means the reader
is so absorbed in the story that he can hardly take his eyes off the page. The joke in this pun is
the reader is looking at a book of mazes, which of course are designed to make the reader get
lost. Puns are usually used in a humorous way.
A third type of figure of speech is personification. Personification occurs when the author or
speaker gives human characteristics to non-human objects. Personification is similar to similes
and metaphors in that it basically compares some inhuman object to a person. For example: 'The
trees scream in the raging wind.'
Can trees actually scream? No, that is a human trait. So the use of personification here gives a
better description of the sound trees make in strong winds.

Can you really hear this tree scream?

Two more figures of speech which are related are the hyperbole and understatement. These
two terms are basically opposites. Hyperbole is an extreme exaggeration, or overstatement,
whereas understatement is saying less than what is intended. Look at this statement: 'The teenage
boy ate everything in the house.'
Did the boy literally eat everything? The chairs? The couch? The sink? Of course he didn't! The
speaker is exaggerating to make a point of how much the boy eats. An understatement, then, is
the opposite. Look at a few lines from Andrew Marvell's poem 'To His Coy Mistress':
'The grave's a fine and private place,
But none, I think, do there embrace.'

Definition of Literary Elements

Let's say your English teacher wants you to analyze a lengthy novel. You wonder how you can
analyze something that's hundreds of pages long. The easiest way to do so is to break the whole
text down into its smaller parts, or elements. That way, you have manageable units that you can
examine separately and then put back together as a whole.
The parts of a literary text are known as its literary elements. Rather than looking at a whole
novel, we can examine its plot, setting, characters, point of view and themes individually. Yes,
that's quite a list, but in the spirit of breaking down large tasks, let's break these elements down
and view them piece by piece, using the following questions: what, when, where, who and how.

Plot
Simply put, plot is what happens in a story. For a simple example, let's consider Dr. Seuss's
Green Eggs and Ham. If someone were to ask us for the book's plot, we can give a basic
rundown:
An unnamed character spends most of the book refusing to try green eggs and ham. The book's
other character, Sam, constantly asks the unnamed character to try green eggs and ham in various
settings. The unnamed character refuses all these possibilities until, near the book's end, he
agrees to try them so Sam will leave him alone. He realizes he actually does like green eggs and
ham, and he thanks Sam for introducing them to him.
Simple enough! But let's look at how the plot engages us from beginning to end.

Most plots fit into a story arc, which is a visual representation of a story's shape.
A story's beginning is called the exposition, which is a fancy way of saying the set-up to the
story. This is where the author introduces the main characters and sets up the story's problem, or
conflict. In our example, the exposition consists of the two characters' introductions and Sam
initially asking the unnamed character to try green eggs and ham. Now, the real action can begin.
The rising action is all the action that leads up to the climax, or the pivotal part of the story. In
our case, all the instances of Sam asking the other character to try green eggs and ham make up
the rising action.

All these actions lead up to the story's most important part, which is the aforementioned climax.
This is where the story hits its peak, which is why it's also the peak of the story arc diagram. You
can think of it as the point at which the story changes and starts heading toward its end. In Green
Eggs and Ham, the climax occurs when the unnamed character finally agrees to try green eggs
and ham. Once he does, he comes to the startling realization that he loves them! This is the high
point of the story, and now it can start heading toward its ending.
The falling action (also known by fancy people as the denoument) is so named because it
consists of everything that 'falls' out from the climax. What are the results of the climactic
action? Well, after the unnamed character eats the green eggs and ham, he tells Sam that he
would eat it anywhere!
And just as the rising action leads to the climax, the falling action leads to the resolution, which
is another way of saying how everything ends up. In this example, the reluctant character thanks
Sam for convincing him to try green eggs and ham. All is well, and the unnamed character has a
new favorite food.
A well-structured plot will keep readers guessing what happens next until they hit the climax. It
will also keep the reader's attention until the story's resolution. Ideally, the resolution is in line
with everything that came before it, and the end doesn't seem forced or unrealistic for the story.

Setting
Setting is the when and where of a literary text. For example, the novel Gone With the Wind
takes place in and around Atlanta, Georgia, and the plot - or action - occurs before, during and
after the Civil War.
Although it's a simple concept, setting is a vital literary element. Try thinking of all the Southern
romanticism of Gone With the Wind in New York City during the same time period. It just
wouldn't work.
In some stories, the location itself almost becomes a character. Think, for example, of the
importance of New York City in the television series Sex and the City. If you take the city out of
it, the title and the show itself become completely different, and probably not as enjoyable.

Characters
Characters are the fictional people - the who - in a story. The number of characters is
completely up to the author. Think of the movie Castaway, for instance. It involves one character
for a majority of the film. On the other hand, Anne Rice's novel The Witching Hour follows tons
of characters to weave a complex saga.
Now, there are a few literary terms we have for certain types of characters. The main character,
the one we follow most closely in the story, is the protagonist. They're the Harry Potters, the
Katniss Everdeens and the Luke Skywalkers of the literary world.

Then there are the antagonists, or the bad guys who work against the protagonists. Enter
Voldemort, President Snow and Darth Vader.
We also have foil characters. No, they don't wrap themselves in aluminum foil! This is what we
call characters that are opposites. For example, Harry Potter and Draco Malfoy are foil characters
because they start as Hogwarts students at the same time and have similar potentials, but they
end up on opposing sides of the conflict with Voldemort. They're physical opposites as well,
since Harry is raven-haired and Draco is blond-haired.

Point of View
Another literary element is point of view. Point of view is how the author chooses to tell the
story. Think of it as where the camera is throughout the story. There are three basic camera
positions: first person, second person and third person.
In a first person story, a character tells his or her own story. A dead giveaway that a story is
written in first person is the frequent use of the word 'I.' A good example of this point of view is
The Hunger Games, which opens with, 'When I wake up, the other side of the bed is cold.'
Katniss, the book's protagonist, is the one telling her own story, so she's the 'I' here.
In a third person story, meanwhile, a narrator is telling someone else's story. This is probably
the most common point of view. Instead of using 'I,' the narrator will use 'he' or 'she.' For
example, George Orwell's classic book 1984 opens with, 'It was a bright cold day in April, and
the clocks were striking thirteen. Winston Smith, his chin nuzzled. . . slipped quickly through the
glass doors of Victory Mansions. . .' Unlike Katniss, Winston doesn't tell his own story. Rather, a
narrator tells his story for him.

Baumata Eco Tourism

Kupang, Indonesia

Introduction

Approximately 16 km from Kupang City is a village called Baumata often visited by tourists for
its many attractions. Baumata is a popular destination for people in Kupang because of its beauty
and nature. Some kinds of tourism that you can visit in Baumata, are:
- The Forest: a good example of eco tourism, allowing people to enjoy the nature and providing a
habitat for local plants and animals. The long tail monkeys are easy to find, if you are lucky you
may see one of the other animals living here, like lizards, cockatoos, eagles, snake, parakeet and
other kinds of birds.
- Japanese cave: this cave was once used by Japanese soldier as hiding place during World War
II. In this cave are some nice stalactite and stalagmite.
- Baumata swimming pool. Unfortunately this pool is only open on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and
others holiday, which is a shame as it is a popular spot when opened. It is located about 250 m
from the Japanese Cave. Entree is Rp 5000 for adults and float tire are fire hire.
- Lake: this small lake is filled with lotus flowers covering the habitat of the freshwater fish.
Baumata is next to its beauty and fresh air also known for it natural water spring. The water of
the spring is used to supply the Baumata swimming pool, is used to make drinking water and
supplies Kupang with water.
Transport options

From Kupang you can use bus number 15 and 16 for Kupang-Penfui-Baumata route or use your
own rented motorbike or car to get from Kupang to Baumata. It takes about 30 minutes to get to
Baumata from Kupang.
Baumata Swimming Pool - Kolam Renang Baumata
Baumata is a village located 16 km from Kupang or 6 km Direction from Airport East El
Tari Kupang, Kupang precisely in the Central District which is one of recreational / tourist
attraction
well
known
and
crowded
with
people.
For recreation, besides there is a natural forest which is a natural attractions (Eco
Tourist), also known Baumata with springs naturally clean and fresh. Currently the
company has been exporting water Aquamor mineral water every related areas in NTT to
take water from water sources Baumata. Thus Also by PDAM Kupang which is the main
source of water for the city of Kupang get water supply from the Water Resources
Baumata.