USA HISTORY

THE ROARING 20S 1920 1929

ART AND CULTURE OF THE HARLEM RENAISSANCE

Question [CLICK ON ANY CHOICE TO KNOW THE RIGHT ANSWER]
Which type of figurative language is used in the line below:"Life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.”
A
simile
B
pun
C
repetition
D
metaphor
Explanation: 

Detailed explanation-1: -A metaphor is a figure of speech in which an implied or understood comparison is made between two things. The poet compares a life without dreams to a broken-winged bird that cannot fly and to a barren field frozen with snow.

Detailed explanation-2: -Take for example, “Life [without dreams] is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly”. Langston Hughes urges us to hold onto our dreams and to follow one’s aspirations. He compares this to a broken winged bird, for if we are comprised or held back by an obstacle, one cannot achieve their dreams.

Detailed explanation-3: -Metaphor-“Life is a broken-winged bird.” Simile-“Does it dry up like a raison in the sun?” Personification-“Dreams Die."

Detailed explanation-4: -"Dreams” revolves around two major metaphors. The speaker compares life after the loss of dreams to “a broken-winged bird / That cannot fly” and “a barren field / Frozen with snow.” The first metaphor is bleak and the second even more so.

Detailed explanation-5: -In this poem, Langston Hughes is talking about how to take care of dreams and explaining what dreams are by using figurative language. He achieves this by using hyperboles, metaphors, and personification. Langston Hughes in this poem uses hyperboles by dramatizing what will happen if you lose a dream or let them go.

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