Question

What two types of figurative language are in this passage? But now fears came swarming about my head like the black flying ants after a storm, I cowered from the beat of their wings.?

Answer 1

The two types of figurative language that are demonstrated in this text are personification and simile.

When the author states that the “fears came swarming,” it personifies the feeling/emotion by giving it the ability to swarm, as a living creature would, rather than exist usually as an idea. The personification is then further elaborated on by a simile with “swarming about my head like the black flying ants after a storm.” The simile is identified with the use of the word “like” to compare two things or ideas, in this case: fear and black flying ants. The simile compares the effects of the speaker’s fear to the swarming of black flying ants to show how the speaker’s fear is surrounding them entirely. These instances of figurative language create a unique picture in the reader’s mind that allows them to picture the overwhelming nature of the speaker’s fear, adding understanding and depth to the text, while also making the writing more engaging to the reader.

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