Figurative Language in 1984 and Anna Karenina
...s novel. For example, his use of similes in his remarkable descriptions is extensive, such as in: “The mare again began to struggle like a fish, creaking with the flaps of the saddle…” (Tolstoy 211). We also see a variety of other cases of figurative language. For instance, personification, giving human characteristics to things that are not human, is used continuously: “… and with aching hearts seek only the good in him…” (Tolstoy 65). Evidently, we also have to recognize that there is prosopopoeia, which is when the personified figure speaks, and apostrophe, when someone or something is addressed. Symbols also appear throughout the novel, such as when the man in the beginning of the novel kills himself by jumping in front of the moving train, which symbolizes and predicts Anna’s death at the end of the novel. Another great classic with widespread use of figurative language is 1984 by George Orwell. In this nightmarish vision of the future of 1949, we see the protagonist, Winston Smith, a nervous and depressed man, that goes against the ruling Party’s principles. Orwell, renowned for his creative plots, uses much of the same figurative speeches that Tolstoy uses. For instance, he makes use of metaphors and similes in his descriptions, such as in: “…hoisted her up by knees and shoulders and carried her out of the room like a sack.” (Orwell 240). We also see examples of personification, and prosopopoeia and apostrophes are obviously there too. Symbols, like in Anna Karenina, also appear in 1984. For instance, the telescreens that the Party had in all rooms symbolized their power and Big Brother symbolized their powerful public image. The only differ...