Question

Identify the figure of speech in the following sentence:
She thought her life was a fashion show.
a) Personification
b) Simile
c) Metaphor
d) Synecdoche

Answer 1

Hint: The given sentence does not contain the word ‘like’ and it makes a direct comparison between two things. This will help you narrow down the options and choose the required figure of speech.

Complete answer:
Let’s deconstruct the sentence and understand exactly what it means:
It says that the subject’s life is comparable to a fashion show. It makes a direct comparison between ‘life’ and ‘fashion show’, without the help of the word ‘like’. Now, we know the peculiarity in the sentence.

We now know the meaning of the given sentence. Let’s look at the available options:

a) personification - Personification is the attribution of a personal nature or human characteristics to something non-human, or the representation of an abstract quality in human form. However, in the given question, there is no inanimate object that has been assigned a human quality. So, this is an incorrect option.
b) simile - A simile is a figure of speech involving the comparison of one thing with another thing of a different kind, used to make a description more emphatic or vivid (e.g. as brave as a lion ). This makes an indirect comparison between two things, unlike the question. So, this is an incorrect option.
c) metaphor - A metaphor is a figure of speech in which a word or phrase is applied to an object or action to which it is not literally applicable. It is a direct comparison. For example, Life is a journey. Here, life is directly compared to a journey. It does not use additional words to make the comparison. There is a direct comparison in the question. So, the correct answer is “Option c”.
d) synecdoche - Synecdoche is a figure of speech in which a part is made to represent the whole or vice versa, as in England lost by six wickets (meaning ‘ the English cricket team’). This figure of speech is used in everyday life without much heed being paid to it. However, it is not the required answer, as there is no direct comparison. So, this is an incorrect option.

Note:
Try to look for things that are peculiar to one particular figure of speech. Then, try to understand what the sentence means. This will lead you to the correct option.