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Natural, Fresh, and Vivid Language Usage

Read the poem "The Hurricane." In this poem, the writer compares the hurricane to an agile dancer on the tips of its toes. Can you picture the hurricane dancing? Notice how the image creates a fresh picture in your mind.

The writer of this poem used figurative language. When he compares the hurricane to a dancer, he's giving it characteristics of a human being. This is a literary device called personification. You can use personification and other literary devices to make your writing come alive.

Another literary device that this poet uses is metaphor. You may recall that a metaphor is a comparison between two unlike things or ideas. A metaphor does not use the words "like" or "as." Can you spot the metaphor in the poem above?