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WORKSHOP OVERVIEW FIGURATIVE LANGUAGE: Word Choice, Imagery, and Symbols
This workshop introduces the importance of Associations and Emphasis
understanding associations to reading and
interpreting literature. Close, analytical reading
requires readers to understand the relationship AP Enduring Understanding (FIG-1)
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between words and ideas. Specifically, students Comparisons, representations, and associations shift meaning from the literal to the
must consider referents (e.g., pronouns, nouns, figurative and invite readers to interpret a text.
images, phrases, clauses) and their antecedents.
Copyright (c) 2023 Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Uncorrected proofs were used with this sample chapter.
People use associations to make meaning in everyday life. For example, when
COMMON MISCONCEPTION commercials repeat messages about “great low prices” or a product’s high quality,
Referents and antecedents are important to KEY POINT companies hope that you associate their brands with these positive ideas.
effective interpretation. For example, readers Authors use In addition, you may have experienced a conversation at some point in your
sometimes mismatch a pronoun with the wrong referents and life when someone makes an association that is unclear to you. For example, a
antecedent, which leads to misinterpretation. repetition to create person might say, “They’re all out to get me!” without clarifying who the term
That problem can become more pronounced associations within “they’re” refers to. In this instance, it may not be crucial to understand what the
when pronouns are interrupted with phrases, their works. These person means, but in other instances, ambiguity could change the entire meaning
clauses, or even longer chunks of text. So make associations may of the sentence. Consider the following example: “When guests come over, Samuel
sure that you emphasize the importance of emphasize an idea, often brings his dog to the living room because he loves to give sloppy, wet kisses.”
identifying grammatical structures of the text, create intentional Is Samuel just very affectionate with his guests or does he have a very friendly dog?
such as subjects, verbs, phrases, and clauses. ambiguity, or trace a
concept throughout
By finding the subjects and antecedents of the text. Associations Connect Elements
pronouns, students may clarify and eliminate a
misreading. within a Text
Authors have several different ways of signaling to readers that details are
important. There are two types of associations: writers may choose words,
LITERARY CONCEPTS images, and symbols that they believe will create emotional connections with
their readers, or they may make syntactical choices such as antecedents, repeti-
Association tion, and ambiguity to create associations within a literary work. Because these
Figurative Language associations move beyond the literal, they are a type of figurative language. In
Referent short, figurative language draws upon the literal and concrete to reveal the intan-
Antecedent gible and abstract ideas.
Antecedent Action
Repetition Antecedents and Referents
Refrain Distributed by Bedford, Freeman & Worth Publishers. Strictly for use with its products. Not for redistribution.
Alliteration An antecedent is a device in which a word or pronoun in a line or sentence refers
to an earlier one. Generally speaking, antecedents refer to the noun that a pronoun
Ambiguity
replaces and refers to.
To make an association, authors connect two parts: a referent and an
antecedent. An antecedent is a word, phrase, or clause that comes before its
referent. Referents can be the following:
• Pronouns
• Nouns
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AP Big Idea: Figurative Language AP Key Questions
Enduring Understanding: FIG-1 Which repeated sound, word, or phrase in a
text emphasizes an idea or association, and
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AP Skills: 5.B Essential Knowledge: what is the emphasized idea or association?
FIG-1.A, FIG-1.B, How do you trace a referent to its antecedent,
FIG-1.C, FIG-1.D and how might ambiguous referents affect an
interpretation of a text?

132 Unit 2 Analyzing Comparisons and Representations

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