内容正文:
修辞手法——拟人
拟人(Personification),就是把无生命的事物当作有生命的事物来描写,赋予无生命之物以感情和动作或是把动物人格化,使语言生动、形象,更有感染力。
一、把抽象概念进行拟人描写
把含蓄、抽象等概念当作人来描写,使读者产生真切的共鸣,烘托出一种艺术气氛,增强语言的感染力。
1.How soon hath time, the subtle thief of youth, stolen on his wing my threeandtwentieth year!
时间,这个盗窃青春的狡猾的小偷,竟偷走了我的二十三年。
[分析]本句中,把“时间(time)”这一抽象名词描写成了一个“狡猾的小偷”。
2.Avarice presently treated this with ridicule...In short, poor Conscience had certainly been defeated in the argument;had not Fear stepped in to her assistance.
贪婪立即对这个想法进行嘲弄……简而言之,如果不是恐惧走进来帮良心的忙,可怜的良心一定已在这场辩论中打了败仗。
[分析]在这个句子中,“贪婪(avarice)”“良心(conscience)”和“恐惧(fear)”都被拟人化了,对故事情节的描写更加生动。
3.Fortune knocks at every man's door once in a life, but in a good many cases, the man is in neighboring saloon and does not hear her.
每个人一生中,幸运女神都来敲过门,可是,许多人竟在隔壁的酒吧里,听不见她的敲门。
[分析]本句中,把“幸运(fortune)”这一抽象概念拟人化,告诫人们不要只贪图享乐,虚度光阴。
二、把动物、植物和自然现象等进行拟人描写
把非人的事物赋予生命活力,使其洋溢着灵动的气息,生动鲜活的情景使人更易于产生与之相应的联想,便于更清晰地理解其中的意象和意境。
1.The clock on the wall ticked loudly and lazily, as if it had time to spare.Outside the rattling windows there was a restless, whispering wind.The room grew light and dark, and wondrous light again, as the moon played hideandseek through the clouds.
挂钟懒洋洋地滴答滴答响,声音那么大,好像时间很充裕。窗户咯咯作响,外边不停地刮着风,像在低声耳语。月亮在云层中玩捉迷藏时,房间里忽明忽暗,不时出现奇光。
[分析]本句中对“挂钟(clock)”“窗(windows)”“风(wind)”和“月亮(moon)”进行了拟人化的描写,并且加上拟声词(tick、 rattling、 whispering等)的运用,把夜色描写得妙趣横生。
2.Besides the kettle was aggravating and obstinate...it wouldn't hear of accommodating itself kindly to the knobs of coal;it would lean forward with a drunken air, and dribble, a very idiot of a kettle.
此外,那把水壶十分固执,令人气愤……它不爱听它应和煤球很好配合的话;它会向前俯着身子,像喝醉了酒似的,滴着口水,简直是愚蠢。
[分析]在句中,作者把“水壶(kettle)”拟人化,把它的固执和气愤表现得生动形象。
[即学即练]完成句子
1.当她读到这个故事时,这些话似乎从纸上跳了下来。
The words appeared to leap off the paper as she read the story.
2.顷刻间,森林完全被黑暗笼罩。
Immediately, an absolute darkness ruled the forest.
3.树叶在轻声耳语。
The leaves of trees whispered quietly.
4.星星在月光下的天空中快乐地跳舞。
The stars danced playfully in the moonlit sky.
5.早晨的第一缕阳光踮着脚尖穿过草地。
The first rays of mor