内容正文:
常用修辞手法——拟人
拟人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 three and twentieth 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]在本句中,“时间”(time)这一抽象名词被描写成了一个“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]在本句中,“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,许多人都在隔壁的酒吧里,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)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,简直是个十足的白痴。)
[分析]在本句里,作者把“水壶”(kettle)拟人化,把它的固执和气愤表现得生动形象。
三、拟人在英语谚语中的运用
为了把英语谚语中的深刻道理和抽象的概念说得形象生动,拟人的运用也会出现在英语谚语的创作中,这样可以把人以外的事物当作人来描写,赋予人的思想感情或语言行为,但又不失其本来的面貌和特征,从而使较为抽象的概念或事物获得生动有趣的具体形象。
1.Money is a good servant, but a bad master.(金钱是个好仆人,但是个坏主人。)
2.Misfortune tells us what fortune is.(不经灾难不知福。)
3.Experience is the best teacher of fools.(经验是愚人之师。)
4.Patience and application will carr