LESSON3

FiguresofSpeech

LEARNINGOUTCOMES

Identifythefigurativelanguageusedinpoetic lines.
Determinehowfiguresofspeechsettoneand
moodofthepoem.
Compareandcontrastthingsorideasusing
figurativelanguage.

BEFOREREADING

BalakiKo‘DaySamtangGasakayTa’gHabalhabal
APoembyAdonisDurado

ABOUTTHEPOEM

Thepoemspeaksofitspersona’sdesireto have
aromanticepisodewiththeoneheis talkingto.
ThisbeautifulpoeminCebuanolanguage creates
avividimageryofabuddingromancesetin
themilieuofridingahabal-habal,a common
formoftransportationinthecountryside.

MAKECONNECTIONS

Haveyoutriedridingonahabal-habal?
Describeyourexperience.
DuringmyelementarydaysIusedtostudyinaruralareas,soexpectedlythe
highwaysareinarockyroadsomostofthetranportationissinglemotoror "habal-

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines1
habal".Iusedtorideinthat,andthestruggleisreal,thereweretimes
thatit'salreadyoverloadyetovercometoarrivedsafely.Andthedriverwere
veryeagertopackalotofcommuterstopaidoffoneride.Especiallywhenit's
rainingthemuddyroadwereoneofthestrugglethatyoualmostyoutshoes
andshortwerealreadyhadamud.
ANALYZELITERTURE:FiguresofSpeech

Elementsofpoetrycanbedefinedasasetofinstrumentsusedto
createapoem.Oneoftheseisfigurativelanguagewhichhelpsbringimagery
andemotiontoapoem.

Afigureofspeechisawordorphrasethatisusedinanon-literalway
tocreateaneffect.Thisintentionaldeviationfromtheliteralorcommon
usageaimstoemphasize,clarify,orembellishbothwrittenandspoken language.

TypesofFiguresofSpeech

Simile(Pagtutulad)iscomparisonoftwodissimilarobjectsorconcepts
usingthewordslikeoras.

o“Iwanderedlonelyasacloud.”(WilliamWordsworth,Daffodils)

Inthisexample,thespeaker(I)inthepoemcompareshislonelinesswithacloud usingtheword as.

o“Lifeislikewritingwithapen.Youcancrossoutyourpastbutyou
can'teraseit.”(E.B.White)

o“Loveislikethewildrose-briar.”(EmilyBronte)

Note:Noteverystatementorcomparisonthatcontainslikeorasisasimile.
“MariaisasprettyasMirasol”isnotasimilebecausethosewhowere
describedinthesentencearebothpeople.

Metaphor(Pagwawangis)isdirectcomparisonoftwounlikethings

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines2
 withoutusingthewordslikeoras.

o“And,ifyouwerepoor,sufferingwasyourcurrency.”(Khaled
Hosseini,AndtheMountainsEchoed) o“Tohimstrawberrieswereaholymystery…
deepredgems,sweet
orbs,succulentrubies.”(DavidGuterson,SnowFallingonCedars)

o“OrshallIsayyouareanorchidflower

Thatfeversmenbesideajunglestream?”(AngelaManalang-Gloria,
ToLovelyWoman)

Note:Metaphorusuallycontains“be”verbs:am,is,are,was,were.
Comparisonshouldbeobviousorexplained,andcanbechangedintoasimile
byincluding“like”or“as”.Thestatement“Dadisaboat.”isnotametaphor
(AlthoughDadandaboararedissimilar,thereisnoclearreasonforthe
comparison,soitdoesn’tmakesenseasametaphor).

Personification(Pagtatao)isgivinghumanlyattributes/characteristicsto
anabstractidea,animalsorinanimateobjects.
o“Hisalarmclockyellsathimeverymorning.” o“Opportunityknocksonlyonce.” o
“Herownheartwoulddevourher.”(DavidGuterson,SnowFalling onCedars)

Note:Thehumanqualitymustbecompletelyuniquetohumans.Thusthe
statement,“ThepinkflowersswayedintheAprilbreeze.”isnotanexampleof
personification(Althoughhumanscansway,flowerscanswaytoo.This
characteristicisnotuniquetohumans).

Hyperbole(Pagmamalabis)isanexaggerationthatcannotbepossibly
true.Itisusedforemphasisorcomiceffect. o “Sheisasskinnyasatoothpick.” o
“Wearegoingtopulloffthetruecrimeofthecentury.Wearegoing
tostealthemoon!”(DespicableMe)

o“Susungkitinmgabituinparalangmakahiling,nasana’ymaging
akinpusomo’tdamdamin.”(KungAkingAngMundo)

Note:Thestatement“Sheisasskinnyasafashionmodel”isnotanexample
ofhyperbole(sinceagirlcouldbeasthinasamodel,thisisn’tahyperbole.)If
itcouldhappeninreallife,thenitisnotahyperbole.

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines3
Synecdoche(Pagpapalit-saklaw)isafigureofspeechinwhichapartof
somethingisusedtosignifythewhole,orvice-versa.

o“Thosewheelsareawesome!”(wheelssignifiesavehicle/car)
o“Thecompanyneedstohiretennewhands.”(handssignifies
people/newemployees)

o“GustonanghingiinniLeonangkamayniLeahsakaniyangmga
magulang.”(handsignifiesthewholeperson)

Metonymy(Pagpapalit-tawag)isreplacingthenameofathingwiththe
nameofsomethingelsewithwhichitiscloselyassociated.

o“Marriedmenshouldstopchasingskirts.”

Skirtsismetonymyforwomen.

o“Thepenismightierthanthesword.”(EdwardBulwer-Lytton)

Penismetonymyforcommunication(writing)andswordismetonymyfor
directviolence)

o“EliasneedstodecideifhewillgoGreekincollegenextyear.

Greekismetonymyforsororityorfraternitymembership.

Note:Metonymyisoftenconfusedwithsynecdoche.Theseliterarydevices
aresimilarbutcanbedifferentiated.Synecdocheisafigureofspeechin
whichapartofsomethingisusedtosignifythewhole.Forexample,a
commonsynecdocheformarriageproposalistoaskforsomeone’s“hand”in
marriage.The“hand”inthiscaseisjustthepartthatsignifiesthewhole
personwhoisreceivingtheproposal.Metonymyisafigureofspeechinwhich
onewordisusedtoreplaceanothertowhichitiscloselylinked.However,
unlikesynecdoche,itisnotapartofthewordorideaitrepresents.For
example,the“hand”inthesentence,“Letmegiveyouahand”ismetonymy
forhelp(handiscloselylinkedtohelpingotherpeople).

Irony(Balintuna)iscontrastbetweenwhatissaidandwhatismeant,or
betweenappearanceandreality(usedasatechniqueforhumor,satire,or
contrast).Ironyoftenstemsfromanunanticipatedresponse(verbalirony)
oranunexpectedoutcome(situationalirony).

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines4
 oTellingsomeonewhohasabadhaircut,“Anggandanamannggupit
mo.Sino’ngbarbero,halikapatayinnatin.”(verbal)
oEnteringachild’smessyroomandsaying“Niceplaceyouhave here.”(verbal)

oThethievesrobbedthepolicestation.(situational)

oTheTitanicwassaidtobeunsinkablebutsankonitsfirstvoyage.

(situational) oThewitch,whointendedtoeatHanselandGretel,istrappedbythe
childreninherownoven.(fromHanselandGretel(Grimmfairytale); situational)

Litotes(Pagtanggi)isusingdoublenegativestoexpressapositiveideaor statement.

oYourcommentsonpoliticsarenotuseless.

oHeishardlyunattractive. oYourefforthasnotgoneunnoticed.

Oxymoron(Pahidwa)ispairingtwowordstogetherthatareopposing
and/orcontradictory.

oThecontractorwasaskedtogivetheexactestimateoftheproject.

oOurpastrelationshiphadalotofbittersweetmemories.

o“Vidiawascomplicated,twofairiesinone,aloyaltraitor.”(Gail CarsonLevine)

Paradox(Paradoha)isself-contradictorystatementorpropositionthat
wheninvestigatedorexplainedmayprovetobewell-foundedortrue.

o“Wemustdestroyinordertobuild.”
o“Ifyoudon’triskanything,youriskeverything.” o
“Lifeisapreparationforthefuture;andthebestpreparationforthe
futureistoliveasiftherewerenone.”(AlbertEinstein)

Apostrophe(Pagtawag)isafigureofspeechinwhichawriterorspeaker,
speaksdirectlytosomeonewhoisnotpresentorisdead,orspeakstoan

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines5
 abstractideainanimateobject.

o“HelloDarkness,myoldfriend.I’vecometotalkwithyouagain.”
(SoundofSilence)

Inthissong,thepersonaistalkingtodarkness,anabstractidea.

o“Twinkle,twinkle,littlestar,HowIwonderwhatyouare.”(TheStar)

Inthisnurseryrhyme,achildspeakstoastar,aninanimateobject .

o“IsthisadaggerwhichIseebeforeme,

Thehandletowardmyhand?*thee-meansyou(referringtothedagger)

Come,letmeclutchthee!

Ihavetheenot,andyetIseetheestill.”(WilliamShakespeare, Macbeth)

InhismentalconflictbeforemurderingKingDuncan,Macbethhasa
strangevisionofadaggerandtalkstoitasifitwereaperson.

Antonomasia(Antonomasiya)isthesubstitutionofanepithetortitlefora
propername;adescriptivephrasereplacingaperson’sname.

oPacmanisoneofthegreatestboxersintheworld.(Pacmanis
usedasasubstituteforMannyPacquiao.)

oTheFlyingAforJohnnyAbarrientos
oMakatangmgaMangagawa(PoetoftheLaborers)forAmadoV. Hernandez
oTheBardofAvonforWilliamShakespeare

Allusion(Alusyon)isreferencetosomehistorical,biblical,sociopolitical
andliteraryevent,placeorpersonthathasstrikingresemblancetothe
subjectunderdiscussion.

oHissmileislikekryptonitetome.(signifiesultimateweakness;
FromSuperman’sweakness) oIsthereanEinsteininyourphysicsclass?
(geniuslikeAlbert Einstein)
o“Afterbeatingdozensofchallengers,thechampionfinallymethis
Waterloo.”(signifiesfinaldefeatorsetback;FromtheBattleof
Waterloo,whereNapoleonBonapartewasfinallydefeated.)

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines6
Alliteration(Aliterasyon)isrepetitionofsameinitialconsonantsoundin
twoormoreneighboringwords.

o“Doubting,dreamingdreamsnomortaleverdaredtodreambefore.”

oWalterwonderedwhereWinniewas.

oSleepgentlymydearAmira

Sleepsnuglyinyourcrib

Growgently

Intotheragingrains

Mindnottherushingofmytears.”(MaeMonteclaroRoca,Lullaby forAmira)

Assonance(Asonans)istherepetitionofsimilarvowelsoundsinwords
thatareclosetogether.

o“FortherareandradiantmaidenwhomtheangelsnamedLenore.”

o“Fireattheprivateeyehiredtopryinmybusiness.”(Eminem)

o“InevermeantthewordsIsaid,

Sotroublenotyourhonesthead.”(AngelaManalang-Gloria,Words)

Onomatopoeia(Paghihimig)isawordthatsoundslikewhatitis
describing.Itcreatesasoundeffectthatmimicsthethingdescribed,
makingthedescriptionmoreexpressiveandinteresting.

o“Thedoorslowlycreakedopenandthenslammedshut.”(creakand
slamimitatesounds)

oTherustlingleaveskeptmeawake.(rustlingimitatessound)

o“Ikawbaga’ydaingngnakaligtaan?

Ikawbaga’yhibikngpinagtaksilan?(JoseCorazondeJesus,May
MgaTugtugingHindiKoMalimot)

Hibikimitatessoundofsobbingorcrying.

Note:Onomatopoeiaincludesanimalnoisessuchasmoo,meow,his,quack, andoink.

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines7
Anaphora(Anapora)istherepetitionofawordorphraseatthebeginning
ofsuccessivesentences,phrases,orclauses.
o“Foolmeonce,shameonyou.Foolmetwice,shameonme.”
o“Ikawbaga’ydaingngnakaligtaan?

Ikawbaga’yhibikngpinagtaksilan? Matutulogakosagabingkadimlan

ayumuukilkilhanggangpanagimpan.”(JoseCorazondeJesus,
MayMgaTugtugingHindiKoMalimot)
o“Atngayon,'diparinalamkungba'ttayonandito Pwedebangitigilmunaangpag-
ikotngmundo?

Pwedebangitigilmunaangpag-ikotngmundo?

Pwedebangitigilmunaangpag-ikotngmundo?”(Eraserheads, Spoliarium)

USEREADINGSKILLS:IdentifyFiguresofSpeech

ReadthepoemBalakiko‘DaySamtangGasakayTa’gHabalhabalandidentify
thefigurativelanguageusedinthelines/verses.Determinealsothekindsof
tonesandmoodsthatarecreatedbytheuseofthesefiguresofspeech.An
examplehasbbeendoneforyou.
Line/s Figureof Tone Mood
Speech

onomatopoeia passionate romantic

1.hinagubtob

Saimongkasingkasing
2.Gaksakopaghugot Simile Emotional Pleasure

Samasalastikong

Mipungpongsaimong
buhok

3.Angmgabaliliunya Personification Warmth Sensational

Nganaghaloksa‘tong
batiis

4.Isipontangkaugaligong Synecdoche Surreal Pleasure

mgadila

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines8
 DURINGREADING

BalakiKo‘DaySamtangGasakayTa’gHabalhabal
(Recitetome,day,apoemwhileweridea habalhabal)
APoembyAdonisDurado
1
Balakiakoday Recitetome, day
2
Samtanggasakayta’ghabalhabal. Apoemwhilewerideahabalhabal.
3
Idat-ologsamut Stickyourchestcloser
4
Kanangimongdughan b

5
Nganhisaakongbukobukoc Hereonmyback
6
AronmasmabatyagankoanghinagubtobSothatIcanfeelbetterthebeatings
7
Saimongkasingkasing. Ofyourheart.
8
Samgalibaong ngaatongmalabyan.
d
Withthepotholesthatdotourway
9
Gaksakopaghugot Embracemetightly
10
Samasalastikong Liketherubberbands
11
Mipungpongsaimongbuhok. Thatyouusetotieyourhair.
12
Ugsakainitsaimongginhawa Andwiththewarmthofyourbreaths
13
Gitikaekiningakongdughan. Ticklethisheartofmine.
14
Angmgabalili unya
f
Andtheamorseco
15
Nganaghaloksa‘tongbatiis Thatkissourlegs
16
Isipontangkaugaligongmgadila. Let’sthinkofthemasourowntongues.
17
Dayonsamtangnagakatulin Thenwhilewe’respeedingup
18
Kiningatongdagan, Ourride
19
Mamiyongtagmaghangad Let’scloseoureyesandface
20
Ngadtosakawanangan Thewidesky
21
Aronsugatonangtaligsik g
Tomeetthedrizzle
22
Sauwan,dahon,ugbulak. Ofrain,leaves,andflowers.
a
balak-poem bdughan- egitika-tickle fbalili-grass
breast cbukobuko-back gtaligsik-drizzle,shower
d
libaong-holes

AFTERREADING

Name:GlennGalan Subject:LiteratureofthePhilippines

Yr/Cr/Sec:3BSMA/B Date:Nov.14,2021
READINGCHECK

Graspthepoem’sfullimplicationsandsuggestionstoanswerthefollowing questions.

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines9
1.Whoisthespeaker/personainthepoem?Describehim.

Thespeakerofthepoemishabal-habaldriverwhompleasurizethe
situationbetweenthecommuter

2.Towhomarethelinesaddressed?Providewordsorlinestosupportyour answer.

Thespeakeraddressallofthelinestoawomanbackriderprovidedbythe
lines"hereonmybacksothatIcanfeelbetterthebeatingsofyourheart"
thatpointingoutthecommuterrideonitsback

3.Whatisthesituationreferredtointhepoem?

Thesituationoccursduringtheridesofthetwointhehabal-habal-a
commonscenariothathappenedinreallife

4.Dothespeakerandaddresseeknoweachother?Explainyouranswer.

Itwasnotdirectlymentionedwhatistheirrelationshipoftwobutit's
seaminglyhappeneveninthestranger

5.Howdoesthepersonainthepoemfeeltowardstheoneheistalkingto?

Providewordsorlinestosupportyouranswer.

Thepersonafeelthesenasationandphsicalpleasureashementioned"
andtheamorsecothatkissourlegs,let'sthinkofthemasourtongues"
thisisclearlysexualizethepresenceofthewomanbackonhim

6.Whatdoestheproximity(distance/physicalcloseness)betweenthe
personaandtheaddresseeinthepoemsuggest?

Thepersonafeelthesensationandwarmthofthebackriderasittouch,
withthisthepersonafeelpleasureintimatepresencewithher.

7.Howislovedescribedorexpressedinthepoem?Explainyouranswerby
providingevidencesfromthepoem.

Idon'tthinkthere'sacalledlovementionedinthepoemasitthere'sno
relationshiobetweenoftwoclearlyimplied,thereforeitjustallthelust,not love

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines10
8.Howdoesthehabal-habalridedifferfromothermodesoftransportation?
Makeacomparisonusingfiguresofspeech.

a.Habal-habaldriverdifferfromothertransportationdrivesasitlikesmonster
carinarockyroad

b.Habal-habaldriverdifferfromothertransportationasitsoundsas chainsaw

C.Habal-habaldriverdifferfromothertransportationasittreatscommuteras
asspecialsomeone

________________________________________________________________________
___.

THINKANDREFLECT

Howdoromanticrelationshipsdevelop?Inthecontextofthepoem,howdoes thehabal-
habalridedramatizetheblossoming/progressionoflove/intimacy?

Romanticrelationshipstartedhavingapersonalconnectionbymeansof
gettingtoknoweachother,understandingthemeansandaspectvand
personallyhavedeepknowledgeaboutthepersonwhichdeveloptohavecare,
patienceandmakingeffort.Ontheotherhand,habal-habaldriverreflectshow
toactashavingalustandandtemporaryintimatetootherperson.Asitonly
showsaloveforphysicalaffectionnotforemotionalconnection,thatdiffers bothaspect

ANALYZELITERATURE:FiguresofSpeech

Readthefollowinglines/statementsandidentifythefigurativelanguageused.
Writeyouransweronthespaceprovidedbeforeeachitem.

Metonymy 1.Youarethesultanofmyheart,thesultanofmyheart.

Personification2.Thenightisstarryandthebluestarsshiverinthedistance.

Oxymoron 3.Oh,Sleep!Youareindeedtheprisoner’srelease!

Onomatopeia4.Shelistenedtotheclick-clackofhisheels.

Assonance 5.Thelittlehorsemustthinkitqueertostopwithouta farmhousenear.

Synecdoche 6.Paidvolunteerswereworkingforthecompany.

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines11
Metonymy 7.Bearainbowinsomeone’scloud.

Simile 8.ShewaslikeamodestflowerblowninsunnyJuneandwarm
assunatnoon’shighhour.

Metaphor 9.Loveisaguestthatcomes,unbidden,/But,havingcome, assertshisright.

Hyperbole 10.Chriswon’tdriveherhomebecauseshelivesontheother sideoftheuniverse.

CASS-DELL|LiteratureofthePhilippines12