Cultural myth which exists in every culture
One of the distinctive features of the contemporary world art is its ability to synthesize different forms of symbolic forms of culture in modes that are compatible with the current world views that sustain the interaction between individuals as well as enhance collective conscious levels. Based on several analyses of cultural myths as a form of art, it is evident that the world is witnessing a return of a syncretism society which could be the becoming of the Americans new age and astrology as well as many forms of pseudoscience which is another significant symbol of cultural myths (Hiraga 585). In this regard, being a complex structure, a myth like a folk tale or a novel-in-verse usually demonstrate the stability of its elements and exists in the current social setting and permeates in all spheres of society. For instance, a myth is a symbolic narrative with an unknown origin and is part traditional and extensively elates to the actual events associated with societal issues such as religion or family relations. In this analysis, various forms of figurative language such as metaphor, simile, personification, and hyperbole are explored as language stylistics. Nevertheless, the modern interests in theoretical interpretation of myths and other forms of art such as fables and stories have become a social practice that depicts a symbolic and mythical way of mastering how reality plays a role in creating societal views.
‘What My Mother Doesn’t Know’ By Sonya Sones
The story is a fable demonstrated as narrative poetry and is told through different linguistic techniques rather than the usual prose. ‘What my mother doesn’t know’ by Sonya says of a teenage girl called Sophie trying to find love amidst poor relations with the parents. Sophie finally finds a lover who is not her type, but he makes her happy, and besides not liking her parents, she loves them nevertheless. The purpose of analyzing the story is to identify the various forms of figurative language as revealed through the narration and the theme of the narrative. The primary types of figurative language being focused on include personification, simile, hyperbole, and metaphor, among others. Based on the story, three themes identified and they include overwhelmed feelings which include concealing of true feelings throughout the narrative, love and appearance idea is also seen, and the family bond which is always present within a family no matter the situation or the feeling towards each other. According to Vasyl, most of the cultural myths and stories use figurative language that relates to the themes of the story and hence the author’s style, in this case, reveals the attachment of the three issues.
Metaphor
When metaphors used in a statement, they usually do not make sense instantly, but after keen analysis, the meaning is revealed. In this regard, metaphors make sense when there is the existence of similarities between two things in comparison and that it is apparent that the readers or the audience will understand the linkage between the two words or statements. According to Vasyl, a metaphor is a form of a figurative language used when one is being directed to compare specific actions with other events or objects and may take many types depending on the literal as well as the figurative terms being implied (17). In the story by Sonya, several identified metaphors contribute to the theme of the narrative. For instance, the protagonist says that Sophie would know what it feels buried under an avalanche of guilt (Sonya 25). In this metaphor, the main words are buried, guilt, and avalanche. To burry in literal terms means to put beneath or to destroy something, while a flood is a mass of soil, snow, or rocks that fall down a mountain, whereas guilt is an adjective which means a feeling of being ashamed of having done something that was not right. In this regard, the three words are used to illustrate someone who is extremely hurt by their guilt.
Personification
This form of figurative language gives humans the features of objects, ideas or other animals. Personification affects how the audience imagines and paces themselves in a factious state of an animal or an idea. This form of figurative language is best suited for children. It is a form of a cultural myth used for educational purposes to relate real societal issues with theoretical ideas or objects. Examples of personification include opportunity knocking the door, or the sun greeted me in the morning or the radio suddenly stopped singing and stared. According to Akun, representation as a figure of speech gives human qualities an attribute of nature or a dramatic effect for purposes of education or conveying a message (156). In the story by Sonya, there are several personification styles identified that contribute to the theme of the narrative. For instance, the narrator talks about the whispering of fingers (Sonya 265). In this statement, the main words are fingers and whispering where fingers as a noun include the four parts of the human body found at the end of the limbs while whispering is a verb which means speaking quietly in a manner that other people do not hear what is being said.
Hyperbole
This form of figurative language represents an outrageous exaggeration of something as a way of emphasizing a point during a conversation, and it tends to be funny or ridiculous. Hence, it adds character and colour to an interview. In the Sonya cultural myth, there are several forms of hyperbole that help contribute to the theme of the story. For instance, the author states that my mother whips around slashing with knives with a gleam in her eyes (Sonya 369). From the statement, the main words include gleaming, slashing, and eyes. Slashing is a verb that depicts the act of cutting using a long ad sharp object while gleaming. Also, a verb means looking bright and clean. The verb slashing is used to show someone feeling of anger and the chances of using a sharp object to cut something or someone while gleaming expresses the seriousness of the circumstances under which the individual can engage in the slashing act. Also, the author uses the noun eye because, in facial expression, it is the eyes that show genuine emotions. Hence, the word is used to indicate the seriousness of the actor who is Sophie mother which is illustrated through a statement that relates to the theme of feelings and genuine emotions.
Simile
A simile is usually used to compare two things that look alike, such as a bee and its activities equated to being busy. In the story by Sonya, several lines utilize simile as a figurative language of speech that help in contributing to the theme of the story. For example, the author writes that ‘my mother has not been up for a long time except going to the kitchen to cook as she drags herself like a zombie (Sonya 232). The main words that link up to show simile include mother and zombie as the author links the actions of the mother to a Zombie. A zombie is a factious word used to represent dead people while a mother as a noun means a parent to someone; in this case, the mother to Sophie. In this regard, the author uses the term zombie to depict the act of feeling tired and not interested in doing anything and hence Sophie mother does not want to speak or laugh but only to saunter to the kitchen to cook. Further, her mother acts to show her anger with Sophie as she did not want to wear the gown bought for her. Nevertheless, the simile is an essential component of figurative language as it brings more meaning to a situation or a statement.
Relationship between figurative languages and the themes
The use of figurative language in the story by Sonya is directly linked to the three main themes of family, feelings, as well as love and appearance. For instance, the simile is used to show the actions of Sophie’s mother as hyperbole used to demonstrate anger which is linked to the theme of feelings. The theme of family is brought out through personification and hyperbole that help relate and at the same time, entertain the audience. According to Akun, the cultural myths, especially fables and stories, used figurative language to connect with the audience and depict the theme in as ways as possible (158). Besides, the author, in this case, is using all the figurative languages to express the issues that affect society and at the same time educate the audience about the life and hence in the story, the author uses more hyperbole because most of the people who relate with the story are teenagers. Young people relate to love expressions, happiness, sadness, and expressions of anger which are better illustrated using hyperbole. Nevertheless, the story through the themes reveals the importance of figurative languages in the discovery of language and style of expression that best portrays cultural myth in society.
Overall, the culture has always thought to be a set of rigid and unchangeable features that belong to a given group of people within a given area which is enough to explain an individual’s behaviour within a family and society. However, the cultural concept as used in families and in telling of myths and stories needs to realize the dynamics behind the culture as well as the variables that help people interact. A figurative language is a form of culture that is essential in cultural myths, fables, and stories as they help bring out the meaning of the text and relate the narration to the real issues in societies. In this case, the author, Sonya, uses several figurative languages in her story ‘What my mother doesn’t know’ such as personification, hyperbole, simile, and metaphor which help in explaining the theme of feelings, love, and family as seen in the story. In literal studies, the main aim of stylistic language is to show the technical part of linguistics that features in most of the cultural myths which include the grammatical structure that contribute to the overall, theme of the narration. Besides, the stylistics demonstrates excellence in the work that seems to utilize sake poetry, lyrics, and narratives.